During the early years, Eastern Washington University was a normal school, which was the term for a teacher’s college. Most students were women, and by 1919, the administration decided it was time for a new women’s dormitory. Architect Julius Zittel, who had previously designed buildings for the school, designed the new building.

His plans were very like that of Monroe Hall, minus the kitchen and dining room. These original plans called to construct the building out of reinforced concrete, but these bids exceeded the $120,000 appropriation funds from the state legislature.

It was decided to construct a three-story brick structure. The Fred Phair and Co. of Spokane was asked to build Senior Hall but failed to complete it when it formally opened on July 9, 1920. This was due to some financial problems that prevented the third floor from being finished until 1925. At the time, President Showalter was away, so the ceremony was presided over by Vice President Ceylon S. Kingston. They named the new dorm Senior Hall as it was to be the home for the young women in their final year of study. It was used as a dorm until 1970 when it was renovated into an office building.

Senior Hall was much more than just a dormitory. It was a home and refuge for the young women attending school. Many happy memories were made within these walls, as can be seen in many photographs taken by those who lived there over the years.

In 2006 Senior Hall was renovated again and is now home to EWU’s School of Social Work and Human Services. The historic building doubled in size and replaced the complete infrastructure. Senior Hall is one of EWU’s oldest buildings and is on the National Register of Historical Places and part of the Eastern Washington University Historic District.

For more (including 6 images), view the original article.

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One hundred years ago on a cold foggy February morning, Cheney’s worst railroad accident occurred at this spot. The Northern Pacific’s North Coast Limited passenger train plowed into a Burlington passenger train. The Burlington train was stopped at the station in South Cheney when the Northern Pacific train, going the same direction plowed into it. Five men killed, and multiple passengers injured.

The tragedy was witnessed by a horrified group of six female students from the Cheney Normal School. They were on a hike, standing on top of a hill watching as the trains came in, and saw a brakeman run down the track waving a lantern trying to stop the incoming train. They recalled the brakeman continued to wave the lantern until the train was past the point of no return. It was due to the dense fog that the Northern Pacific passenger train failed to see the brakeman’s lantern.

An investigation of the crash found that speed and the time-interval spacing system were to blame. Due to the failure of synchronized clocks on each train, the timing was off by only a matter of minutes causing the collision. Also, due to a lack of following train speed orders issued weeks prior to the crash. These orders were put in place because of severe flooding that had caused missing and broken rails, washouts and detours in the area. The dense fog of that morning combined with these factors, prevented the incoming North Coast train to stop in time

Those who were killed and injured were in the Walla Walla sleeper car of the Burlington train, that was situated as the second to last car. The last car on the Barrington passenger train was empty. Among those men killed, was the head of the Washington State College chemistry department, Elton Fulmer. The bodies recovered from the wreckage were mangled, and the sight was difficult to witness, even for the rescuers.

For more (including 3 images), view the original article.

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