Lyman's landmark Minkler mansion to become town hall

LYMAN, Skagit County — Lyman will celebrate its 100th birthday Saturday at an old landmark the town hopes will become the new center of its identity.

The Minkler mansion, built in 1891 and the only building in town on the National Register of Historic Places, has been converted in the past year from a private residence to the town hall.

But the town doesn't own the well-preserved Victorian house just yet. The deed belongs to Skagit County, which paid $393,000 for the property on Lyman's behalf last July. Lyman didn't have all the grant money it needed at the time to meet the property owner's deadline for the sale.

The town received a $200,000 grant from the state just before the sale and netted $125,200 from the sale of a city property in the past few weeks, Mayor Debra Heinzman said.

But it's still not enough. The town is obligated by a contract with the county to pay the full purchase price plus a fee, totaling $407,737, by July 29.

Heinzman said she will ask the county for an extension.

She said the town continues to pursue more grants but has high hopes for a $500,000 federal earmark requested by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen for the mansion. The money would go toward purchase and renovation of the building.

The town will make a push during the centennial celebration on Saturday to raise money for the mansion by selling pavers engraved with donors' names, Heinzman said.

Lyman is taking pains to recognize its 100th birthday with a nod to its history and with something new to take into the next century.

The honorary guest at a flag-raising ceremony is Eleanor Minkler Aiken, 92. Aiken is a granddaughter of Birdsey Minkler, the mill owner and politician who built the mansion.

For the occasion, the town has a new 38-foot flagpole, donated by the city of Sedro-Woolley.