Skansie Brothers Park

Skansie Brothers Park. . , Andrew and Bertha Skansie purchased this property just after the turn of the century, first building a cabin on the beach. In 1910 they constructed the brick home. Andrew was a young but accomplished stone mason, bringing the skill from Croatia when he immigrated in 1900. Andrew took advantage of the many large rocks and boulders on the nearby beach for the home's foundation. He also purchased a reported 16,000 bricks from a facility on Vashon Island at an amazing cost of a penny a piece., All five of Andrew and Bertha's children were born in the home. The three male children spent the majority of their lives living here. Upon the death of Peter in 2002 the city of Gig Harbor purchased the property, marking the first time in nearly a century that members of the Andrew Skansie family were not in residence., Andrew's sons, Vincent, Antone and Peter, took over the family's operation of the Avalon in 1940, a purse seiner owned by their father. Antone was the skipper and Vincent and Peter played a vital role in the family fishing operation. The brothers lived in the house and kept up the property, retaining much of the original state to this day. The Skansie Brothers' vision to see the property preserved has helped make it the public park it is today., [Photo captions, top and bottom, read] , . Andrew Skansie home, circa 1910, . Skansie Family L-R , Antone A, Andrew (father), Clementina, Peter B., Jeroma, Bertha, Vincent (Vincie)