Asberry House Tacoma, WA

We are delighted to inform you that the Nettie Asberry House, nominated by Historic Tacoma, is up for consideration at the forthcoming Landmarks Commission meeting. Marshall McClintock, one of our most dedicated volunteers and a board member, conducted extensive research for this nomination.

As per the City’s Historic Preservation Office, the Nettie Asberry House, constructed in 1887 in the Hilltop Neighborhood, is a National Folk style vernacular house that holds significant historical value due to its association with Henry Joseph and Nettie Craig Jones Asberry. The Asberrys were prominent figures in Tacoma’s and Washington’s African-American community and made this house their home from 1903 until 1966. Nettie Asberry, in particular, played a crucial role in the early civil rights movement in Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest during the early 20th century.

Upon arriving in Tacoma, Nettie assumed the role of organist and music director at the Allen AME Church. For nearly five decades, she taught piano lessons to hundreds of children from diverse backgrounds in the music room of her residence. In addition, Nettie played a significant role in the African American women’s club movement in Washington, co-founding several improvement clubs, including the Clover Leaf Art Club. She also served as a charter member of the Washington State Federation of Colored Women’s Organizations in 1917, holding the position of president and serving on various committees. Over time, the Tacoma City Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (TCACWC) would take over the Clover Leaf Club’s operations, and The Asberry Cultural Club of Tacoma presently carries on Nettie Asberry’s legacy as a component of the TCACWC.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded. Nettie and Henry Asberry played integral roles in the establishment of the Tacoma chapter of the NAACP, and Nettie was instrumental in setting up chapters in Seattle, Spokane, and Portland, OR, as well as various cities in Canada and Alaska.