A visit to Port Gamble is a step back in time. Situated on the shores of scenic Hood Canal, on the northern tip of Kitsap Peninsula, this unique town is a 120-acre National Historic Landmark. It's a quaint spot, complete with turn-of-the-century buildings, an historic church and picturesque views of Gamble Bay.
The town's namesake is Lt. Robert Gamble, a serviceman wounded in the War of 1812, but the town was founded in 1853 by A.J. Pope, Capt. Win C. Talbot and Cyrus Walker, who made it the home of their sawmill company.
The men had Port Gamble built to look like their native town of East Machias, Maine, and until 1995 it was the site of the oldest continuously operating sawmill in North America. In its heyday, everyone who worked at the mill lived in the town, and the men were encouraged to bring their families with them from Maine, to create a sense of community. Today the place, having been authentically restored, is managed and maintained by Pope Resources of Poulsbo.
On a recent outing to this delightful "Mayberry," I found myself enamored with its peaceful maple- and elm-lined streets, charming New England-style houses and white picket fences. My infatuation began shortly after passing the town's welcome sign, when I got my first glimpse of the historic Anglican Church of St. Paul.
St. Paul's dramatic setting and magnificent waterfront views immediately captured my attention, and its simplicity of design, white clapboard exterior and austere beauty made a vivid contrast to the blue skies on a crisp winter's day. One of the town's most photographed landmarks, the church is still in use today, by locals and visitors alike, who flock there for picture-postcard weddings and Sunday services.
As I breathed in the brisk sea air and strolled along the town's main thoroughfare, Rainier Avenue, I noted that many of the buildings had plaques out front explaining their historical roots. The visitor center, for example, is in the M.S. Drew House, built circa 1860 and once home to timber baron Mike Drew and his family.
Across the street is the Daniel B. Jackson House, where the Spa at Port Gamble has taken up residence. The place used to belong to D.B. Jackson, Port Gamble's third postmaster. Jackson's son, Daniel Leslie Jackson, was telegraph operator for the town and also postmaster, following in his father's footsteps and, incidentally, serving under nine U.S. presidents. His sister May married George Evans here in 1885, and their grandson is former Washington State Senator and Governor Daniel Jackson Evans.
Farther down the street is the Port Gamble General Store & Café, a popular gathering place for the town's residents - and its cats, which seem to take pleasure in sunning themselves outside the front door.
The store once sold merchandise to mill employees, Indians, settlers, ships and logging camps. It was the town's fifth store building and the first to be located high on the bluff overlooking the bay.
Today the store features an inventory and menu that reflect its pioneer origin, selling everything from vintage clothes and canned goods to sundries and notions. There's an old-fashioned pickle barrel, a soda fountain and, in the rear, a full-service café advertising home-baked goods and hearty grub.
Upstairs is the Sea & Shore Museum, containing one of the largest shell collections in the country. Specimen and decorator shells, sea stars, sand dollars, shell curios and shell crafts line the shelves of this multi-level museum. The displays mainly feature shells from the sea, land and freshwater, but there are also a number of crustaceans, weird insects, skulls and other natural-history items.
On the downhill side of the General Store, facing the bay, is the Port Gamble Historic Museum. Here you can see many heirlooms, artifacts and photographs from the early 1800s, including exhibits on the forest-products industry.
Several other houses lining the main street are now home to various businesses. Take a peek in Ms. Bee Haven, an antique and secondhand goods shop located in what was once the meat/produce market for the town. It's chock full of interesting items that owner Bee Robin has collected from all over the world. Her husband, Michel, has available some lovely pen-and-ink drawings detailing whimsical sights of Port Gamble.
And don't forget to stop in at LaLa Land Chocolates, if only to drool over their truffle selection, which ranges from such favorites as peanut butter and caramel to key lime and strawberry cheesecake. If you're looking for a place to take a load off, this is it. Have a seat in the dining room for high tea and get your fill of scones, tarts, tea sandwiches and chocolate fondue.
When you roll out of there, head off the main drag a few blocks to the Port Gamble Trading Company for some serious shopping. More than 40 artists and vendors display their wares in the town's former automotive shop. The range of item includes custom furniture, Native American art, pottery, scents, glasswork, jewelry, basketry and other crafts.
The unique driftwood furniture and cedar sculptures are the masterpieces of the building's owner, John Chugwater. Chugwater's work has been seen on the TV show "Evening Magazine" and, more recently, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
If you have the time, a side trip to Point No Point Lighthouse in Hansville is a must. Set at the very tip of the peninsula on a low sand spit, the lighthouse dates back to 1879, when it was built to aid vessels in navigating the Sound.
The spit was actually discovered in 1841 by Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Exploring Expedition; he gave it the name Point No Point due to his disappointment in finding that it was a less substantial point of land than he had originally thought it to be. Years earlier, the Indians had designated it with the more descriptive Hadh-skus, meaning "long nose."
The lighthouse has been fully automated since the late '70s and no longer has a keeper in residence. The nearby one-and-a-half miles of publicly accessible beach, with breathtaking views of mounts Rainier and Baker as well as Whidbey Island, has become a popular place for roaming beachcombers and their dogs.
If you make your getaway excursion to this area on a Saturday, be sure your plans include breakfast at the Farm Kitchen. Located off the Port Gamble Road, Farm Kitchen opens its doors just once a week to the public to serve its special breakfasts.
During the rest of the week, the venue doubles as an event space and a commercial kitchen for rent by the day or hour. The place is ideal for weddings, receptions, retreats and cooking classes that specialize in fostering interactive learning among participants while sharing helpful techniques and fun recipes.
The Farm is the brainchild of partners Hollis Fay and Anne Thatcher, who set up in 2000. The surrounding pastoral setting is ideal for growing organic vegetables and fruits. Both Fay and Thatcher say they value the "slow food" principles of sustainable agriculture and foods prepared creatively, using the highest-quality ingredients.
When I visited, the Kitchen was bustling with Saturday-morning customers, many of them regulars "in the know." I feasted on Joe's Special, a veggie scramble with rosemary-roasted potatoes that came with fresh fruit and a melt-in-your-mouth orange-cranberry scone. The farm is well known for its pastries and baked goodies, and I can endorse that reputation.
Next door is a fully furnished guest house that sleeps up to 13 comfortably, and is often used to house participants in retreats, reunions and wedding parties.
After a day in Port Gamble and its surrounding area, I didn't want to head back on the ferry just yet. There was more to explore, and I didn't think I'd ever tire of the sweet serenity I found in this jewel of the Kitsap Peninsula.[[In-content Ad]]
