Pioneer Square in Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

UPS - Celebrating 100 years of Service

August 28, 2007

Celebrating 100 years of Service Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2011

1. Celebrating 100 years of Service Marker

Inscription. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of UPS, employees gathered here at the company’s birthplace to honor, celebrate and reaffirm UPS’s commitment to serving communities around the world.

Erected 2007 by UPS Corporation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is August 28, 1907.

Location. 47° 36.002′ N, 122° 19.911′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Pioneer Square. It is on 2nd Avenue near South Main Street. The marker is located in Waterfall Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 217 2nd Avenue, Seattle WA 98104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Birthplace of United Parcel Service (here, next to this marker); How Big Was Japantown? (within shouting distance of this marker); Who built Seattle? (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Why was “The Tenderloin” the first LGBTQ+ neighborhood in Seattle? (about 400 feet away); What makes a thriving village? (about 400 feet away); Lou Graham’s Sporting House (about 400 feet away); Salvation Army Site (about 500 feet away); The White Chapel District (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

Other markers no longer nearby. Site of the Smaller Fort (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been

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confirmed missing); Information Booth (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed); Pioneer Square Historic District (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . American Messenger Service, forerunner of UPS.

On August 28, 1907, 19-year-old James E. Casey (1888-1983) and Claude Ryan start American Messenger Service (forerunner of United Parcel Service), with $100 borrowed from Ryan's uncle, Charley Jones. They operate out of the basement of a saloon (at one time a livery stable) at 2nd Avenue and Main Street, and deliver packages and messages in Seattle by foot, bicycle, and streetcar. They convince other boys in Seattle to buy uniforms and to agree to a strict code of behavior which includes courtesy to customers and no whistling.

By Christmas 1912, the company employed 100 messengers and moved to 1602 1/2 2nd Avenue. In 1913, American Messenger merged with McCabe's Motorcycle Delivery Service to become Merchants' Delivery Service, and they bought their first car, a 1913 Model T Ford. In 1919, the firm expanded to San Francisco and became United Parcel Service (UPS). By 1930, it covered cities all over the West Coast and New York City.

The original site of American Messenger Service is marked by Waterfall Park (downtown Seattle at 2nd Avenue and Main Street), constructed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1977 to honor UPS employees worldwide. The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2011

2. Celebrating 100 years of Service Marker located in Waterfall Garden
was established in 1948 by Jim Casey, one of the founders of United Parcel Service, and his siblings, George, Harry, and Marguerite, who named the philanthropy in honor of their mother. The Foundation's first grants provided support to a camp for disadvantaged children in Seattle, the home of the Casey family.

(Submitted on February 22, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Waterfall Garden image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2011

3. Waterfall Garden

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2011

4. Waterfall Garden

Waterfall Garden Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 17, 2011

5. Waterfall Garden Plaque

Waterfall Garden Created and Maintained for the People of Seattle By The Annie E. Casey Foundation In honor of all the men and women of United Parcel Service 1977

Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,395 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 11, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.