In 1890, the people of Port Townsend hoped it would be the New York of the West Coast. It was already an ideal port with a vibrant waterfront. In 1890, Port Townsend was the first port on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Strait of Juan de Fuca was easy to navigate, even by sailing ships, and led directly to the Pacific Ocean. The port was open to deep water, yet it was protected from the open sea because it faced east.
The Port
Water Street is the central road downtown in Port Townsend and is home to the commercial area. They had the U.S. Customs Headquarters for the Washington Territory and a productive fishing fleet. Nearby was an unlimited forest, which was an ideal export product.
Our Route
If you want to drive to Port Townsend from the south, it is a long way, starting in Tacoma or Olympia. We arrived from the north after moving down from Whidbey Island and crossing the channel on a Washington State Ferry. Here is a link to the tale about our crossing. Our RV Floats
Fort Townsend
The army put Fort Townsend about four miles south of town. Fort Townsend’s purpose was to protect the area from possible uprisings by the displaced population of Native Americans. It was a small fort, and when we visited there, all we saw was the beach. Nearly everything historical on the Fort Townsend site is gone. When checking it out, I thought that given it has the same name as the town, it would have been the premiere fort in the area. I was wrong. Fort Worden, to the north, is way more impressive. Washington State turned all the historical forts in the area into Washington State Parks.
Water Street
The oldest and nearly the only commercial area is downtown on Water Street. About a hundred years ago, Water Street even had a trolly. What remains downtown are very nice Victorian-style buildings. Most of the pictures of buildings in this article are of buildings on Water Street.
Water Street was downtown in Port Townsend. Uptown is one block away, built on the bluff overlooking downtown. A hundred and fifty years ago, “the gentry” in Port Townsend would not go downtown because it was a rough area. It was located right on the bay, and all the commerce in the town was on Water Street.
These steel and glass rectangles on Water Street have a story behind them and can tell you about the construction of the buildings downtown. The rectangles are skylights. Below the skylights are rooms under the sidewalks. If they are still in use today, most rooms are used for storage. The glass allows light from the street level to go into and light the rooms. Port Townsend built the entire downtown area to prevent flooding above the previous natural ground level. The street level is probably twenty feet higher than when the town was founded.
We have seen these types of skylights in other cities and have written about them in the article about Pendleton, Oregon. I still find the story fascinating. Don’t skip the part about the new preacher. Pendleton
International Trade
Just to the north of Port Townsend were Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver, the largest city in Canada on the west coast. Port Townsend was the closest port to Canada and every place to the west, all the way to Japan. According to the town’s founders, everything was ideal for it to become the largest trading post on the West Coast, north of San Francisco.
Population
In 1870, Port Townsend had the fourth-largest population in the Washington Territory, behind Walla Walla, Olympia, and Seattle. By 1890, the population grew steadily, although not as fast as Seattle’s.
Ready for a Train
The one thing Port Townsend didn’t have was a train, which was the number one priority to ensure success. They had everything besides the rail link to the rest of the nation. Seattle and Olympia also didn’t have a train and were competing for that connection. Seattle and Olympia were much further from the open ocean than Port Townsend.
Building boom
Port Townsend built most of the old buildings pictured in this post between 1870 and 1893, anticipating colossal growth. The new Post Office Building and Jefferson County Courthouse were either under construction or finished. The downtown waterfront was thriving.
Ten years prior, the railroads had decided they weren’t coming to Port Townsend, and that didn’t matter to the locals. They decided to build their track and connect to the rest of the nation.
Meltdown
Everything was looking up until a national financial meltdown known as the Panic of 1893. Money was no longer available. Port Townsend wasn’t getting a rail connection to the rest of the country, and over the next few decades, people gradually moved away.
Military
If it hadn’t been for the military buildup during World Wars One and Two and the establishment of the coastal defenses on the entrance to Puget Sound, Port Townsend would have probably failed. The military buildup sustained the town in the early 1900s.
Port Townsend got a break and more jobs when they built a significant paper mill south of town. Still, it was not enough to make the city big, instead it was just enough to keep it going.
Charming Port Townsend
The reason Port Townsend is charming is that it didn’t change. We saw the same thing in Charleston, South Carolina during our travels last fall. Here is a quick link to our story about Charleston. Charleston Charm
In both cases, when the money stopped flowing to the area, the existing buildings were preserved rather than replaced. We had a wonderful visit to Port Townsend and the region. Who knew that Port Townsend was a city that seemed locked into a time warp of a hundred years ago? Water Street was amazing with its Victorian buildings and new, vibrant atmosphere as if we were walking through a museum.
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As you know, our blog income is zero, which allows us to be independent and tell the truth. We do not get income or commissions. No, we don’t make paid endorsements. We don’t make recommendations; instead, we will tell you what we like (or dislike). The links are only provided as a quick reference to help our readers.
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Links to our visit to the Olympic Penisula
Quinault Rainforest and Kestner Homestead
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Washington State Parks Peninsula Region
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We were so impressed with Charleston for the same reason. Sometimes, these things are just happy accidents. What a cool city to explore. I’m glad so much was preserved and cared for. It really is unique and beautiful.
Love following your experiences. This is a beautiful area. I hope we can visit one day. We are finally back home in North Carolina.
Very nice, a wonderful story of our Port Townsend. I’ve lived near here for 40 some years and I learned a few things. Next time you up this way send me an email we can get you and Tami a tour of the ferry engine rooms.
We enjoyed our stay next to you guys at the meadows winery. We made it home in good time. Be safe and Happy travels.
(note: we met John and Ellen at a harvest host south of Eugene. John is one of the engineers on the ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island)
I like how well-written and informative your content is. You have actually given us, your readers, brilliant information and not just filled up your blog with flowery texts like many blogs today do.