Sunday Church Feature

1879 St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Port Gamble, Washington

"St. Paul’s (Episcopal) Church sits on a sloping grass bluff overlooking the waters of Port Gamble Bay. The church, built in (1879), is modeled after a church in the Maine hometown of Port Gamble's founders. The meticulously restored church boasts 8 cathedral stained glass windows, original pews and a domed altar area. One of the most photographed buildings in the area, the picturesque church steeple houses the original church bell..." (Link 2.)The church is available for weddings with an outdoor waterfront tented terrace that accommodates 150.  The church and the Best Friends Antique Shop featured in the October 16th, 2010 blog post are both on Rainier Avenue facing the water.

"In 1860, Superintendent Josiah Keller built a community hall for "those who desire public worship, social enjoyment or fraternal communion and to educate the children.” In 1879, the community built this church to resemble a church in his hometown of East Machias, Maine. The expense of construction was paid for by subscription, with Puget Mill Co. being the largest subscriber. The bell was a gift of Pope and Talbot (owners of Puget Mill Co.) officials in San Francisco. Since most of the residents in 1879 were from Maine, the church was dedicated in the Congregational faith. The Rev. G. H. Atkinson, D.D., was the first resident pastor.

"Members of the congregation purchased their pews and this practice reflected class distinctions in Port Gamble. By 1913, Congregational attendance dropped off and Baptists used the church as well. Regular services ended in the 1920s. In 1931, the religious affiliation of the church changed to Episcopal, reflecting the faith of the resident manager. The congregation changed the sanctuary, the pew arrangement and the location of the lectern, and added an altar. Pope and Talbot restored the church in 1973 and returned the steeple to its original height." (See Link 1.) (Link 3 for video tour of church.)


Note: See map and description of area in October 16th, 2010 post, Saturday Travel Feature, Best Friends Antiques, Port Gamble, Washington. The church is on the same street as the Best Friends Antiques Shop.
Photo: Taken in  December 2005 by SW.

Link 1:http://www.portgamble.com/externalsite.asp?URL=http%3A//www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm%3Ffile_id%3D7025
Link 2:http://www.portgambleweddings.com/default.asp?ID=21
Link 3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ioz0Ol0_yg

Saturday Travel Feature\
Best Friends Antiques
Port Gamble, Washington

"The Kitsap Peninsula village of Port Gamble, located on a bay of the same name on Hood Canal, is one of the only surviving examples of a nineteenth century company town. It traces its roots back to the arrival of San Francisco timber entrepreneurs Josiah Keller, William Talbot, Andrew Pope, and Charles Foster in 1853, just months after Washington gained territorial status. Their succession of mills remained in operation until 1995, and many of the New England-style homes and stores that once served Port Gamble workers are now being restored by Olympic Property Group for residential and commercial uses bridging the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries.

"The owners of the Puget Mill Co. believed that if they provided good homes and a stable community for their workers, they would profit from higher productivity. The owners of Puget Mill Co. hailed from East Machias, Maine, and they recruited many of their earliest skilled workers from there. Port Gamble grew to resemble a New England town of the era with gabled homes, a steepled church, and elm trees...

"By the 1870s the community could boast athletic teams, a library and reading room, a dramatic club, and a school. Managers and skilled workers got the best homes and some employees built their own houses. Company houses had indoor plumbing and electricity almost as soon as those conveniences became available. Residents enjoyed the services of a medical clinic, a store, a school, a community hall, annual celebrations, even a mortuary and a cemetery.
In the 1930s, many of the smaller houses were sold and moved. Older buildings such as the schoolhouse and the Puget Hotel were demolished in subsequent decades when they could no longer be used. Through the end of the twentieth century, Port Gamble continued to function as a company town, providing homes to sawmill workers, a store, and other community services.
In 1995, the sawmill closed, but Port Gamble did not. Pope Resources still owns the town and property and Olympic Property Group rents the commercial buildings and residences. Port Gamble has become a tourist attraction and a destination for special events and ceremonies." (See Link 1, be sure to take the virtual tours of Port Gamble.)

A-Port Gamble, Washington (Mapquest)

The white house with the picket fence in the photo above is Best Friends Antiques at 32239 Ranier Avenue NE. (See Link 2.)  It was built in "1900-1901" in Port Ludlow. It was "barged over from Port Ludlow sometime after 1921 as employment at Port Ludlow dropped after the mill closed in 1935.  The house is named the Morrill Pope House, as Morrill Pope was the mill superintendent at Port Ludlow.  He was also a distant relative of Andrew Pope." (Shana Smith, town manager.) (See Link 1.)

SW 1940 lead figure Christmas display

Note: As a child in Milwaukee, Wisconsin part of the family Christmas display was a scene of lead skaters.  They were purchased by my mother in the 1940's.  After my parents died, in 1966 and 1967 they became part of my annual Christmas display.  In 2005 when I visited the Best Friends Antique Shop in Port Gamble I found 6 additions to my display: two male skater(in orange and green), a figure skater, Santa, a sleigh, and a reindeer.  All the pieces are lead and made in the 1940's.  The display is pictured in the photo above.

Thank you: To Shana Smith for her e mail detailing the history of Best Friends Antiques.

Photo: Top photo taken in Port Gamble in  2005 by SW.   Bottom photo taken in 2010 in my living room, SW.

Link1: http://www.portgamble.com/externalsite.asp?URL=http%3A//www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm%3Ffile_id%3D7025
Link 2: http://www.portgamble.com/default.asp?ID=99