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amanda burgar
amanda burgar
Amanda Burgar (top of photo) received a patent on the land where Idle-a-While sits in 1898. H.C. Glover had platted the current downtown area of Twisp in 1897 and called it Gloversville. Amanda then platted a townsite next to Gloversville and on the section just south of where Idle-a-While is now in 1899 and named it Twisp. After that the name Twisp stuck for the whole town.
Amanda (Duncan) Burgar was born in March, 1884, in Butler Township, Ohio. After marrying Courtland C. Burgar and giving birth to two children, Amanda and her son, William, moved from Wisconsin to the town of Silver, Washington. It is unclear what happened to Courtland, but it appears he died in Wisconsin or en route to Washington. While living in Washington, Amanda moved from Silver to a 160 acre homestead near the already-platted town of Gloversville.
1910 baines map
1910 baines map
AP Burgar owned this property which included the Twisp River and up to the land owned by WJ Byrns.
Known owners of the IDLE A While property:
Amanda Burgar - original patent 1898
Unknown if there were others....
M.L. Siron
Henry J. (Bud) Peters - 1946 from M.L. Siron
Russell and Mary Wall Bean - 1960 from Bud Peters
Dave Shultz - 1970's
Stanley and Barbara Burns - 1987 from Shultz
Ridgestone Properties - 2018 from Burns
1959 Metzger Map
1959 Metzger Map
Henry J. (Bud) Peters bought the property in 1946 from ML Siron and according to this map still owned it in 1959
Twisp Mercantile
Twisp Mercantile
In 1916 Bud's father Nick Peters bought the Twisp Mercantile which he operated until he retired in 1954. Bud went to work for him in 1930. He later owned it until retirement. The store burned in the fire of 1924. It was rebuilt and it now the Merc Theater.
Peters Cabins
Peters Cabins
Bud Peters along with another carpenter built the first 4 cabins in 1948, with 5 more following in 1951. These are the nine that face highway 20. Some of this information was shared by Bud and Florence's son, Jim who lives in Oregon.
Methow Valley News April 7, 1960
Methow Valley News April 7, 1960
When Russell and Mary Wall Bean bought the cabins there were only the 8 that Bud had built. The southern 8 unit motel was built in 1965 and the northern 8 units in 1975.
Methow Valley News December 29, 1960
Methow Valley News December 29, 1960
With ownership changing to the Beans, the name becomes Idle-A-While.
Mary Bean
Mary Bean
The Beans sold to Dave Shulz and retired moving to the house on Begelow Street. Russell passed away in 1978. Photo is courtesy of Methow Valley News, by Laurelle Walsh. Mary, who was born on December 30, 1914 celebrated her 100th birthday with a big party in Twisp on December 27, 2014.
Mary Bean at 105
Mary Bean at 105
An Auxiliary member of the Methow Valley Eagles, Mary is 105 and sporting her Seahawks jersey signed by coach Pete Carroll. Photo from Facebook, Methow Valley Eagles.
Mary Bean passes
Mary Bean passes
Mary passed on June 1, 1924 at the age of 109. From the Methow
Valley News
Dave Shulz
Dave Shulz
Dave owned the Idle-A-While from 1975 to 1987. He had a business involving timber managemnt and bought it mainly because he wanted the chainsaw repair shop that Russell Bean had on the property. His daughter Debbie was in charge of the North Wing and Laundry. Sister Deana helped her. They upgraded the laundry equipment after attending a Hotel/Motel Association event at the MGM in Vegas.
Dave began as tennis coaching assistant in Twisp in 1962 and became the head coach at Liberty Bell in 1994. Now in his late 80's, he's stil involved in coaching tennis.
*photo by Rick Lewis from Methow Valley News
Stanley and BArbara Burns
Stanley and BArbara Burns
Stanley passed away in 1988 after buying the Idle-A-While in 1987. From the Detroit Free Press, October 2, 1988
Dominick and Tarah Wernicke
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