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BACK COVER
On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, at the entrance to Puget Sound, the Port
Townsend of the 1850s was perfectly situated for sailing vessels. By 1880,
thousands of ships from all over the world were passing through. Optimistic
investors sought fortunes in shipping, logging, lumber mills, and land
speculation. While commerce flourished at sea level, citizens built fine homes,
churches, schools, clubs, a respectable shopping district, and parks uptown on
the bluff. The settlers of this lovely seaport enjoyed rich cultural and social
lives. Port Townsend went bust after the anticipated railroad failed to arrive.
It remained largely frozen in time without economic motivation to tear down and
replace its fine Victorian architecture. It wasn't until the 1970s that the
beautiful setting and buildings were discovered by artists, hippies,
preservationists, and later, tourists and retirees. The town is now a thriving
arts and cultural community, still beautiful, still small and remote.
The Jefferson County Historical Society was founded in 1879 and incorporated in
1951 with a mission "to actively discover, collect, preserve, and promote the
heritage of Jefferson County in the State of Washington." The images
selected for this volume come from the Society's collection of over 20,000
historic photographs.
The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and
cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents
distinctive stories from the past that shape the character for the community
today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage,
making history available to all.
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Images
of America: Port Townsend