By Jacque Johnson
It is my pleasure to introduce/re-introduce a man who played a pivotal part in the historical development of Seattle. My great grandfather, Mr. Powell S. Barnett.
Powell S. Barnett is my great grandfather on my maternal side. He was born August 2, 1883, to Powell Benjamin Barnett and Mary Sample. His father Powell Benjamin Barnett, was born a slave on the Point of Fork Plantation Township in Fluvana County, Virginia. The slave-owner’s name was James Galt. Upon being freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, Powell Benjamin Barnett worked as a coal miner in Braidwood, Illinois and Brazil, Indiana. He married a woman named Mary Sample on 8/14/1880 and in 1883, Powell S. Barnett was born. Mary Sample’s family is believed to be from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Powell S. Barnett’s father, along with hundreds of others, was recruited to work in the coal mines of Roslyn, Washington. They arrived in 1888, making him one of the original African-American miners who arrived in Roslyn. Powell S. Barnett’s mother Mary died shortly upon arriving in Washington State. His father Powell Benjamin Barnett later married again to a woman named Melinda Johnson. In 1939, Powell S. Barnett’s father was killed in a mining accident when his chest was crushed.
The death of his father forced Powell S. Barnett to quit school early on ( 8th grade) and work in the Roslyn Coal Mines as the family “breadwinner”. He also played in the “colored” band. He came to Seattle in 1906 because he thought the city offered greater opportunities. On August 23rd, 1906, he married Katherine Veile Conna, daughter of African American Pioneers John N. Conna and Mary Davis. Powell and Katherine had several beautiful children together- Powell, John, Carmen, Eugene, Kenneth, Dorothy, Helen and Douglas.
Powell S. Barnett worked for Barary Asphalt Paving Company as sub-foreman putting in new streetcar lines. Later he was a “straw boss” for the General Engineering Construction Company, which built the Waldorf Hotel at 7th Avenue and Pike Street and the Perry Hotel on 9th Avenue and Madison Street. He later ran his own transfer company called BARNETT & SONS. After working for hotels and construction he served as a clerk for State Senator Frank Connor. He retired at age 71 as a maintenance man at the King County Courthouse.
Powell S. Barnett was a man of many interests and great energy. Much of his energy was directed towards improving race relations and civic unity. Powell S. Barnett became a leader in the community.
He started the Jackson Street Community Council ( now known as the Leschi Community Council) and became its first president in 1967. He led in organizing the East Madison YMCA in 1921-1922 and served as chairman of its board. However, there was a bitter opposition to the “Jim Crow” youth center. He also chaired a committee that revised the Seattle Urban League, thus saving its membership in the Community Chest.
He was a firm believer in racial integration. He was instrumental in uniting blacks and white in the YMCA and the USO ( United Service Organization). He assisted Japanese Americans who had been displaced during World War II. Powell S. Barnett believed in people as “people”. He always assumed the best in everyone unless proved otherwise. He was always educating himself, trying to learn everything he could to better himself in order to better serve his community. is favorite saying was “I have always felt that my community is not better or worse than what I help make it”.
Powell S. Barnett was also a musician who loved the marches of John Phillips Sousa. He played in the “colored” band. He was a sousaphone player and the first black person to become a member of the once all-white Musician’s Union, Local 76. A photo of him with the Volunteers Of America Band can be seen courtesy of Douglas Q. Barnett on historylink.org. Powell S. Barnett was instrumental in the amalgamation of the local Black Musicians Union, local 76 with the White Musician’s Union, local 493. For many years he was the only black member of local 493. His efforts were monumental- the merger of the two unions in 1954 after years of racial animosity.
Powell. S. Barnett was also a star baseball player and organized a semi-pro baseball Umpires Association in Seattle. He served as executive secretary from 1944 until 1961 and secured affiliation with the National Association of Umpires. A photo of him with the Royal Colored Giants Baseball Team can be seen courtesy of Douglas Q. Barnett on historylink.org., Powell S. Barnett was also a die hard New York Yankee’s fan and around 1955 or 1956 his dream was fulfilled when he attended a World Series game at Yankee Stadium.
For his outstanding civic contributions, Powell S. Barnett received awards from the King County Council on Aging, Jackson Street Community Council, Seattle Urban League, the Mayor, City Council and others.
He served on the former Governor Albert D. Rossellini’s special committee in 1963 to develop the Consumer Protection Act.
It should be noted that Powell once argued with the Urban League Board over its bylaws proviso that a certain percentage of the board had to be black. As he tried to abolish this he was quoted as saying “I don’t care if the board is 100% white. I want the best men on it. This quota thing is what we’re trying to abolish. Black’s want a chance, not a gift”.
In 1968, Powell S. Barnett was recognized as Seattle King County “Citizen of the year”.
In 1969, the City of Seattle converted the former Garfield High running track into a park. They named the 4.4-acre park, located on Martin Luther King Jr. Way between East Jefferson and East Alder Streets, after him.
Powell was a member of the NAACP and a lifetime member of Seattle’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church before his passing on March 16, 1971. He resided at 506 28th Avenue South in Seattle’s Central District where he lived most of his life. He is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetary.
On December 9th, 2010, Leschi Elementary School honored Powell S. Barnett by re-hanging his portrait at the front entrance of the school. Many may remember that his portrait once hung there many years ago before the renovations. When the renovations occurred, Powell S. Barnett’s portrait was taken down and left in the storage closet. It wasn’t until Powell’s son Douglas Q. Barnett, went down to admire the portrait that he found the portrait was no longer on display. They found the portrait in a closet collecting dust. Disappointed in this action, Douglas Q. Barnett took the portrait home. In an effort to make amends and to honor Powell S. Barnett for Black History Month, family member contacted Leschi in January 2010, with the proposal to re-hang the portrait. With the generosity and hard work of the Leschi Improvement Council, Gary Goldwater and Leschi Principal Cashel Toner, the portrait once again hangs. Only now, there is an inscribed engraving, provided by the Barnett Family Trust, that accompanies the portrait.
Also, In 2010, an interview was conducted with two of Powell S. Barnett’s children here in Seattle. This interview was released on the Public Access Channel ( SCAN at the time).
Powell S. Barnett worked tirelessly for a better community and insisted on first class citizenship for all people.
Photos of Barnett and his earlier days and members of the early Barnett Family may be seen on Historylink.org as well as wonderful photos provided by Washington State University Libraries Digital Collection. The University of Washington also has an audio voice interview of Powell S. Barnett. You may also utilize Central Washington University’s historical library section for pictures of Black Pioneers of Washington State.