A piece of Marysville history, nearly as old as the city itself and linked to a former Marysville mayor, now stands at a new location for future generations to appreciate. The move itself, a journey down the Ebey Slough by barge, is no small feat.
The 840-square-foot house, previously located on the corner of Eighth Street and Delta Avenue where the new Civic Center is nearing completion, was built around 1900. The city bought the home in 2018 with plans to build what is now Marysville’s Civic Campus.
In April 2019, the house was bought and moved by Nickel Bros to its north Marysville location., Nickel Bros then restored the house with a focus of keeping its historic elements intact before selling it to the current owners.
“It’s been a great pleasure working with the City of Marysville to help rescue these historic homes. The city saw value in allowing the home to be saved and become an affordable home to a new recipient. There was a lot of foresight by the city in allowing that to happen,” said Jeff McCord, House Rescuer for Nickel Bros.
The new homeowners decided to relocate the home to Hat Island, where it will be used as their vacation home. On Thursday, July 21, Nickel Bros started the moving process, transporting the house to a construction yard near Ebey Waterfront Park before loading it onto a barge for its journey down the Ebey Slough.
“[Buying this house] has been a great experience that has really exceeded my expectations. I’m glad that we could be a part of this process and that the city saved this house. It will be on the island to be enjoyed way after I’m gone,” said the new homeowner.
The house itself represents 40 trees worth of lumber, weighing somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds. Loading the house onto the barge, already sitting on a semi, took several hours and careful planning. It was fully loaded onto the barge Thursday afternoon before setting off down the slough for Hat Island, where it was then unloaded at its final destination.
“The thing that’s really unique about buying a moved house is that it’s roughly half the cost of stick building a home. It's a combination of affordability, historic preservation and environmental sustainability. This offers a way to reuse an entire house rather than putting it in a landfill or burning it… It’s a huge way of recycling for someone who is looking to buy a home without using new trees,” said McCord.
Before the most recent sale, the house as owned by the Duborko family from 1983 until 2018, according to Snohomish County records.
Arthur Duborko was appointed to Marysville City Council in 1953, before being elected as mayor more than a decade later.
“[Arthur Duborko and his wife Dorathy] joined multiple local groups, including the Marysville Historical Society. Dorathy Duborko also practiced wood carving with the Quilceda Carvers... Both were in their 90s when they died. Dorathy Duborko passed away in 2015, seven years after her husband,” an Everett Herald article said.
As a new chapter opens for the city, a new chapter also opens for the little house on Hat Island that holds a piece of Marysville history.