MONROE, Wash. — They're a set of twins who have been standing side by for 121 years. Neighbors have even given the old sisters names.
"This one is Harriet and that one is Hattie," says Monroe preservationist Tami Beaumont.
Harriet and Hattie are among the last historic homes in Monroe.
The twin houses have seen generations of families inside their walls.
"There are so many memories here," says Beaumont. "So many people drive by to this day and say my great grandfather lived there, my grandfather lived there."
The two homes were built side by side in 1903. They belonged to a man who ran a shingle factory and started the city of Monroe's first water system, but that may all be water under the bridge as the houses' days are numbered.
"People don't build houses like this anymore," says Beaumont.
"It really makes me sad," adds fellow preservationist Teresa Willard. "They're solid. They're in good shape. I look at them and I think they have another 100 years in them, easily."
But the homes are standing in the way of progress.
The city needs more affordable housing, and that's what the property owner plans to build on the lot.
Beaumont and Willard have worked amicably with the owner for the past six years, trying to find a way to save the structures, but nothing has worked out.
"It has just come down to timing and money, unfortunately," says Beaumont. "It's really too bad. Houses like this add character to a community."
The owner of the houses is even willing to give them away for free. All anybody has to do is pay to have them moved.
But so far, there have been no takers.
"You can never replace them," laments Beaumont. "You can never get back the historic value of these homes."
"I just love old homes," commiserates Willard. "They speak to my heart."
There are no rules protecting historic buildings in Monroe -- like the 108-year-old Central Grade School built by Howard S. Wright, the same family that built Seattle's iconic Space Needle.
Preservationists fear more history may come down unless protections are put in place.
"I've watched old homes in Monroe get picked off one at a time," says Willard, "particularly right down Main Street. It has changed the face of Main Street. It's hardly recognizable."
For now, the heavy equipment is already moving in.
Harriet and Hattie may soon be headed to the landfill.
"It's hard to see them go," says Beaumont. "If there is anybody out there who wants them, please come and get them."
Beaumont and Willard say it will cost about $75,000 to move each home if they are kept local, but you have to act fast.
Harriet is slated for demolition Oct. 15. Hattie's bulldozing is set for Oct. 30.