Burnett (Pierce) 28mi 41m
An early 1900s era coal mining town three miles south of Buckley off SH 5. The town was abandoned after World War II ended.
1909 picture
http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/show_picture.cgi?ID=ID.%20Smith,%20E.E.%20%20%20%20%20286
Wikipedia says:
Burnett was named for Charles Hiram Burnett, Sr. a pioneer coal industrialist and real estate investor who operated a coal mine in the town of Burnett.
The town has only two stores and one church. The two stores are both owned by the Argo family. The first store is named simply, The Burnett Store. It is a convenience store and has been in operation since July 1977. The second store called the Pinch Plum sells antiques.
The Burnett Store was the subject of a song written by Blaine Larsen and his friends entitled The Burnett Store Song, in which they extol the virtues of their favorite boyhood hangout. It can be found on Larsen's self released album entitled Tracks From The Barn Part Two.
http://www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/Burnett.html (information on powder house and store vault)
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ech/news/35980704.html?period=W&mpStartDate=03-07-2010
“It was a company town, named after Charles Burnett, the coal mine supervisor,” Calton said. “It was around from 1880 to 1927, but was most populated from 1921 to 1926.”
“It was owned by the Pacific Coast Coal Company and you had to buy from the company, rent from the company,” she said. “Even your doctor bill, if you were hurt in the mines, they took it out of your pay.”
The company ended up closing the town in 1927. According to Calton, the company demolished many of its stores and moved houses from the valley to nearby Carbonado, also a Pacific Coast Coal Company town.
A drive down Lower Burnett Road still provides some evidence to what was once there, Calton said.
“There is a big safe from the company store there on the left hand side,” she said.
Also remaining are foundations of the company's concrete storehouse for explosives and the sidewalk of the old school which burned down in 1929.
..........
2010
According to the nice lady at the Pinch Plum (on 141st), the building for the Pinch Plum used to be the gas station/convenience store ... and the building is actually over 100 yrs old.