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PORT TOWNSEND |
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With its brightly painted Victorian mansions, convivial cafés and
vigorous cultural scene, PORT TOWNSEND has always had aspirations beyond
its small-time logging roots. Gothic mansions sprang up above the
flourishing port in the 1890s, when confident predictions of a railroad
terminus lured in the rich. Unfortunately for the investors, the trains
never arrived, and the town was left with a glut of stylish residences
and a very small business district.
Port Townsend's physical split - half on a bluff, half at sea level -
reflects nineteenth-century social divisions, when wealthy merchants
built their houses uptown, far above the rowdy clamor and working-class
color of the port below. The downtown area is at the base of the hill,
its shops and pleasant cafés centering on Water Street - lined with
proud 1890s brick and stonework. In recent times the old mansions have
been restored, and the town has mellowed into an artsy community with
hippie undertones and a fair amount of charm. For a more detailed look
at the area's rich history, check out the museum of the Jefferson County
Historical Society , 540 Water St (daily 11am-4pm, Sun opens at 1pm; $2;
), which offers more information about the town's historic Victorian
structures.
Though fairly bustling year-round, the town is busiest during its summer
music festivals - principally Jazz Port Townsend in late July, and
American Fiddle Tunes in early July - which take place at the state park
at FORT WORDEN , the remains of a military encampment two miles north of
town.
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Vacation Rentals in Port
Townsend |
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from $135.00
USD