The City that Dreamed of Greatness – Part 2
by Pamelagrace Beatty
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, who had the means to achieving her dream to return home all along (her red magical shoes), so did Port Townsend. Granted, Port Townsend’s “magical shoes” didn’t take them to the greatness they had hoped for, but it did put them on the map. Port Townsend is now known for the Victorian buildings that came about in the late 1800s, when the people who lived there thought the city would become a booming metropolis. As you know, that didn’t happen for many reasons. But what did happen is Port Townsend is now a delightful place to visit, to stay overnight or longer, and to enjoy all sorts of activities, like the jazz concerts, day tours of the Victorian homes and buildings, museums, restaurants and bars, camping, biking and more.
It Don’t Mean a Thing if it ain’t got that Swing!
I had been to Port Townsend several times before I realized what a treasure it was. Jazz Centrum first attracted me. I love jazz. I sing jazz, and my favorite saxophone/keyboard player, Mark Hamby, staged the first Port Townsend Centrum Jazz Festival in July, 1979. As with its past efforts at greatness, there were challenges to putting this show on. In the first place, unfortunately, Port Townsend was not known. Then, there were concerns as to whether folks would drive from Seattle, and other places, to hear the top name musicians who would be performing. The Hood Canal Bridge had been wiped away by the storm of the century!
So that meant most people would have to arrive by ferry. Still, there was a good turnout and a tradition was born. In 1983, Mark expanded the jazz performances into the local restaurants and bars. He also invited local talent, who were teaching in the weeklong jazz workshops for musicians and vocalists, to play in these venues. This was good business for the restaurants and bars, and lots of fun for those who liked more intimate venues. Jazz Port Townsend (current name) is now being led by John Clayton, Grammy award-winning bassist and composer. It continued to be a strong entertainment venue until Covid, where, like so many organizations, it went online. Look to see it come back soon.
Anything Else?
So jazz was what brought me to Port Townsend, and I went there several years in a row. I loved seeing and hearing the musicians who came from all over. Some of them were new to me, but well on their way to being nationally known (if not already well known by other folks), like Jazzmeia and Cécile McLorin Salvant, both marvelous jazz vocalists. Both fresh, creative, talented vocalists.
I also went there on retreat. I spent a week there with my colleague, Dr. Barb Roberts, as we worked intensely to finish the book we were writing on the life of the baby boomer cohort now. We didn’t finish but we got further along. We stayed in a darling Air B&B that had a view of the ocean and surrounding woods, and it was an entire house with lots of rooms! It was comfortable and pretty. Even though we wrote all day, I still enjoyed the environment of the house and its beautiful view. I was quite focused on the work we were doing, so I didn’t explore Port Townsend.
Got Snow?
I decided I wanted to get to know Port Townsend better. I was considering moving to a small town near Seattle and was exploring places I might like to live. Port Townsend was on my list. I had seen it in the summer, now I wanted to see it in a different season. I chose February, the time of the worst snowstorm in a decade to spend a week there. As a result, I was convinced to keep looking. Nature chose to dump loads of snow on the Northwest, including Port Townsend. I stayed in an Historic House that had once been, you guessed it, a bordello and a few other things (can’t remember the name), that is now a hotel. I was snowed in for several days so there was no getting out and about, and even when I did, the stores, restaurants and shops were all closed due to the blizzard!
The winds were extremely high that week and the hotel was cold! The window in my room had flown open and the temperature in the room was about 40! Seriously! I fought the wind to close the window, which took 30 minutes and lots of muscle! Then, I explored the hotel which still had the look of the time it was built: late 1800s or early 1900s; not sure. Staying there was quite the adventure. Driving in the snow was a concern because it was the first time that I had driven my car in snow and I had no chains. To Port Townsend folks’ credit, the streets were drivable soon and my little car did well.
Finally, the Good Stuff
My boyfriend had never been to Port Townsend, so he decided we would celebrate my birthday by going there for a couple of days. Sounded good to me! I wasn’t going to move there, but I still liked to visit. My guy lives on Whidbey Island so we took the ferry from Coupeville. We wanted to be able to drive around and see the area. That was a good decision because that’s how I happened to learn so much about Port Townsend (plus a little additional research).
We stayed in an historic Air B&B, the Starrett House. It was lovely mansion built in 1889. George Starrett, a contractor. Starrett built it for his new bride. The sweet details in the house showed his love for her.
The house boasts of having the only spiral, free-floating staircase of its kind. There were other marvelous aspects of this house such as the paintings on the inside dome, and the many pieces of original furniture still there from the time the house was furnished.
And here is what’s most interesting about Port Townsend: after the many ups and downs and lost dreams of the little town, it became apparent that it was sitting on a goldmine. Not a mine of actual gold, but of beauty! The lovely Victorian homes and business buildings that had been abandoned when the railroad plans fell through, were actually something visitors wanted to see. Many of the homes, like the Starrett House, had been well maintained. Some of the business buildings were in very good shape and others were cleaned up and/or repaired and painted. These beautiful remnants from a time gone by are worth seeing themselves.
As we drove back and forth to the Starrett House, we saw many Victorian homes that caused us to slow down and drive 2 miles per hour (much to the chagrin of the drivers behind us). It didn’t help that there were deer everywhere! They lounged in the front yards or nibbled trees and grass right by the walkways and yards of the homes. We saw several little spotted fawns standing close to their moms. We loved it.
The buildings in the downtown area were eye-catching as well. We saw The Rose, which started as a vaudeville theatre in 1907 and transitioned through time from the silent movies, to talkies, and now digital, with three screens to watch the action. It still has the flavor of furnishings from the early 1900s and is beautiful.
Of course, there are restaurants that are so good you have to make reservations to eat there. There are lots of happenings, like the jazz festival, and the R2KA boating race to Alaska.
We were lucky to be there for the start of that race. We talked with two sisters, Clare and Lee Dorsey, who were taking on the challenge of rowing to Alaska from Port Townsend!!! Clare said it would take about three weeks and they would be rowing ten hours a day and camping overnight on the way. I was impressed. I asked Clare about their food and she said she had a whole spreadsheet on what they eat and when. They packed all of that gear into their little canoe! May they arrive safely and the wind always be at their back.
We saw the paper mill that saved Port Townsend’s economy so long ago, and we ate in several different restaurants, which was fun.
I highly recommend a visit there for anyone who would like a leisurely retreat to the countryside. My learning here was “Don’t write off a town because of a bad storm.” I think Port Townsend’s learning, that we all could relate to is, “What we seek we already have.” I hope you will take the time to drive or ferry out to Port Townsend and explore the sights. It would be well worth your time.
