PERRINVILLE — It was one of those places that had a little of everything — a post office with the Perrinville name and two nearby corners in two different cities, Lynnwood and Edmonds.
It seemed like there once was more there, but David Laush, 18, didn’t know what.
“One day about two years ago, I was wondering what this place is,” said Laush, who lives in Lynnwood. “There’s a lot of unoccupied buildings. What’s the back story on this place?”
The question was the genesis for what would turn into his Eagle Scout project, researching the history of the area. The end result was the installation of a sign with historical information and photos posted at the intersection of 76th Avenue West and Olympic View Drive.
He soon learned that Perrinville was named after Gertrude and Carl Perrin. The couple moved to the area from Edmonds. Gertie Perrin, whom local residents remember as “an interesting character,” reportedly felt that if she was going to move to what was then the country, she would start up a town. She named the town Perrinville after registering the land at the county courthouse.
The town prospered for a while but “then receded back into its shell,” Laush said. Gertie Perrin died in 1991.
The post office allows the area to be nationally recognized as a city, he said. “So on the national level, it’s a city, but a very, very small city. There’s the post office corner and two adjacent corners on the left and right and a restaurant, which people think of as Perrinville is actually in Lynnwood, he said.
Laush said he was first became interested in the area as a child from frequent trips his family would make to the area to take his sisters to a dance classes.
When he began the project to learn more about the area’s history about a year ago, he said he didn’t know how time-consuming it would be. He wondered if he would be able to complete it.
The reward came with the feeling that people ought to know a little about the place and where it came from, he said. “I just wanted to give back to the community.”
Laush said he was helped by Katie Kelly of the Edmonds Historical Museum. The organization often gets asked about the history of Perrinville, Kelly said.
“When you pop out of Olympic View Drive, it’s just there,” she said. “Not too many people know too much about it.”
Kelly said she’s driven by the spot where Laush’s historical marker was installed at the end of May and seen people stopping to read it.
Lynnwood Mayor Nicola Smith said that thanks to Laush’s efforts, “we are able to celebrate and honor the founders of our community.”
Andy Eccleshall is a volunteer in Laush’s Boy Scout troop and helped oversee his Eagle Scout project. It was a goal that Laush had in mind for a long time, he said. “I thought it was pretty cool,” Eccleshall said.
“Perrinville is one of those places that people drive through and have no idea why it’s there,” he said. Laush’s project “will serve the passing public for a long, long, time.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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