On Steilacoom Boulevard, right next to the local 7-Eleven, there is an unsuspecting house that holds some unusual relics in its backyard. From the parking lot of the gas station, a plane is visible taking up most of the backyard. It’s not just any aircraft, but a Lockheed T-33A “Shooting Star.” The T-33A “Shooting Star” was a training variation of the P-80, the first mass produced fighter jet in the US in 1954. The T33A was used up until the 1990s when they were mostly phased out by the USAF.
Before COVID, local collector Glen Spieth, hosted his own museum off Steilacoom Blvd. The museum boasted a vast collection of German, Japanese and US war relics, as well as uniforms, and even ancient Roman, Greek, Babylonian and Egyptian antiques. Some of the collection includes pilot gear from WWII all the way to the Iraq war, historic B17 parts, and two T-33A jet trainers. The museum has since closed due to the pandemic but the museum’s owner, Spieth, went out of his way to share his collection with The Sentinel Sound.
Walking down the driveway, an old sign for his museum and the storeroom built in his basement are visible. Spieth actually has three total planes on his property. Only the fuselage, or the body, remains of the first plane, as it was the victim of a crash in Illinois, and is currently under a tarp.
The second plane sits almost completely widthwise across his entire backyard from tail to nose. This plane was used at the local McChord Airforce Base for almost 50 years before being retired and put in American Legion Memorial Park in Everett as a static display until the 1960s. The plane was heavily vandalized, the cockpit smashed open and the body covered with graffiti. The plane was removed and sold into private ownership in the 1980s. Spieth bought the plane from the new owner and had it trucked to his house.
He has been actively restoring the plane, replacing the canopy, paint, full body decals, and even the intial tail number. The original instruments inside the cockpit were hidden behind a steel plate put in place to protect them while it was on display in Everett. Spieth uncovered them during the initial restoration process and has since been restoring them to their authentic condition.
The third plane sits in a big shed on the back of the property where it is being restored. Spieth’s T-33A was used at Craig Airforce Base in Alabama before it was sold into private hands. This plane is almost fully restored with all the instruments still intact and working. The cockpit is fitted with flight controls, the cockpit canopy mechanism works, the compressor in the engine is almost completely restored, and the engine is complete except for the combustion chamber which is taken off for access to the compressor.
Along with the planes, Spieth also owns many parts to historic B17 bombers that crashed or were scrapped. One noteworthy piece of his collection is a framed USAF (United States Air Force) emblem from the canvas wing of a Curtiss “Jenny” plane that crashed in 1921. The Jenny was the first mass produced plane in the US and was the most notable pilot trainer in WWI, training approximately 90-95% of all Canadian and American pilots. It became the pioneering plane for air mail after the war and the defining plane of the early 1900’s.
Some more local history is present in Spieth’s collection, including two original map stands from the Lakewood Mall, which was built in 1989 by enclosing the original Villa Plaza and rebranding it. Only 12 years later, it was closed and demolished to create the now Lakewood Towne Center.
Spieth also owns some historic ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Babylonian coins in his collection. Some of his relics are displayed in the Lakewood History museum which is open on Friday and Saturdays from 12 – 4 at 6114 Motor Ave SW, Lakewood, WA 98499
