Port Townsend, Washington

This is the lovely town of Port Townsend, Washington. Settled in 1891, Port Townsend' s heyday as a late-Victorian seaport brought wealth and style to the community as upwardly mobile captains and merchants built fine homes for themselves.

Port Townsend is in the north east corner of the Olympic Peninsula.

Below is the Jefferson County Courthouse which was built in 1892 of red brick and sandstone.

The county's business is still conducted in the building, a National Historic Landmark and one of the two oldest courthouses in the state.




The building originally was the courthouse, the fire station and the jail.

See the jailbird below? What can I say about him except I did let him out, eventually!




Port Townsend's character today comes from its boom in the 1880's and 1890's as a major seaport, fishing and lumber area.




Town leaders and merchants built ornate and spacious Victorian homes and fine brick and stone buildings for their businesses downtown.

In 1976 the downtown waterfront and bluff were designated a National Historic District. Port Townsend is one of only three Victorian seaports on the National Historic Register of Historic Places in the U.S. and the only one on the west coast.

See ya down the road !