This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1899. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This 1.2-acre parcel in Everett operated as a shingle mill beginning in 1899 and then as the Eclipse Lumber Company from 1902 until a fire destroyed the facility in 1962. Mill operations included wood processing, wood treatment, equipment maintenance, and petroleum storage — documented infrastructure included an oil storage shed and a gasoline dispenser with underground storage. Following the 1962 fire, the property was regraded between 1962 and 1975, remaining structures were demolished in the early 1980s, and the site subsequently served as a log sorting area and construction storage yard. Multi-year site investigations have been underway since 2001, proposed remediation includes excavation and off-site disposal of an estimated 985 to 1,025 cubic yards of contaminated soil and installation of four monitoring wells, and the property is currently under partial containment via pavement and fencing. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
Contamination at this property is directly attributed to industrial mill operations that ran from 1899 through 1962 — more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies commonly carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Documented cleanup expenditures already include debris removal, regrading, and structure demolition carried out between the 1960s and early 1980s, with substantial soil excavation and long-term groundwater monitoring costs still ahead. Historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during Eclipse Lumber Company's operational years may remain obligated to contribute to the remediation already performed and to fund the significant cleanup work yet to be undertaken.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
