Ask anyone to identify the northeast co ner at the intersection of State Highway 104 and Miller Bay Road, and longtime residents will refer to it as “George’s Corner.”

Newbies call it “Kingston Crossing.”

Few, however, know that this corner, where Kitsap Bank sits presently, was the site of a former grocery store and gas station owned by Bennie and Martha George and spawned the community legacy of “George’s Corner.”

Bennie and Martha, who wed in 1909, had an arranged marriage that resulted in 10 children. The George family ran the grocery store and gas station and had their living quarters in back.

Bennie, an enrolled member of the S’Klallam Tribe, and Martha, an enrolled member of the Suquamish Tribe, both loved school, even though they were sent away from home to boarding schools. In fact, Bennie’s father took his children and hid away with them until officials threatened to put him in jail if his children did not attend boarding school.

Gifted students, both Bennie and Martha possessed avid curiosities and strong problem-solving skills. Martha was particularly good at math, and Bennie was a skilled athlete and craftsman who once made his own violin. They both intuitively understood that the methods of subsistence living practiced by their ancestors were unsustainable in the 20th century. Thus, they became early entrepreneurs and created George’s Corner in 1928. Bennie was also a disciplined saver and, over time, they also invested in other properties, including 60 acres on George’s Lane, near Highway 305 and Kiana Lodge.

George’s Corner, more than a grocery and gas station, provided a haven for 12 orphaned children at different times during the period the George family lived there. The family knew everyone who lived nearby. Martha extended limited credit to those in need and found herself counseling both white settlers and Native Americans. She could outwork anyone and lived by the motto that hung in her home:

I shall pass through this world

but once.

Any good that I can do or

any kindness

I can show to any human being,

let me do it now.

Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

— Anonymous

Both Bennie and Martha served in leadership roles at Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish. In his early years, Bennie played a role in establishing S’Klallam Tribe ownership of all properties, including homes, church land, and beaches, on the S’Klallam reservation. Martha served as Suquamish chairwoman and in later years became known as “the Grand Old Lady of the Suquamish Tribe” or “Grandma George.” Because each parent identified with a different Tribe, the children were allowed to pick their Tribal membership. All but one chose to enroll with the Suquamish Tribe.

Bennie and Martha operated George’s Corner until World War II. Their extended family represents more than 250 years of working for the U.S. Government. For example, Bennie worked for 31 years at Keyport; Martha worked at the Naval Ammunitions Depot during World War II, and they had four sons who served in the war.

Bennie died on Nov. 11, 1971, after having been married to Martha for 61 years. Martha’s strong faith and membership in the Catholic Church grounded her for life. She died in 1987 at age 94.

The Kingston Historical Society sincerely thanks Bennie and Martha George’s son Ted George for providing the information for this article.

— Deborah MacKinnon is secretary/treasurer of the Kingston Historical Society.