Over 70 years after it became the official home of The Thurston County Fair, Heritage Hall was honored Saturday with a new monument denoting its historic significance.
Longtime Thurston County Fair board member and volunteer Ann Shipley joined the Thurston County Board of Commissioners in unveiling the new monument on the Saturday of the 2026 Thurston County Fair.
The stone monument cements Heritage Hall’s status as a Thurston County Heritage Site.
“This is a special building,” said Thurston County Fairgrounds and Event Manager Thomasina Cooper, thanking the Thurston County Historic Commission and county leadership for their work honoring the building and supporting the Thurston County Fair.
Originally called the Long Lake Recreation Hall, the building that is now Heritage Hall was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939 on land that was donated for recreational purposes. It was refurbished in 2006.
The one-and-a-half-story log structure was constructed out of trees harvested from the property.
The Thurston County Fair was held in the building in the 1940s, and the building was officially deeded to the county in 1953, at which time it became the official home of the Thurston County Fair.
The building was renamed Heritage Hall in 1958. The property was listed on the Thurston County Historic Register in 1987 and on the National Register and Washington Heritage Register in 1988.
