Come to the JeffCo HomeShowTM and then stay awhile
Port Townsend is but a couple of hours from Seattle, and yet it remains a century apart. It is a haven for that which is old and majestic. It is one of the three registered historic seaports in the U.S. The other two? Galveston, Texas and Cape May, New Jersey.
In the latter part of the 1800s, Port Townsend was one of the toughest towns on the West Coast. It was well known for the 17 saloons and dozen brothels that lined its waterfront. Thriving businesses were built on the promise of the coming railroad — and then lost when the railroad chose to go through the small town of Seattle instead.
By the end of the 1890s, the "City of Dreams" had
become a nightmare. Businesses went bust. Construction stopped on the
huge downtown buildings, the outside brickwork barely complete. Except
perhaps for the first floors, they would remain vacant shells for a century.
Nearly 100 years before this town's dreams crumbled, Captain George Vancouver first sailed the HMS Discovery into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in 1792. Camped on the shore, near Point Hudson, the explorer no doubt noted the deep harbor, along which would one day rise the seaport of Port Townsend.
Boat building began in this area in about 1850, soon after the first settlers arrived. But, for the most part, wooden boats just passed through Port Townsend, using her as needed. Of the more than 550 vessels built on the Puget Sound in 1899, only two were created locally.
Port Townsend now lays claim to being the wooden boat
mecca of the northwest. This re-creation of the once-sleepy town began
with the mid-1970s resurgence of interest in the traditional methods
of wooden boat construction.
Today, a stroll through downtown Port Townsend reveals not a town of the 21st century, but a haven for that which is old and majestic, mixed with a healthy dose of tourism. Quaint shops, fine dining, and an active arts community — all nestled in the heart of one of the most beautiful areas in the world.
Some Interesting Links In and Around Jefferson County
First
Alert Weather from Chimacum School
Washington
State Ferries schedules
Port
Townsend Victorian Festival is also May 2-4
City Guide
Port Townsend City Guide
Places to Stay
Special
JeffCo HomeShow rates at:
The
Washington Hotel ($10 off per room... now
$115-$180)
Other great
places to stay
All
About Accommodations and More
Siebenbaum
Suite and Eisenbeis Condo
Jefferson County
Fairgrounds (camping/RV)
Crow's
Haven on Discovery Bay
The
Waterstreet Hotel
The Palace Hotel
Newspapers
Port Townsend Leader
Online
Peninsula
Daily News
Olympic Business Journal
Chambers of Commerce
Port Townsend Chamber
of Commerce
Port
Ludlow Chamber of Commerce
Port Hadlock/Tri-Area
Chamber of Commerce
Quilcene-Brinnon Chamber of Commerce
Government
Jefferson County
government
Port Townsend
city government
Schools
Port Townsend School
District
Chimacum
School District
Washington
State University
University
of Washington (distance learning)
Peninsula College
Northwest
School of Wooden Boatbuilding
Port Townsend School of Woodworking
Libraries
Jefferson County
Rural Library
Port Townsend
Public Library
Recreation
Fort Worden
State Park
Fort
Flagler State Park
Olympic
Music Festival
Port Ludlow Yacht
Club
Port
Townsend Yacht Club
Golf Courses
Port
Ludlow Golf Course
Port
Townsend Golf Course
WSU Team Jefferson
Wooden Boat Foundation
Wild Olympic Salmon
Youra Guides and Maps
Jefferson County Home Builders Association
Jefferson Healthcare
Harrison Medical Center
Olympic Medical Center
East Jefferson County Religious Organizations
Jefferson County Historical Society
Centrum
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
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Photos courtesy of Sandy Hershelman.
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