REALTOR® Good Neighbor Preserves History in Monroe

Seattle King County REALTORS® named Teresa Willard of Tate Real Estate as its Q1 2025 Good Neighbor, honoring the volunteer work and leadership she has provided to the Monroe Historical Society and Museum.

Teresa has volunteered for the Historical Society since 2005 when she wandered into the Old City Hall Building in Monroe’s Historic Downtown district, hoping to find more information about a cute 1922 farmhouse she had recently acquired. The three volunteers working at the Historical Society that day blew her away with their knowledge and camaraderie, and she started going every Monday just to keep talking to them.

Since then, she has served on the Board of Trustees and organized several important projects for the community, ranging from historic home tours to maintaining flower boxes on Main Street to the Historic Monroe Facebook page, which has almost 5,000 followers.

“Teresa is an incredible hard-working volunteer that we value so much,” said Tami Beaumont, Monroe City Councilmember and current Trustee of the Historical Society. Citing the exhaustive research Teresa did for the Historic Homes Tour, Tami described how “she was able to find pictures of first owners, different iterations of remodels over the years, and gave us a wonderful body of information for each of the historic homes in our area.”

“I so enjoy the Historic Monroe Facebook page because she teaches me every time she posts something,” said Dianne Forth, Museum member and friend of Teresa’s. “She’ll post a picture of Old Monroe, and then she’ll ask questions. All of a sudden people start commenting, ‘I grew up there,’ or ‘I did this there,’ or ‘I remember when...’.”

Teresa was nominated by her designated broker Tami Tate: “I nominated Teresa because of her unwavering dedication to the Monroe community, both as a volunteer and as a real estate agent. For nearly two decades, she has been a cornerstone of the Monroe Historical Society and Museum, preserving and celebrating the city’s rich history. As a real estate agent, her deep-rooted connection to Monroe allows her to share the city’s history and character with clients, helping them find not just a house, but a true sense of home. Her commitment, generosity, and tireless efforts have made a lasting impact, making her truly deserving of this recognition.”

Chair of the Good Neighbor Committee Michele Hanrahan presented a $500 check to the Monroe Historical Society and Museum in front of several members of the community and other volunteers.