Port Hadlock-Irondale: Boatbuilding and Industrial History

Port Hadlock-Irondale can be explored through a variety of historical and maritime themes: boatbuilding, its waterfront location, its iron and steel history, and several historic buildings. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Port Hadlock-Irondale, these points of interest can help you consider the destination according to your interests.

Boatbuilding and Maritime Connections

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is located on the water in Lower Port Hadlock. It offers five-day intensive courses on Marine Systems topics. This makes both traditional boatbuilding and technical topics related to Marine Systems part of the area's attractions. The length of the courses gives you a specific point of reference if you are interested in this offering.

The Port Hadlock Marina offers another maritime perspective: it is located in the sheltered waters of the southern part of Port Townsend Bay. The marina is bordered by a 600-foot stretch of beach, a scenic grassy area, and a picnic area. The boat ramp is immediately south of Port Hadlock's business district and is best suited to small boats. The marina and ramp thus offer different ways to explore the water and small boats.

Industrial History in Irondale

The Irondale Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register. Historic building foundations and charcoal-fired furnaces remain at the site of the Irondale Iron and Steel Plant. Iron and steel were produced intermittently at the former site from 1881 to 1919, under various owners. Together, the surviving structural remains and the production period offer two different insights into the site's history.

Irondale Beach County Park is also connected to the history of the former Iron and Steel Plant: the park reopened after cleanup work at the former industrial site. The area's industrial history can therefore be understood through both the surviving remains and the park's later reopening in connection with the former plant site.

Historic Traces in Port Hadlock

In Port Hadlock, the former site of the Washington Mill Company is now used by the Wooden Boat School. The Galster House is the only surviving building in Lower Hadlock associated with the once-thriving Washington Mill Company. These two connections tell different stories about the company's former significance: one concerns the current use of the former site, and the other a surviving building connected to the company's history.

The Alcohol Plant opened in June 1911. It processed sawdust into alcohol using the Berigus Process, based on the work of Louis Pasteur. The history of this facility adds another industrial context in Port Hadlock to the area's iron and steel production. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Port Hadlock, in turn, was incorporated in 1905; this date marks an institutional, rather than industrial, aspect of the area's history.

The Captain Shibles House was built around 1895 by Capt. Peter Shibles. Shibles later became captain of the Milwaukee Railroad's steel steam tug “Milwaukee.” This house is therefore notable for its approximate construction date and a maritime biography. The recorded dates provide different markers: intermittent iron and steel production spanned the period from 1881 to 1919, while the house is dated to around 1895 and the church's incorporation has a specific year. These differences bring the area's various historical themes and their timelines into focus.

Highlights for Your Stay

Maritime themes range from boatbuilding and Marine Systems courses to the marina and a ramp suited to small boats. Industrial history, meanwhile, includes surviving foundations and furnaces, a limited period of iron and steel production, and other historic facilities and buildings in Port Hadlock. As you plan your stay, you can weigh these different themes to decide whether boatbuilding, the waterfront, or local history interests you most.

Explore More Destinations: Marrowstone, Port Townsend, Port Ludlow, Chimacum.

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