The Streets of Historic Port Gamble

(written on January 30th 2018)  *Author’s Note: The photographs in this blog entry are all my own. I respect that it may be easy to save them and print them on your own. But they are copyrighted and use of them is prohibited without my knowledge and consent. If you wish to use them, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss their use or purchase.  Thanks for your cooperation.
MoonNStarMommy@gmail.com
~ Nissa Rae

I absolutely LOVE this town.  It's one of my very favorite places to take people I love.  I don't know if it's all the history that's basically in your face with the plaques.... which I LOVE ... 

COST: 

It is absolutely FREE to walk the streets of Port Gamble and appreciate the history and the moment in time that Port Gamble is pretty much frozen in.  

While you are here, walk around, visit the local shops, and definitely go into the upper floor of the General Store where there are some displays!!

>>>> Visit the Port Gamble Website <<<<

1853 - PORT GAMBLE - Named in honor of Lt. Robert Gamble, wounded in service in the War of 1812, Founded by A.J. Pope, Capt. Wm. C. Talbot and Cyrus Walker and built to look like their native town of East Machias, Maine.   Until 1995, this was the site of the oldest continuously operating sawmill in North America.

Walking through this town is like stepping back in time, a little. Each little building has a plaque infront of it, with little snippets of some of it's history ...who lived there. It's like you can piece it all together and recreated the community in your head.

 

1903 * Market * Here the company sold meat and vegetables raised by local farmers.  The building was remolded into a garage after the market moved into the store building in 1916.  (M.S. Drew House in the background.)

The "Market" is now home to The Artful Ewe

1860 * M.S. DREW HOUSE *  As timber agent for Puget Mill Company, Mike Drew bought so much land the company became the largest owner of timberland in Washington.  By 1889 he and his wife Susan lived here with their five children.

 This is the second Artful Ewe II building ...  there isn't any other history provided for this one....

(The W.M. Walker - E.G. Ames House pictured behind the sign.)

The front of the WM Walker - E.G. Amess House, the front faces the waterfront and the back is to the street.

 1888-1889 * WM. Walker - E.G. AMES HOUSE *  William Walker, master mechanic, lived here with his wife Emma, daughter Maude, and son-in-law Edwin Ames.  The house was close to the mill so Walker was nearby in case of emergencies.  Ames was the resident manager from 1883-1914 and then general manager until 1931.  This is the rear of the house.  It faced the waterfront to welcome the ships and captains.

Kaedyn in front of a tree in the yard

Ivy in front of the tree in the yard

The side of the house

The Walker-Ames house is called to be one of the most haunted houses in Washington, however not everyone says that.  I will say when I first entered the town,  I was drawn to the house - of course I am drawn to most Victorian houses.  But I had instantly gotten the feeling that someone was watching me from the house, and I told DB that the house held spirits in it.  Later on, we were talking to a few people who worked/lived in the town, and they said that the Walker-Ames house was the most haunted and I loooooooked at DB, said ... "told you" ... LOL.   I had seen a woman standing in upper wind on the side of the house, with a child - a boy.  (it was the - I assume - attic window with the half circle window above it.  (the upper most window on the right side of the picture)

I have looked (not heavy) and haven't been able to find the stories, or claims, of the hauntings in the house.

Down the hill showing the steps up to the front of the house

Down the hell from the house is the State Champion Camperdown Elm Tree

STATE CHAMPION CAMPERDOWN ELM * It was 1640 that the "Earl of Camperdown" in Dundee Scotland noticed a branch growing on the floor of his elm forest.  He grafted it to a Scotch Elm tree and it took hold producing the first Camperdown Elm.  The Scotch Elm is the only root mass the Camperdown Elm will grow on.  The tree is a mutant and cannot self produce.  Every Camperdown Elm tree in the world is part of the original and they must be grafted to a Scotch Elm tree to get started.  When the graft starts to grow, the Scotch Elm branches are cut off leaving only Camperdown Elm.  This magnificent tree depends on humankind to keep it alive as a species.  *  This Camperdown Elm is the new State Champion.  This tree was planted in 1875.  It measures 20 ft. in height with a 26 ft. crown and a 7 ft. circumference.

Port Gamble General Store and Cafe

1916 * PORT GAMBLE GENERAL STORE & OFFICE * Port Gamble's first store opened for business before the mill was up and running. It sold merchandise to employees, Indians, settlers, ships, and logging camps.  This is the town's fifth store building and the first to be located on the bluff.  Earlier stores stood on the shore since many customers arrived by water.  Company offices are house on the north side of the building.  The Port Gamble Historic Museum is at the back.

 Mirror inside the building ...

Across the street.... (Kaedyn, Auntie Lisa, Ivy & Noah) ...

1906 * COMMUNITY HALL/POST OFFICE * The first mail deliveries arrived by sailing bark.  The company payroll of silver dollars were hauled up in a "trusty" wheelbarrow and counted and deposited in a safe by D. L. Jackson.  A barber, doctor, dentist, and telegraph/telephone operator served residents here.  Dances, plays, movies, and basketball games entertained them upstairs.

 The stone that is sitting in front of the bush on the left side of the photo has this plaque on it.

This stone brought from the State of Maine commemorates the Centennial of the town and lumber mill of Port Gamble founded September 1, 1853 by three men from Maine, Andrew L. Pope, William C. Talbot, Cyrus Walker.

 The Port Gamble Theater is located on the side of the Post Office building.

 FIRE HALL * The fire hall building, its origin uncertain, was apparently installed or moved between the Mansonic Lodge and the Community Hall between 1929 and 1956.  The mill workers acted as volunteer fire department for the mill and town.  The building was converted to a commercial use in 2001.  (it's currently a sports/kyack store)

 1871 - 1872 * FRANKLIN LODGE NO. 5 * Franklin Lodge is the oldest active Masonic lodge in Washington.  It was chartered September 6, 1859 when it's eight original members carried a petition by canoe to Steilacoom.  The hall originally stood where the store is today.  It wasn't turned around when it was moved here in 1907, so its original front entry is now on the back. 

1863 * NEW YORK HOUSE * The house was built by the company in order to attract and retain the resident physicians who lived there over a long period of time.  It likely served both as hospital and home to the town's resident physician until sometime prior to 1929, when the hospital was situated closer to the mill.

1890 * CLARENCE R. & LULU (HOVEY) CRANMER HOUSE * Clarence was a past Master of the Franklin Lodge in 1896.  Lulu died at the age of 32 on June 15, 1904 and is buried in the Port Gamble Cemetery.

Built 1900-1901 * MORRILL S. POPE HOUSE * This house was barged over from Port Ludlow after 1929.  At Port Ludlow, this was Morrill Pope's house, who was the supervisor of the mill.  This house replaces the earlier John Seavey house that had stood here since 1870. 

1871 * DANIEL B. JACKSON HOUSE * D.B. Jackson was Port Gamble's third postmaster.  His son Daniel Leslie Jackson was the telegraph operator and followed him as postmaster and owner of this house.  Daniel Leslie was postmaster under nine U.S. Presidents.  His sister May married George Evans here in 1885.  Their grandson is former senator and governor Daniel Jackson Evans. 

1918-1919 * LEO & GOLDIE HAMMERSMITH HOUSE * Leo came to Pope & Talbot from the Hammersmith Mill in Yelm, WA.  Leo married Goldie on July 4th, 1915, which was also Goldie's 18th birthday.  Leo and Goldie had no children.  Leo retired as mill manager in 1958, moved to Portland and passed away in 1961.

 Pictures of where the Mill Operated ...

1906-1907 * PUGET HOTEL STABLE * Here horses for Puget Hotel guests and private parties were stabled, and carriages were stored and washed.  By 1920 the horses were retired and automobiles were stored here.  Except for a short stint as a fire station, the building housed the maintenance shop from the 1940's - he end of 2008.  The building was converted into commercial space in 2010.

1873 * CAPT. WM. GOVE HOUSE * Leading log hauler, watchdog over wrecks, saver of lives... The legendary master of old Goliath, Favorite, Yakima, Cyrus Walker, Tyee, and Wanderer guided the lumber fleet for 48 accident free years.  He also found time to build this house. 

1903 * ESTES & AVA CROUSE HOUSE * Lived in this house, 1931-1963 * Estes Crouse, the mill's Head Machinist from 1927 to 1960, met nurse Ava Hallowell at the mill's hospital when she treated him for emery in his eye.  Hospital visits for this same mishap increased until they wed, June 3, 1931.  Here they raised daughters, Donna and Yvonne.  Infant Freddie is buried in the nearby cemetery.  Estes' father, Charles Crouse, Merchanic Helper 1929-1936, lived with them after the passing of his third wife, Emma, in 1933.

Going down the street a little - we ran into the following treasures ...

1878 - 1979 * ST. PAUL'S CHURCH * Modeled after the Congregational Church of East Machias, Maine. The steeple bell was a gift from the San Fransisco Pope & Talbot's officer's wives.  It arrived by sailing vessel in 1879.  The churches steeple and original Congregational affiliation echos the New England origins of it's founders.

1870 * DAVID & JOYCE OLSON HOUSE * Lived in this house, 1950-1989 * David Olson retired from Pope & Talbot in 1994 after 39 1/2 years of service.  He lived in Port Gamble all his life.

1859 * JAMES & SARAH THOMPSON HOUSE * This is the oldest continuously occupied house in the state of Washington * James Thompson came to Port Gamble on the schooner Towana and his descendants lived in this home for more than 99 years.  The Thompsons owned the house as private property and paid the company an annual ground rent of $1.00 per year.  James and Sarah raised their 5 children here where son and grandson followed James as saw filers in the mill. 

THIS IS SOMETHING WE WOULD RECOMMEND AND WE WOULD DEFINITELY GO HERE AGAIN (and we do).