Hidden Bricks: Visits to St. James Proto-Cathedral and Grass Valley Park

The St. James Cathedral was founded to serve the Quebec Missionaries whom came to the Fort Vancouver area in the 1830s. The discharged fur traders (the ones making all the orphan babies) were begging the bishop in Montreal for priests. It is important to note the climate at the time was one of extreme fear, as the Whitman Massacre (see here) had just occurred. Things were very tense around then to say the least. 

From 12th Street

The original cathedral, a wooden structure located over near Fort Vancouver, was dedicated in 1846. There was a land dispute that started in 1853 that took 40 years over to resolve and went clear to the supreme court. The Church lost, and so the parish was moved to the current location (the land was purchased in 1872, a year after Hidden Brick Company was founded) instead.

On June 21, 1889 someone burnt down the old cathedral, but no one was ever charged in the crime. Priceless paintings that Bishop Blanchet brought back from his Missionary travels were saved from the fire, and six of them are still hanging in the current Proto Cathedral.

The cornerstone was placed July 24, 1884, the Sunday after the Feast Day of St. James the Greater. 

Somewhere in Belgium there is a church that is a duplicate of St. James, with the exception of the spires! Architect Donald McKay was credited with the building's design, but the plans likely came from the priests travelling through Mexico and Europe. A Google search does not yield an immediate sister church, she remains a mystery.

Yes... the grand old girl is actually a copy!

She has an older sister in Belgium somewhere. I'm looking for her online.

The cut stone that makes up the foundation (a Mother Joseph endorsed idea, also used in the Providence Academy) came from Camas. The red bricks are, of course, Hiddens. The altar and Stations of the cross inside the church are also from Belgium and hand carved.

The foundation and Hidden details.

The grounds outside are unlocked so you can walk through the peaceful brick path and enjoy the public art. The Church website advises the 12th Street doors unlock before Mass, but the west side door is open M-F 9-4, and the public are invited inside. Also, every day but Monday there's mass going on, so it's not hard to get inside here if you want to.

The original St. James bell cast in 1854 that was rung in the Cathedrals of the Nisqually (Seattle) Diocese is outside on the grounds.

The original first mass happened on November 25, 1838 at the Fort Vancouver stockade. The original parish counted 76 Catholics, mostly French Canadian and Iroquois men, women and children. A Priest named Father Blanchet created a teaching tool called "The Catholic Ladder", to indoctrinate the Native population into Catholic faith. A replica still sits outside the rectory here. 

Our Lady of Vancouver outside on the grounds

The Rectory - from 12th Street, a magical little building with castle-like details, 

Outside on 12th Street there's a mandala honoring our friend Mother Joseph. She pops in and out of the Church's early history, noted to have a special relationship with the 3rd Bishop of Nesqually, Edward J. O'Dea. O'Dea donated the statue of St. Patrick to the left side of the altar inside. He was the Bishop at the time of MJ's death in 1902, she called him "Little Eddie." She herself hand embroidered his vestments and slippers he wore at the September 8, 1896 consecration of the Cathedral.

Again, a testament to Mother's Joseph personality is the fact that O'Dea didn't dare move the diocese to the now larger parish in the Seattle area until after her death. Not even the church wanted to go against Mother Joseph's wishes. In 1907 they officially changed the name of the diocese from Nesqually to Seattle. The St. James website laments this stating, "But in the hearts of Vancouver parishioners even today, theirs was the mother church, forever the landmark cathedral for the birthplace of Catholicism in the Northwest."

There's a Mandala dedicated to Mother Joseph outside.

Mother Joseph formed statues cast in wax in the basement of the Providence Academy (I told you, she did EVERYTHING). She shaved hair off of her orphans for this wax statue of St. Lucian and also a statue of Baby Jesus that she made. St. Lucian is hidden inside the Cathedral, resting under the side altar. St. Lucian was a Roman martyr, and the church typically opens the keyhole panel to expose him during the Month of November.  The statue itself is believed to contain some of the relics from St. Lucian's crypt. 

Mother Joseph casted this wax effigy of St. Lucian and used orphan hair in its creation- yikes!

In 2008, the cathedral underwent a massive renovation. Old materials were ripped out and existing architectural features were further highlighted while the wood pews and the altar from Belgium were all refurbished. The biggest change of all was the painting of the blue ceilings and gold stars, designed to remind the parishioners of heaven. It gives me a Van Gogh vibe and I really like it.

Another interesting thing about this church is the high altar itself. Unlike our friends at All Saints Catholic Church who still face the audience for mass, the priests here made a decision to face the altar and the statues of the Blessed Virgin, St. James the Greater and St. Augustine. The church insists on their website that this isn't turning their back on the attendees, but leading prayer by example, and the priest will face and direct the audience at appropriate times.

Van Gogh Vibes

I didn't take a bunch of photos inside as I don't think its cool to be all weird in an active place of worship. You'll have to go see more inside with your own eyeballs, it's pretty cool and no one cared I was there.   

Saturday we went to Grass Valley Park (3211 NW 39th Ave), 14.4 acres in the City of Camas, Washington, a town about 20 minutes east of Vancouver. This newer  park has tennis and basketball courts, a baseball field, and a covered picnic area. The reason for our visit is the old Hidden bricks that have been reclaimed and reused:

Next to the covered picnic area.

There is absolutely nothing remotely spooky about this very normal park in an upper class residential area.

My theory around the bricks is evolving somewhat after visiting all of these sites. I still believe the bricks absolutely contribute to the hauntings. I also have now seen that having reclaimed bricks re-used in new sites does not seem to lead to any documented high strangeness.

Having multiple 1871-1904 Hidden bricks  in my own home (I had four in a stack as an experiment at one point) did not make anything weird happen. It seems like the bricks may have to be still set in the location they were intended to in order to be active - it's all of the old, original buildings where spooky things seem to happen.

I have recently mailed one of these 4 bricks to my bestie Jax on the East Coast. I'll let you know if anything weird happens when she gets it.

I also added one to my altar to see if it changes any of my magickal work.

Brick Mojo

Most "haunted" bricks are the 1871-1904 hand cuts, with the exception of the Carnegie Library/Historical Museum. That location with the unchanged building with the use of the original bricks is sitting on the old clay pit, so the slightly newer bricks there still have a "haunted" reaction.

Again, this is all just a working theory, and like any of us that are honest enough to admit, none of us have any idea what's actually going on but it sure is interesting to wonder about. 

Some of the best condition ones I have seen in my entire search. So sharp!!

Next week? We finally go inside the Providence Academy,  Mother Joseph's house built of cursed bricks. To say I'm excited is an understatement. That's the only original location left.

Hidden Bricks: Providence Academy - is it really cursed by Mother Joseph? A deeper look at who she was.

I didn't plan on going down a very deep rabbit hole with Mother Joseph, the French Canadian nun who built most of downtown Vancouver, but I'm following where the leads go, and here we are. 

The entire reason the Hidden Brick Company was founded in 1871 was to build the Providence Academy. As mentioned before, it is known that Mother Joseph herself taught the Hiddens how to make bricks. It's pretty simple - no Mother Joseph, no Vancouver, or at least not the Vancouver we know. At the time Vancouver was rising, it was neck and neck with Seattle as to which area would rise to be the big trade area around the forts in the area. 

1890s Providence Academy, courtesy the Providence Archive

The above is just one of many, many old photos that Providence's Online Archive has able to view in high quality. The treasure trove can be found Here!. This old Cadestral Map in French from 1919 (remember, the sisters arrived here via Montreal, Canada) is also one of my favorites - here.

Another great source of High Quality B&W photos of the Academy area in the 1970s is the National Register of Historic Places Here.

The thing about Mother Joseph is that she did well, basically everything. The daughter of a noted Montreal architect, she carved sculpture and wood, spun thread, farmed, did embroidery and carpentry. As the eldest daughter of 10, she quickly took on mothering her younger siblings and learned traditionally female skills growing up after her mother's death as well.

She was known to walk around carrying tools on her habit belt on the regular and was a notable six feet tall. She basically feared nothing, believing God would protect her and faced down robbers, a cougar, and even a grizzly bear on her journey out west to Vancouver to build her Academy.  No one talked back to her, ever. 

Not only did she design and supervise the building plus personally approve the materials, turns out she slung bricks here right along side the Hiddens! This building was her grand vision and she truly felt it was God's will, she wasn't going to sacrifice anything she didn't feel like. By all verbal accounts on record she was a "nag", "bossy",  and "demanding". Maybe is where the possible bad blood between her and the Hiddens began? Bitches get shit done... I can confirm. 

Three other sources confirmed she was a solid 6 foot tall, but they minimized it to make her less masculine. She broke all the gender norms and managed to get away with it.

A skilled builder and craftsman, she was the first person to utilize native Douglas Fir trees in large scale construction, she inspected EVERY BRICK used in building the Providence Academy. She was ruthless in her perfectionism, as her building was for God's purpose.

Obsessive much? If she's truly haunting anywhere, this is the place. 

She named herself after the adopted Father of Jesus and her own father, Joseph. She was smart, and knew a woman wouldn't be able to homestead the wild west in what was part of an admission to go search for gold for God in California. She was interested in building, designing, growing, carving, painting, creating, riding horses... she never rested for a moment. I can understand this compulsion. The last thing I would want to have done in the 1860s or now would be stay at home and have babies. I work in a metal shop. 

Ready for another synchronicity?

The shop where I work and weird things happen all the time is literally smack in the middle of the farm parcel that Mother Joseph herself worked when the Academy was founded. 5 days a week I've been walking around with tools in my pockets on the same land... where 150 plus years ago Mother Joseph herself was walking around with farming tools. Pretty weird. 

I guess it explains why the road my work is on is called La Frambois, French for Raspberry.What do you want to bet Mother Joseph named this street? I mean...

Looks like this area was grand central station for fruit growing, you know, like the Hidden Brothers did:

"Fruit Valley was once known for its breathtaking views of vast prune, peach and filbert orchards. Early settlers came from the Dakotas in 1890 and 1891 and the area was nicknamed “New Dakota”. The fruit orchards supplied local dehydrating and packing companies. At the peak of prune production, nine dehydrators were located in Fruit Valley. In the lower elevation areas, dairy, wheat, and pasture farms flourished. The area was also settled by some of those employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company such as Joseph Petrain and Naukane (John Coxe)." Article here.

Additionally, my middle name is Jo, after my paternal grandfather Joseph. Two women named after Josephs in non-traditional fields that don't take anyone's shit. Dare I say Mother Joseph is even...kindred? Could SHE be the catalyst for my brick obsession? We seem to be the same kind of chick. 

Another interesting story about Mother Joseph in the early days is that she had the balls to use her free rail pass she was given to transport orphans to the orphanage to haul a cow back from Idaho for the Academy. Literally no one told this woman no, ever:

Her argument was that the cow was FOR the orphans. They backed down. Thug Life.

For the 100th anniversary of the Academy's founding in 1956, the Sisters came up with a musical drama based on the Academy's founding and Mother Joseph's life. Loo-et or Loowit comes from the Puyallup word "Loowitlatkl," their name for Mount St. Helen's.

Whoo boy, this celebrated play based on "facts" is a giant mess of romanticized colonialism and I felt gross the entire time I read it:

How romantic. Ugh 

Yeah, its the white man's pain that brought the great alluvial silt to the region. Whatever.

Gross, they did what to her exactly? That's right, NOTHING, literally.

Sometimes history is really disappointing. The more I read about the founding of the Academy and Mother Joseph I feel uncomfortable with the overall White Savior aspects of it all, and I hate that my beloved Hidden bricks are smack in the middle of it. I shouldn't be surprised as it involves my old stomping ground, the Catholic Church, but that's a rant for another day. 

The saddest part about this whole thing is the terrible play was based on fact. Back when Vancouver was a fur trading post, the white men paired off with native american women, resulting in many biracial children. These kids weren't accepted by their tribes when the white men left town and the babies were often left in the care of the Sisters of Providence (the French white females that were with the French men) and so the orphanage there was founded due to the pressing need. As flawed as she was, MJ had her bossy heart in the right place. It was their fault the babies were there. They changed the name of the first baby left on the doorstep, but the story while romanticized is essentially accurate. 

A local pastor tried to combat the abandoned baby problem by performing what they called "country marriages", as it was illegal to marry a native american woman in those days.  This is a big part of what led to the women and children being abandoned in the first place when the French Canadian fur traders had to move on from the area. 

Which brings me back to the supposed curse on the Hidden bricks that Mother Joseph is rumored to have placed. Is this just a continuation of the typical "cursed land" *eyeroll* narrative spread so frequently when natives were being mistreated by white settlers?

I began with the feeling that the "curse"on the bricks via MJ was just an unsubstantiated rumor to add credence to a ghost story in a creepy old building. The more I look into Mother Joseph herself and her non-traditional pushing of gender norms for a nun at the time the more I believe she could actually have the balls to do this if she was angered. She wasn't your typical meek nun. In fact, she openly admitted her struggle with her vow of Obedience to other Sisters. That would have been my problem too. In fact, the word "obey" appears nowhere in my wedding vows to my husband on purpose. At least she agreed to be obedient to God. 

Here's another anecdote about MJ's forceful personality, and why I think she would legitimately curse someone she thought was trying to mess with God's literal plan of Providence through her work:

10/10 this person would throw down a curse. Dare I say this even sounds a bit witchy for a nun?

I guarantee after researching her that she was both arrogant and petty enough to threaten a curse if she felt the Hiddens were in the wrong. Finding actual proof of it is a different matter entirely, as even listening to a two hour talk at the historical museum about her life acknowledged a lot of what we know about her via oral stories can even seem conflicting.

She wasn't shy about expressing her opinions, and her letters back home to the Mother Superior are a litany of complaints about issues she's encountering in her ministering. Oddly, the number one theme that repeats is her lamenting "This community needs music," meaning the Catholic community out west. This also later ties to the Hiddens, who were noted to be a very musical family. Is this part of the reason Mother Joseph trained the Hidden brothers to make bricks? She seemed very savvy and that she had many angles going at once to benefit the Academy - I doubt its an accident she took a musical family under her wing.

She actually funded her Academy entirely by aggressively begging. She'd go into mines and ask miners for money, sharing tales of orphans and sick soldiers. She came up with unique sponsorship schemes like "Buy a window or a door in the Academy". She literally believed in PROVIDENCE, that God would handle their needs, she essentially manifested it and willed it so. 

The Original Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph in Center Front. Photo courtesy the Historic Trust.

The only time she was heard to speak English was using some colorful language she learned from local construction workers. To the shock and amusement of others present, in her 70s she was attempting a small repair in the chapel on a ladder. She got up and repaired the problem just fine, but couldn't get down with her tools and had a few choice words to say. What can I say, turns out I kind of like her. 

The Historic Trust along with WSU Vancouver is actually creating an app where you can explore Providence Academy in a virtual reality manner and follow in Mother Joseph's footsteps. More info here. It's only for iphone so no brick building for me at the moment.

Mother Joseph is buried in the Cemetery that now bears her name, Mother Joseph Catholic Cemetery (formerly St. James Acres). 1838 is the oldest pioneer grave in this yard. 

The cemetery is dedicated to the souls of the unborn and aborted infants. 

There's a bench dedicated in 1999 to Mother Joseph here as well. To find it, enter at 20th and N, the sisters are on the West side of the cemetery. Walk to the tall white cross. Prepare to feel emotional walking the path. I can't explain it.

"Whatever concerns the poor is always our affair."

Because I believe Mother Joseph is the catalyst for all of this, I now officially have let rain fall on my Oracle deck. I sat on  her bench and admitted I had no idea what was going on with the bricks anymore but wanted to see what she had to say.

Her grave is the second one from the end on the left as you walk up the angel path. In 1999, April 16th was officially named Mother Joseph Day in Washington state in her honor by then Governor Gary Locke. 

Her modest headstone is no different than those of any of her Sisters. The Providence website gives us a glimpse into her last moments, as the breast cancer ravaging her body was spreading to her brain: 

Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart died on January 19, 1902, at the age of 79. The chronicles record her last words to the sisters gathered around her bed: “My dear sisters, allow me to recommend to you the care of the poor in our houses, as well as those without. Take good care of them; have no fear of them; assist them and receive them. Then, you will have no regrets. Do not say: ah! this does not concern me, let others see to them. My sisters, whatever concerns the poor is always our affair.”

The final resting place of whom I now think of as the Mother of Vancouver.

Hidden Bricks: more 26th/Kaufmann and a trip to Yacolt, WA

Friday I was driving by the old Hidden Brickyard, and I noticed that there was a whole different part of the Kaufmann property from Fourth Plain. It wasn't pouring rain, so of course, I had to stop and look around. Again, these were all taken from public spaces and DO NOT TRESPASS TO GEEK OUT OVER WEIRD STUFF.  

Crushed up bricks (rejects used for filler?) are unearthing themselves everywhere under the mud.

I was able to find the old blueprints to the 15th and Main brickyard at the historical museum but not a footprint of the newer factory grounds so it remains a bit mysterious.

I need a Go Go Gadget Ladder.

I really wish I could see in there a bit better as this looks like where the machinery was, during the actual molding process. I have no idea if the old machinery is still there or where it has ended up. So, I asked.

In the file at the historical library.

I have written a letter to the Hidden family asking where the equipment is, and if they would consider letting me have a closer look of the grounds... from the other side of the fence. 

It's basically a "Hail Mary" move, and I left out the part about my wild paranormal theory and stuck to my honest history geeking. You never know if you don't ask, right?

The tan building is a mini mart literally backed up to the Brickyard fence line.

I'd driven by this poor little tagged brick building a million times on my way to work and never looked twice at it.

I also discovered there was a fire here in 1982:

Another fun history footnote is that briefly, Santa Claus was receiving calls at the brickyard:

For Saturday's adventure we decided to go check out the Fargher Lakehouse Restaurant in Yacolt, WA (15519 NE Fargher Lake Hwy, Yacolt, WA 98675) as they have an internal wall built with antique bricks.

Additionally, Yacolt itself proved to be interesting. I mean, look what the city's website says about what the name Yacolt even means:

Fargher Lake is north of Vancouver (about a 40 minute drive) and due East of La Center.

So we had lunch near the haunted valley of the demons surrounded by Hidden Bricks. I sat through an hour of country music in this place. That's how deep the brick obsession has gone. 

Welcome to the Fargher Lakehouse restaurant. It's in the middle of nowhere, unless you live out in the country and are going hunting.  They have vegan and gluten free options for those with dietary restrictions. Dave and the kid had amazing club sandwiches. Don't go eat here if you're in a hurry, but the food is excellent.

A wall of reclaimed antique bricks lines the restaurant.

Insanely huge portions.

As noted before, they have an internal wall made up of antique bricks from the area, most of them Hiddens. The drive out feels very "Sasquatchy" for lack of better word, it has a wildness and energy to it that makes it feel like anything could happen. 

One of the older dates in the wall.

The oldest date I saw was on a brick from a Portland Builder, 1872.

What we noticed right away is all of the employees were wearing shirts that declared Fargher Lake "Never Normal."

The Mercantile across the street.

The Lakehouse was mostly filled with senior citizens having lunch, with a couple of blue collar workers having drinks in the bar. This is definitely a locals only sort of bar. My dad would have loved this place.

It didn't feel haunted in the slightest. Just in case, I pulled some cards. Once again, the Oracle made me nearly choke: 

Silence. Yep, feels pretty non-liminal in here despite the bricks.

I talked to the server and she ended up asking ME about the bricks. She had no idea what Hidden even meant, but she was very interested to learn about Vancouver's history, turns out.

The employees there didn't know why Fargher Lake is called "Never Normal Since 1921." She said she assumed it was just because they are "redneck town" but advised the shirts were available at the Mercantile across the street and they would likely know why not being normal is a big deal there. 

Should say since 1977, but whatever, I had to have it.

The Mercantile itself is a typical small town store with a bit of literally everything inside - tools, clothes, groceries etc. They have a huge, reasonably priced merch line of mugs, hats, shirts, coasters:

Again, the ladies working in the Mercantile had no idea why Fargher Lake was "Never Normal since 1921." 

"Oh, I don't know, we're just not normal," one answered. "Huh, I don't actually know. You ever ask the boss? No? Huh." They both seemed a bit perplexed they hadn't thought about it before. 

I then decided to get real weird and asked them if they thought it was because there are rumors of Sasquatch in the area. Both laughed nervously at the city girl and wouldn't answer. 

Never Normal.

Behind the Mercantile I found the windmill they have logoed on to everything. 

Found the windmill behind the Mercantile.

It's beautiful and peaceful in the haunted valley. It almost seems a place beyond time. Everything is slower, here.

Well, turns out a quick websearch helps us figure out what is so abnormal about Fargher Lake:

The rest of the story and a photo gallery Here. Seems like a pretty cool guy and project. I just might go back to Fargher Lake and look around again. I know a great place to eat out there now.

Soon we will have a report from inside the Brickhouse Bar and Grill and the Providence Academy after an official tour.