By Peter Anderson, Director, Mukilteo Historical Society
In the early 1900’s, Mukilteo kids looking for penny candy, or adults looking for tobacco products, could always find what they wanted at Brennan’s Store. John Brennan had located his confectionery store at a prime spot on Park Avenue across First Street from the Crown Lumber Company Store and next to the railroad tracks. It was also next to the movie theater on Park Avenue.
John Patrick Brennan was born in Canada on August 15, 1863, the son of Thomas Brennan and Ellen Diome. Both parents were born in Ireland. He immigrated to the United States at age 27 in 1890, and married Isabel Catherine McDonald on November 25, 1890, in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Isabel, sometimes also known as Katie Bell McDonald, was the daughter of William McDonald and Anne McMillan. Isabel was born about 1875 in Canada. Both of her parents were born in Scotland.
John and Isabel Brennan came west – settling in Mukilteo in 1903. They brought their three sons: Thomas, born in Wisconsin about 1892, Allan, born in Minnesota about 1897, and Clarence, born about 1900 in Minnesota. Thomas worked as a packer at Mukilteo’s Yukon Lumber Company and married Effie D. Waterman. Allan worked as a welder in a shipyard and married Roberta. Clarence enlisted at age 17 and served until the end of World War I. He later worked in Mukilteo as a longshoreman for a stevedore company.
The Brennan Store, which opened in 1903, occupied the ground floor of the two-story building on Park Avenue. The Brennans probably lived on the second floor above the store. Being so close to the railroad tracks, the building shook whenever a train came by. The building had an awning in the front that could be deployed over the ground floor entrance and windows. Inside, there was a large glass display case full of merchandise. A later (perhaps around 1915) photo shows a sign on the south side of the building advertising “We serve K&K Ice Cream”. The sign also indicated they sold confectioneries, soft drinks and fruit.
John Brennan was a valued member of the Mukilteo community. He was always willing and eager to help others with transportation or moving heavy loads using his wagon and team of horses. He was a faithful communicant of the Catholic church and was associated with the Knights of Columbus and Woodmen of the World.
John Patrick Brennan’s death certificate indicates he died of cancer at age 65 on September 18, 1928. His wife Isabel (aka Katherine I Brennan) died in 1943. Both are buried in Block 14 of the Evergreen Cemetery in Everett.
Originally published in the 2/5/2020 issue of the Mukilteo Beacon.