Port Townsend is a town caught in a time warp. As I drive off the ferry from Whidbey Island, I feel as though I’m taking a giant step back into the past. With the sea surrounding it and views of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Baker, it seems like it is on the edge of the wilderness. Orcas and grey whales frolic and splash in the water. The nearby Olympic National Park, the area’s crown jewel, has 1,400 square miles (2253 square kilometres) of mountains, rainforests, river valleys and untamed coast.

On the shore, beached seal pups bask in the sun aside flocks of seabirds. There’s easy access to the beaches known for their abundance of shellfish. Puget Sound is a sailing, kayaking and fishing area. Three state parks in the area are popular with campers and hikers. Like a rare pearl found in a Chuckanut oyster, Port Townsend is truly a small treasure.

At the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula on Puget Sound, the town’s historic roots date back to 1792 when Captain George Vancouver came ashore at Point Hudson beach on First Nations land. He named the bay Port Townshend for his friend, the Marquis of Townshend. A hundred years later, the first pioneers arrived and settled on the narrow sea level spit.

Soon, captains from around the world sailed their ships into the port. Later, aspiring businessmen arrived and invested in Port Townsend. It became a bustling town where Victorian ladies shopped in the uptown district and avoided the bawdy waterfront where, in the rowdy pubs, drunken men were often shanghaied out of secret back doors to ships that waited in the harbour. 

Today, Port Townsend is still like the Victorian era seaport it used to be with well preserved and restored heritage buildings, elegant Victorian and Greek revival-style mansions that now serve as B&Bs and quaint hotels (one of them is haunted!). Even the antique Rose Theatre, built originally as a vaudeville theatre in 1907, still operates as a movie theatre.
 
Once known as “The City of Dreams,” Port Townsend was to be an extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the largest harbour on the west coast of America. The gold rush of the late 1800s brought an influx of men seeking their fortune, and Port Townsend was a stopover on their way to Alaska. Port Townsend grew from a modest fishing town into a burgeoning small city with aspirations for the future.

Unfortunately, the railway failed to connect to the city, and by the late 1890s, the boom was over. The city of Seattle stole its thunder and gradually the hopes of Port Townsend dwindled away. The beautiful mansions began to fall into disrepair as the residents moved on to greener pastures. But because of the speed at which the economy fell during that time, none of the buildings were torn down and the city remained as if preserved in a time capsule for the next 100 years.

During the ’60s, the town revived somewhat when an influx of hippies moved in and took over abandoned buildings. That changed in the ‘70s when enterprising people saw Port Townsend’s potential. Today, the population is 8,900 and it’s one of the most sophisticated small cities west of Seattle because of the many art galleries, quaint cafés, beautifully restored architecture, theatres and museums.

It’s easy to become absorbed in the history of the town. I set out on a walking tour of all the historic sites starting downtown at Water and Tyler Street, and following the route of the walking tour map available at the Port Townsend tourism office. The atmosphere of the past lingers here. There are 54 heritage buildings listed on the walk.  Most of the historic homes are not open to the public.

British sailor, William Bishop, built the Bishop Victorian Hotel, once called the Bishop Block, in 1871. The Mount Baker Block (1890) was built as an office building during the railroad days. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (1865) is one of the oldest standing structures in town. The impressive Romanesque Jefferson County Courthouse (1892) is one of the oldest government buildings in the state, featuring a 124-foot (38-metre) clock tower.
 
Looming over the city is the most impressive building of all, the Castle.  Though it’s now a trendy restaurant and hotel, this magnificent structure with its turrets and lush gardens, was built as a residence in 1892 by a Prussian businessman, Charles Eisenbeis, who was the town’s first mayor. Locals referred to it as the “Eisenbeis Castle.” Years later, the Castle became a vacation place for nuns and eventually was purchased by the Jesuits and used as a training college. They named it “Manresa Hall” after the town in Spain where the founder of the Jesuit order was born. It is now called “Manresa Castle.”
 
After my tour, I spend a pleasant afternoon wandering the grounds of the Fort Worden State Park. From 1902-53, the area was an active military base and in 1981, was the setting for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. These days it has become renown as the site of music festivals, concerts and workshops. Port Townsend is famous for the jazz workshops held here every summer.
 
Even if you only have a day to spend in this fascinating town, you’ll appreciate the step back in time and, like me, you won’t be sorry you stopped.

JULY 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

IF YOU GO:

How to Get There:
From Seattle area, take Bainbridge ferry from downtown; head north on State route 305 to SR 3 to Hood Canal Bridge then (SR 1104) then north on SR 19 to Port Townsend.
Washington State Ferries operates a ferry from Keystone harbour on Whidbey Island to Port Townsend. This connects the SR 20 to Coupeville and Anacortes, from Interstate 5 at Burlington. This is a popular route for visitors from Bellingham Washington and Vancouver B.C.
Private ferries between Port Angeles and Victoria B.C. www.victoriaexpress.com

Accommodations:
There are dozens of B&Bs in Port Townsend as well as hotels, motels, hostels and dorms. Treat yourself to one of the many heritage houses that are now guest inns. There is also RV and camping nearby at Fort Worden State Park, Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Old Fort Townsend and Point Hudson Marina & RV Park
www.ptguide.com/accommodations-and-lodgings

For more information on things to do and see in Port Townsend, visit www.ptguide.com