About Us
Origin of the Tenakee Historical Collection
"Porches," watercolor by Terry Kennedy, reproduced with permission.In 1984 two Tenakee women, Vicki Wisenbaugh and Jane Weiss, recognized the need to begin preserving the history of Tenakee Springs. In the following years they taped several oral-history interviews with long-time residents. During the same period, the late Bob Pegues was also collecting materials to write a history of the Superior Cannery which operated from 1916 to 1959.
In 2002 the Wisenbaughs and Bob joined efforts, set up a non-profit organization called the Tenakee Historical Collection, and spread information in the Tenakee community asking people to join them. Membership included a new quarterly publication of Tenakee history, The Store Door. Published since 2003, it has a paid circulation of about 95 members.
Legacies, Bequests, Grants
When Bob Pegues died in 2011, he left his collected materials as well as a generous bequest to the THC. In 2012 the Pegues family donated another generous gift to the bathhouse restoration project in Bob’s memory.
Guy Thornburgh, the present owners of the former Snyder Mercantile building, donated the many stacks, boxes and piles of Tenakee miscellany that had accumulated in the second floor during the decades since the hotel operation there had ceased. Guy is also leasing the store annex to the THC for $1 per month.
Tenakee Trail, mid-1920sTHC Officers
President - Vicki Wisenbaugh
Vice-President - Rachel Myron
Secretary/Treasurer - Beret Barnes
THC Board of Directors
Carlene Allred
Ann Symons
Museum
Director - Beret Barnes
Collections Manager - Vicki Wisenbaugh
Vicki Wisenbaugh came to Tenakee in 1982 to operate the Tenakee Tavern and Inn. She met and married a crab fisherman, had a daughter, and has been here since. She is retired from the Alaska Marine highway, has worked in a wide variety of jobs, including at the Tenakee Post Office. She and her husband John enjoy their grandson Raymond and adventures with their dog Pickles. Vicki is a founding member of the Tenakee Historical Collection.
Rachel Myron first visited Tenakee Springs in 1983 and fell in love with the inlet and the town, its history and its people. In 1994 she bought a remote property hoping to someday build and live an off-grid life. She lacked a key ingredient - a partner with a similar ambition and the requisite skills. In 1996 she met Steve Lewis. They fell in love. Steve had the skills, but no property. Voila! Over the years, Steve and Rachel have built that home. It is accessible via a 4.5 mile hike on the beautiful East Tenakee Trail. Rachel has a degree in Anthropology and is a certified teacher and interpretive guide. She works as a permanent-seasonal Archaeologist on the Tongass National Forest.
Beret Barnes has made Tenakee Springs her home since 1982 and has been a member of THC since 2002. Since 2003 She has served as secretary/treasurer. Now retired, for many years she worked as Chief Purser on the Alaska state ferry M/V Malaspina. She lives with her husband Ken Wheeler, who fashions exquisite hand-made wooden products and serves as Tenakee’s fuel manager. In between all these jobs, they are building an Inn on the property where they live with their two cats in West Tenakee.
Carlene Allred and her husband Kevin have lived in Tenakee Springs since 2008. They are the parents of five children reared in Alaska. Carlene enjoys boating, oil painting, hiking, and creating and performing music. Carlene, along with her husband Kevin, has been an avid caver, exploring and mapping caves in Alaska, Hawaii and the West.
Ann Symons first visited Tenakee in 1974 with her husband John as guests of Rie Muñoz who was building her cabin at the time. We were enchanted by the people, the path and its homes and flowers, by the crab and wanted a cabin. That became a reality a few months later thanks to Gladys Seeds who had owned our 1890's log cabin at one time. We had no running water, barely electricity, no phone and loved every minute of our summer adventures with our visiting friends and Tenakee neighbors. In 2012 with Paul Keithahn at the helm, we decided to "remodel" as the cabin was not savable. John died in 2015 without seeing it finished. It remains the place of my heart and my summers along with son Joel.
Former Directors
We are grateful for Directors who have served in the recent past.
Linda Perine came to Tenakee Springs in 1989 with her husband Stan Moberly. In 1997 Stanley and Linda built their retirement home here. They contribute their time and resources to various projects in Tenakee and attend city council meetings to stay informed of community needs. Their two sons visit during the summer and they enjoy watching their granddaughter Charleigh experience the beauty and fun of Tenakee. Linda was a stewardess for West Coast Airlines, was schooled as a radiological technologist, volunteered for the Seattle Symphony Women’s Association, and worked in the Heart Catheter Laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Brooke Elgie and his wife Wendy Stern arrived in Tenakee from Puget Sound in 2001. Both have been active in Tenakee civic affairs ever since. Brooke has been on the bathhouse committee for most of that time and has also served on the city council. For five years he was manager of the community’s electric utility. He has been a professional photographer and a mental health counselor. He is now a writer, sailor and small-boat builder.
Non-Profit Status
The Tenakee Historical Collection was incorporated in 2004 as an Alaska 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation.
