 Location
Old Fort Townsend State Park is located on the northeast shore of the Olympic Peninsula in Jefferson County, four miles south of Port Townsend near Highway 20. The 377-acre park lies atop a 150-foot cliff, commanding a scenic view of Admiralty Inlet, Port Townsend Bay and the Cascade Mountains.
Facilities
Old Fort Townsend has 40 standard sites, each with a table and fireplace. There are showers in the upper campground restroom; pit toilets and water also are available. A trailer dump is located to the left of the entrance of the main park area.
In addition to several hiking trails which wind through the park, an historical walk starts at the large display board. A nature walk commences across the road from the display board. Two small shelters along the cliff are available to park users on a first-come, first-served basis.
A large kitchen shelter may be reserved for organized day groups. There is also a large area in the park that may be reserved by organized camping groups.
Things to Remember
- Pets must be on leashes (no longer than eight feet in length) and under control at all times.
- Quiet hours are from 11 p.m. to 6:30a.m.
- One recreational camping unit and a maximum of eight people are allowed per campsite.
- There is a ten-day camping limit.
- Alcoholic beverages may be consumed only in designated areas. No keg beer is allowed.
- This is a self-registration campground. Do not throw away the envelopes.
- Help us conserve natural resources. State Parks encourages you to take your recyclables home with you or deposit them at the nearest recycling center. Not only will you keep our parks beautiful, you will lower garbage collection costs, freeing dollars for maintenance and improvement projects.
Commission rules and regulations are posted at the park office.
Park Hours
6:30a.m. to dusk during the season listed below.
The Park is Open: 2nd weekend of April until 3rd weekend in September
History
The fort was established in 1856 by the U.S. Army. During the Indian wars of the mid-1850s, settlers on the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula were subject to possible Indian hostility.
The fort was built with timbers hewn from logs, clam shells which were burned and ground for plaster, and laths (thin wooden strips) cut in the forest. The fort was ready for occupancy in the summer of 1857. Old Fort Townsend was destined to only sporadic moments in the limelight. Troops were sent from the fort in July 1859, to help in a boundary dispute with England over San Juan Island. This dispute was referred to as the "Pig War".
All regular troops were withdrawn from Old Fort Townsend in 1861, and volunteers garrisoned the post for the next few years. Until the close of the Civil War, Old Fort Townsend was in "caretaker status." The buildings were virtually abandoned and left to deteriorate.
In 1874, Old Fort Townsend was reconstructed, and for nearly 20 years it was a thriving military fort.
In January 1895, water supplies were scarce. When a kerosene lamp exploded, fire destroyed the barracks and orders were issued to decommission the fort. For several years the fort was again in "caretaker status." It was turned over the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1927.
During World War II, the fort was used as an enemy munitions defusing station. The image included here is of a 65-foot-tall U.S. Navy Explosives Laboratory, located in the group camp area. This building was used for the examination of enemy sea mines and torpedoes, and for inspections of metal weld flaws.
In 1958, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission recognized its historical significance and purchased it as a state park.
Courtesy of Washington State Park and Recreation Commission
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