Port Hadlock-Irondale is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) in
Jefferson County,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, United States. The population was 3,580 at the
2010 census.
Geography
Port Hadlock-Irondale is located in northeastern Jefferson County at (48.036614, -122.774938),
on the
Quimper Peninsula
The Quimper Peninsula is a narrow peninsula forming the most northeastern extent of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state in the northwestern United States of America.
The peninsula is named after the Peruvian-born Spanish explorer Manuel Quim ...
, an arm of the northeast corner of the
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
. The CDP includes the communities of Port Hadlock and Irondale, plus part of
Chimacum, all of which form what is locally known as the "tri-area". Irondale is in the northeast corner of the CDP, and Port Hadlock is adjacent to it in the east part of the CDP; both communities abut
Port Townsend Bay
Port Townsend Bay, also called Port Townsend, is a marine inlet off Admiralty Inlet at the northeastern extreme of the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It was named Port Townsend by George Vancouver in 1792. The name Port Townsend ...
. Chimacum is on the southern edge of the CDP, in the Chimacum Valley at the intersection of
Washington State Route 19
State Route 19 (SR 19) is a state highway serving rural Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels from SR 104 south of Port Ludlow and travels north through Chimacum and Por ...
and Chimacum Road. The CDP extends to the west to within of
Discovery Bay
Discovery Bay (DB) is a resort town on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It consists of mixed, primarily residential, development, in particular upmarket residential development and private and public recreational facilities, including garden houses, ...
.
The community is south of
Port Townsend
Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census.
It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...
and north of
Port Gamble. According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 13.77%, are water.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 3,476 people, 1,407 households, and 955 families residing in the CDP. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 521.3 people per square mile (201.2/km
2). There were 1,537 housing units at an average density of 230.5/sq mi (89.0/km
2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.3%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.9%
Native American, 1.4%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.6% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 5.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.5% of the population.
There were 1,407 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $32,202, and the median income for a family was $34,847. Males had a median income of $34,583 versus $22,500 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the CDP was $15,721. About 13.6% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
History of Irondale
![Pacific Steel Co rolling bars, Seattle (CURTIS 836)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Pacific_Steel_Co_rolling_bars%2C_Seattle_%28CURTIS_836%29.jpeg)
The first iron-producing
blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...
in
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
was completed in Irondale in 1881. About 1,200 tons of
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...
was produced during its first year of operation, with ore obtained from
Chimacum Valley. The plant was closed in 1889.
The initial hope was for Irondale to become a major iron and steel producer for the western United States. At first, it looked as though this dream was going to come true. After only two years of production, Irondale had several bars, boarding facilities for both men and horses, and homes and accommodations for over 200 workers. Before the local economy and the plant failed in 1889, there were over 400 men employed at the foundry. The town expanded and grew on the sandy bluffs that overlooked the waterside plant.
There were several efforts made to rebuild the iron and steel plant in the following years, but all failed. Irondale today is a bedroom community for the surrounding towns of Port Hadlock, Port Townsend and further south to
Silverdale.
History of Port Hadlock
Samuel Hadlock, the founder of Port Hadlock, moved west in 1846, finally landing in the Port Hadlock area in 1870. He contracted with the Washington Mill Company to build a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
on a spit of land at the south end of Port Townsend Bay, on a low bank, but deep enough waters for tall ships to moor. Hadlock established a large lumber mill. Lumber from the mill was shipped to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, and as far away as
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. Two of the remaining buildings of the Washington Mill Company are what is known today as the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, and the residence of Samuel Hadlock, presently known as the Ajax Cafe.
On the waterfront near the mill were a general store, post office, barber shop, livery stable, laundry, two hotels and two saloons. The saloons were frequented by sailors from all over the world as well as local mill workers, longshoremen, and loggers. There was little law enforcement and it was life in the
Wild West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
.
In 1909 construction started on the alcohol plant. It was completed in 1910, when it began manufacturing
wood alcohol
Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical and the simplest aliphatic alcohol, with the formula C H3 O H (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often abbreviated as MeOH). It is a lig ...
from sawdust. The operational costs of this venture proved too costly, and the plant suspended operation about 1913. The alcohol plant was renovated into a resort, which included an inn, restaurant, marina and art gallery. The resort and restaurant are open to the public.
The residential section was in upper Hadlock. After the lumber mill burned, businesses began to move uptown. William Sehrs of Sehrs Shipyard built the Masonic Temple in 1911. Sehrs completed other projects such as the Nordland ferry and bridges across Chimacum Creek. The Tri-Area was a growing, viable community.
Subsequent industries have included a boat building yard and a clam cannery. In 1946 Melvin Kivley established the first businesses at the Hadlock intersection - a secondhand store and a Signal Service Station.
Port Hadlock History
/ref>
References
{{authority control
Census-designated places in Jefferson County, Washington
Census-designated places in Washington (state)
Superfund sites in Washington (state)
Populated places on Puget Sound