Generally acknowledged as one of the last Victorian seaports still active today, Port Townsend was originally named 'Port Townshend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792.  Upon discovery of the area, Capt. Vancouver immediately recognized it as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851. The unofficial name for Port Townsend, the "City of Dreams," came out of early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast, wealthy and prosperous.  Somehow though, those early dreams failed to materialize...

By the late 1800's Port Townsend was a well-known seaport, extremely active and banking on the future. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture tending towards ornate Victorian. With the other Puget Sound ports growing in size, Port Townsend saw a rapid decline in population when the Northern Pacific Railroad failed to connect to the eastern Puget Sound city of Tacoma. By the late 1890's the boom was over.

Railroads were built to reach more areas in the 1870-1890's and Port Townsend was the northwest extension of the rail lines. Its port was large and frequented by overseas vessels, so shipping of goods and timber from the area was a major part of the economy. Much of the buildings were built on the speculation that Port Townsend would become a booming shipping port and major city. When the depression hit, those plans lost the capital to continue and rail lines ended on the east side of Puget Sound, mainly in Tumwater, Tacoma and Seattle. Without the railroad to spur economic growth, the town shrank and investors looked elsewhere to make a good return.

Many people left the area and pretty much abandoned the buildings and homes that so marked the area.  The city had no effective economy until the early 1920's, until the construction and opening of the Port Townsend Paper Mill.  Even with that, most of the buildings and homes remained uninhabited until the 1970's, when people began coming to the city to find cheap homes and to drop out or retire. Because of the speed at which the economy fell initially and the non-existence of any industry or economy to replace it, none of the buildings were torn down or built over. They basically were preserved as time capsules for the next 100 years, when the value of keeping them intact was appreciated and fostered.

Noted for a vast collection of Victorian homes, the city also has more than a dozen larger buildings that are well preserved; the Carnegie Library, the US Post Office, The Rose Movie Theater to name just a few.  Now recognized on the National Historic Register, the Port Townsend of today survives and flourishes through an influx of tourism.  Over one million visitors a year come to the town to visit her art galleries (Port Townsend having become a haven for artists and musicians), and to indulge in the area’s charm.

(Adapted from text at PTGuide: The City Guide to Port Townsend, Washington)

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Manresa Castle is a highly rated hotel and inn. Described as "The Best Restaurant In Town" by Frommer's Travel Guide, its attractions include spacious gardens and breath-taking views of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains.

The Castle was constructed in 1892 as the home of Charles and Kate Eisenbeis. Mr. Eisenbeis was a prominent member of the early Port Townsend business community. His business interests were diverse, and included a bakery, brickworks, lumber mill, brewery, bank and a hotel. In 1878, when Port Townsend became the first incorporated city in Jefferson County, its citizens elected Eisenbeis as the first mayor. In keeping with his status in the community, Eisenbeis built what was the largest private residence ever built in Port Townsend, consisting of 30 rooms. Locals referred to the building as the "Eisenbeis Castle;" its design was reminiscent of some of the castles in Eisenbeis' native Prussia. The walls were 12 inches thick, made with bricks from Eisenbeis' own brickworks and the roof was made from slate. German artisans installed the tiled fireplaces and finely crafted woodwork. Charles died in 1902 and Kate remarried a few years later. The Castle was left empty for almost 20 years except for a caretaker.

In 1925, a Seattle attorney bought the Castle as a vacation place for nuns teaching in Seattle schools. This plan did not work out well and in 1927 Jesuit priests purchased the building for use as a training college. The priests spent their sixteenth and final year of training here studying ascetic theology. In 1928, the Jesuits added a large wing housing a chapel and sleeping rooms. They also installed an elevator (an Otis) at a cost of $3,400 -- a substantial sum in those days. When their addition was complete, the Jesuits stuccoed over the bricks of the original portion to give the building a more uniform look. They named the complex "Manresa Hall" after the town in Spain where Ignatius Loyola founded the order.

The Jesuits left in 1968 and the building was converted into a hotel. The elements "Manresa" and "Castle" were taken from the two previous owners to create the current name. Three different owners since 1968 have all done their part to lovingly renovate the building to modern standards while maintaining its Victorian elegance. For example, there were only 3 bathrooms when the Jesuits left - today there are 43. Today, a private consortium owns the hotel, but the owners have made public assurances that the hotel will remain open for business. The "public" owner of the hotel is Mr. Julian Scott, a businessman recently arrived from San Francisco, and Mr. Scott also acts as the manager of the hotel.

Continued rumors that the Castle is haunted persist, with guests and visitors alike claiming to have seen the ghost of a young woman, dressed in clothing reminiscent of the early 1900's, playing the baby grand piano that sits in the lobby.  Strangely, classical piano pieces are sometimes heard late at night, even though the piano no longer has any strings within it.  The Castle is also reported to be haunted by the spirit of a priest that hung himself, and a woman who killed herself jumping from a third-story window.

(Adapted from text at Manresa Castle Hotel & Inn)

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The Dimick Lighthouse (located at 1935 Washington Street) is a century (give or take) younger than most of the homes on the Historic Register, having been built in the early 1990’s, but it richly deserves its place in the lineup. It is a near replica of the 1906 Mukilteo Lighthouse (Mukilteo is a town on Puget Sound, about 15 miles north of Seattle). It was built by the Dimicks as a vacation home and they decorated the interior in Victorian style. It is notable for its unique and creative use of a tiny space.

The lighthouse is not on the water; it's perched on a point that overlooks the city, near the Jefferson County Courthouse. It doesn't have a beacon; the Coast Guard wouldn't look kindly on that. But it's still definitely a lighthouse. It's a small, boxy structure paired with a 50-foot tower reached by an interior spiral staircase of 41 oak steps. The tower features a tine glassed-in space that would normally hold the beacon. That's where Kevin Hayes, the local professor of parapsychology who purchased the Lighthouse in 2000, says he goes to read the newspaper and drink coffee. The center of the tower is hollow, to someday allow for the installation of a dumbwaiter.  The exterior walkway affords sweeping views of mountains, water, and islands.

A high ceiling, lots of windows and a consistent color scheme keep (the one-room downstairs) from feeling cramped. A kitchen, with tall white glass-fronted cabinets, is separated from the living area by a low eating bar. A glass and white wrought iron dining table sits in the corner. The room is decorated in black, white, and light blue. The living room walls are done in white painted wood. The rugs are Chinese in origin, and the color accents the simplicity of the black and white scheme nicely.  Anywhere that a door, window or other necessity does not take up wall space, bookshelves predominate, littered with an eclectic mixture of esoterica.

According to Dr. Hayes, an additional (and much larger) level was recently excavated and constructed below street level, and it is here that he keeps his master bedroom, and other amenities for guests.

(Adapted from text at Port Townsend Guide - The Dimick Lighthouse)

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