…by Jerome Richard…
“The town is a museum.” That’s how architect Victor Steinbrueck described Port Townsend. Located on a strategic corner of the Olympic Peninsula, the town’s boosters once expected it to become the biggest city on Puget Sound. Growth depended on a railroad connecting Port Townsend to Portland, Oregon, and in 1889 the Union Pacific announced plans to complete the route. That inflated a bubble of land speculation. Fortunes were made and mansions built. Several European countries opened consulates in the bustling town.
But the Union Pacific changed its plans. Rumors of a railroad continued, but the depression in 1893 burst the bubble and Port Townsend, like a jilted bride, remained in a state of shock that only its rediscovery in the late 1960s could change.
In the 1960s Port Townsend was rediscovered by people looking for an alternative to mainstream America. Relative isolation, charm, beautiful scenery, and cheap rents were all part of the attraction. As far apart in their culture as Hippies and Victorians were, you can see in any stroll around town how they shared a taste for exuberant shapes and colors. The main difference is that where the American Victorians dreamed big, the Hippies yearned for small.
Even without a railroad, the location was still strategic, so in 1902 Fort Worden was established on a finger of land called Point Wilson. In 1953, however, Fort Worden was decommissioned and in 1973 it became an unusual state park.
Lodging is available in the old dormitories, the Victorian style officers quarters, or the campgrounds. Meals are served cafeteria style and recreation includes tennis, outdoor playing fields, and a boat launch.
Centrum, a non-profit center for the arts, is headquartered at Fort Worden where it presents a year-round series of events that include a writers’ conference, music festival, and much more.
Today, Port Townsend is a National Historic Landmark with more than 70 buildings on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. The grandest of these is the Ann Starrett Mansion. A 4-story octagonal tower with steeply pitched roofs, the whole is busy with cornices and windows in the late Victorian style. Inside, the ceiling is painted with a fresco alternating four scantily clad “Seasons” with four “Virtues.”
Less spectacular but more imposing is Manresa Castle, built by Charles Eisenbeis to resemble a castle on the Rhine for his homesick wife. The 30-room mansion is on a hill just outside the downtown area and commands a striking view of town and harbor. Now it is a hotel with modern conveniences and Victorian comfort.
Other 1890-era mansions that are now B&Bs include the Hastings House, the James House which overlooks the bay and was the first B&B in the Northwest, and Lizzie’s which is less ornate than the others and farther away from the business district but which still provides the kind of opulent interior that announced to the world of the 19th century that someone had made it.
You can see most of these and other notable homes in a day’s walk around town. Organized tours take place in May and September at which time many private homes are also open to the public. Several office buildings and a couple of hotels in the downtown district also reflect the period of wild optimism.
The most imposing building is the Jefferson County Courthouse, opened in 1892. The brick fortress-like building features a clock tower that is still a landmark for mariners. There is also an excellent historical museum, a couple of lively taverns, a restored 1920s movie theater, and a drama company.
On a stroll through Port Townsend, the scene constantly shifts between the 1890s, the 1960s, and the present. Often all three appear in a single glance.
Port Townsend, in the shadow of the Olympic Mountains, gets less rain than Seattle, and there are few extremes of weather, so any time is a good time to visit. January is the slowest month, but the month-long Victorian Christmas celebration is popular. A tree lighting takes place December 4, the day Santa comes to town. There is also a home tour and a craft and gifts fair that day.
Port Townsend is about 2 hours from Seattle by car and ferry. The state’s newest ferry, the Chetzemoka leaves from Coupeville (Keystone) on Whidbey Island. You can walk to downtown from the ferry terminal, or take a free bus. Pick up a ferry schedule, or call 206-464-6400 for recorded information.
Photo caption: The holiday season is a great time of the year to visit the Victorian seaport of Port Townsend
Websites:
• www.ptguide.com
• www.centrum.org
• www.centrum.org/fortworden
This article recently appeared in the December 2010 issue of Northwest Prime Time, the Puget Sound region’s monthly publication celebrating life after 50. For more information, visit www.NorthwestPrimeTime.com
