As the only remaining descendant of the coal miners who were instrumental in shaping Newcastle’s history, Steve Baima is often be found working to preserve the historical Newcastle Cemetery, where his grandparents and other coal miners are laid to rest.
How long have you lived in the Newcastle area?
I grew up in Newcastle long before it was incorporated, in a home that my father built. After the passing of Milt Swanson, I think I am the last man standing with a connection to the Newcastle’s coal mining era. I was raised in the shadow of the mine bunkers, on the land that is being converted into the interpretive center and where the Baima House, company house #75, will be located. My father was born in Company house #75, as most of his siblings were also.
What are some of the ways you and your family have contributed to our community?
My father’s oldest brother Joe, in a partnership with Mike Ribitino, owned and operated the last coal mine here in Newcastle. My father and two of my uncles worked in the family business until the mines were shuttered in 1962. From there, the family business shifted to supplying clay products to the brick plant. I would usually wake to the sounds of the processing machinery in operation.
My father was responsible for the public “right-of-way" that was located at the Southeast corner of the Lake Boren. He organized a group of family members and interested locals to buy a strip of land from his brother Joe. The investors gave this land to the State of Washington for a public boat launch. Unfortunately, this was lost for all eternity when Coal Creek Parkway was improved.
Today I spend a lot of time working in the pioneer cemetery (Newcastle Cemetery) located along the West side of Lake Boren, on 129th. My grandparents (on my father’s side) are buried there, and I knew many of the others that are buried there as well. As the number of family members of those buried there continue to dwindle, there are fewer family members to maintain the grounds. My father was a member of the original Newcastle Historical Society and the Cemetery Association. Though the “Association” no longer exists, as a member of the Historical Society, I have taken on this project. My next older sister, Vickie, was involved in this project before I was asked to take it on. Unfortunately, her declining health prevents her from any further involvement.
Volunteers have identified and staked the burial quadrants inside the cemetery grounds. We continue to remove invasive plants like English ivy, blackberry, and scrub holly. Removal of these shrubs reveal many years of unrecovered limbs and trees that are left decaying on the ground below them. Our work is about half complete. Hopefully by next year I will be able to say that our approach is shifting toward maintenance.
Tell us a Newcastle memory.
Some of my Newcastle memories revolve around my dad’s older brother, Adolph. We all called him Buff. I was always off, doing something with my Uncle Buff. We fished Lake Boren on many occasions. Fishing or swimming at “the old swimming hole” were probably some of my fondest memories of my youth. Uncle Buff also taught me how to hunt. He taught me to appreciate all things in nature - how to be a conservationist, before the word was even applied to things in nature. During late summer, my uncle and I would scoop up trout minnows that were trapped in pools as the stream that flowed South out of Lake Boren dried up each year. We carried them back to the lake for their release.
What do you hope for the future of Newcastle?
Few people, even Newcastle residents, realize how significant this area was to the growth and development of the Seattle area. Our job is to bring that history to life so it can be preserved.