Earl & Elise Mcwhirter Farm

Earl and Elise McWhirter Farm, Hutcheson Homestead, 19545 NE Redmond Road

Now known as Farrel-McWhirter Park, this park was originally the homestead of Charles and Sally Hutcheson. The McWhirters purchased the property in 1936 and donated it to the City of Redmond for a park in 1971. The Hutcheson homestead is located on McKay Creek (a tributary of Bear Creek) that was owned and occupied by Sally and Charles Hutcheson in 1890. 

The relationship between the Hutcheson family and Earl and Elise McWhirter began in 1924 with the boarding of horses. Sally Hutcheson sold the property to the McWhirter’s for $6,000. They used the farm as a second home and summer retreat for many years and moved to Redmond permanently in the 1950’s. 

Earl McWhirter died in 1966 and Elise began living on the property year-round. Mrs. McWhirter donated 68 acres of the farm to the City of Redmond for use as a park upon her death which occurred in 1971. The park consists of nine buildings; farm house, guesthouse, a garage, hay barn, small barn, hay shed, silo, equipment shed, and an outhouse.

Its use today reflects the method of design of the mid-twentieth century hobby farm. The farm in its current state operated from 1936 until 1971 and is one of only a few such historic farms remaining in the Sammamish River Valley and continues to operate as an education facility and a public park.