Port Blakely is a community of
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 24,825 at the 2020 census, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County.
The island is s ...
in the western United States. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The center of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Road and Blakely Avenue NE, although the wider area is generally also known as Port Blakely.
The community's name was at one time spelled as Port Blakeley.
Hall Brothers Shipyard and Port Blakely Mill
Port Blakely was named in 1841 by the
Wilkes Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
for the American naval officer
Johnston Blakely
Johnston Blakeley (October 1781 – October 1814) was a United States Navy officer who served during the Quasi-War and the War of 1812. He is considered to be one of the most successful American naval officers of the period.
Early life
Blakel ...
.
In 1863, William Renton began operating a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...
at Port Blakeley.
[ In 1880, brothers Isaac, Winslow and Henry Knox Hall moved their shipyard from ]Port Ludlow, Washington
Port Ludlow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. It is also the name of the marine inlet on which the community is located. The CDP's population was 2,603 at the 2010 c ...
to a site near the Port Blakely Lumber Mill. At one point, this mill was "the world's largest sawmill under one roof." The lumber mills and shipyard of Port Blakely were adjoined by extensive living quarters and public amenities for mill workers and their families.
"The first true five-masted schooner built on the West Coast was the ''Inca
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
'', built at Port Blakely in 1896." H.K. Hall a 1,237-ton five-masted schooner, was launched here in 1902.
"Between 1881 and 1904, the ''Hall Brothers'' launched 77 vessels of every size and rig, including barks, barkentines, three-, four-, and five-masted schooner
A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
s, steamers
Steamer may refer to:
Transportation
* Steamboat, smaller, insular boat on lakes and rivers
* Steamship, ocean-faring ship
* Screw steamer, steamboat or ship that uses "screws" (propellers)
* Steam yacht, luxury or commercial yacht
* Paddle st ...
, a tug, a government revenue cutter and several yacht
A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
s. Hall Brothers was largely responsible for building most of the schooners for the Pacific Coast lumber trade."
The shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
was moved to Winslow in 1903.
Associated media
Port Blakely was featured in the documentary Port Blakely: Memories of a Mill Town by film maker Lucy Ostrander and her husband Don Sellers.
See also
* Inca (schooner)
Inca was "the first true five-masted schooner built on the West Coast." ''Inca'' was launched at Port Blakely, Washington, by Hall Bros. in 1896.
Launching
"The ''Inca'', because of its size and rig, had attracted considerable attention durin ...
* List of Bainbridge Island communities
* Lyman D. Foster (schooner)
Notes
External links
Hall Brothers Shipyards, the Port Blakely Years
Port Blakely Mill
Islandwood School
Port Blakely Companies
Captain William Renton (1818-1891)
founder of Port Blakely Mill
*
Communities of Bainbridge Island, Washington
Shipyards of the United States
Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States
Industrial buildings and structures in Washington (state)
Shipbuilding in Washington (state)
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