The Start of Marsh's
In the story told by Marsh’s Free Museum’s Founder’s Grandson, David, it all started in 1921 when his grandfather, Wellington Marsh Sr., moved to Washington from North Dakota after going broke farming rutabagas at the start of the Great Depression. Wellington opened an ice cream and candy shop in Long Beach at first, followed by a tavern.
One foggy evening in 1930 changed everything when the 300 ft passenger liner steamship, the Admiral Benson, ran aground near the mouth of the Columbia River on Peacock Spit carrying 39 passengers and 65 crew. It is considered one of the most spectacular shipwrecks of the area, which is quite impressive for a place dubbed the "Graveyard of the Pacific” after this event, due to the currents created from the river delta meeting the changing tides creating notoriously dangerous waters.
The stuck Benson became a spectacle when they weren’t able to refloat her after 3 days. With a storm coming, the rest of the ship’s company and crew took shelter on the nearby beach, minus the captain, C.C. Graham, who stayed aboard alone. The storm began breaking up the Benson the next day. Six days after that, it was deemed unsalvageable and Captain Graham finally abandoned ship, following his crew to the nearby beach that would later be named Benson Beach in the Admiral Benson’s honor.
The spectacle of this ship being stranded, stuck, then destroyed for so many days brought large crowds of curious onlookers and tourists. As such, the enterprising Wellington saw a business opportunity and quickly opened a temporary burger stand on the beach nearby. This led to him opening a restaurant and bar. As this was still during the Depression, a lot of bar patrons couldn’t afford their tabs, so they would bring in items of interest to pay off their tab or to remind them they owed their barbill. To remind them, Wellington would put those items up on the wall, and that was the start of Marsh’s Free Museum.
​
He opened the actual museum shortly after that in 1935, and they’ve been collecting ever since. It was originally across the street from its current location, next to the world’s largest frying pan and world’s largest razor clam.
Wellington Marsh Sr in front of the Original Marsh's Free Museum
Marsh Sr spread-eagled in front of the world's largest frying pan to show it's size
Wellington Marsh Jr and wife Marian Marsh
Wellington Marsh Jr
So...Where'd Jake come from?
Wellington’s children, David’s parents, bought Jake in 1968 for a (then) whopping $750. That was a lot of money back then. The equivalent in today’s money would be approximately $6,700. While Jake’s known origin was the Cliff House in San Francisco, the Marshes got him from another antique dealer they knew in Long Beach, California who acquired him sometime after the Cliff House burned down. The story goes that the Marshes originally drove off due to the high price, but Mrs. Marsh made her husband turn around and go back and buy him. Jake’s been a cult figure in the area since, drawing many thousands of curious folk over the years and sparking many other interesting and spectacular origin stories of how he was created and his adventures before finding his way to the Cliff House.
The Later Years to Now
In 1972, the Marshes built the current location and moved everything over, although the razor clam and frying pan stayed in their original locations. In 2010, a senior project turned out the World’s Largest Chopsticks, at 30ft (9.1m) long. They were painted red, with flamework, “Long Beach Peninsula” in both English and Chinese, with other details etched in and painted yellow and installed in front of Marsh's.
The original Wellington Marsh Sr. may have passed in 1978, but his legacy continues, as Marsh’s Free Museum is still owned and operated by the Marsh family. The store has now passed to David’s niece, Mandy, who grew up in the store, and her cousin, Shannon. The family has never stopped collecting oddities, antiques and curios after over 100 years in business, meaning every trip and visit brings something new to behold.
Shannon
Mandy
