"On this spot, there was a small pier set out
into the water at which a revenue cutter a U.S. government
ship was sitting with its canon pointed at Water Street,
fully primed and loaded. We were informed they were going to fire
on the town in 45 minutes," Joyce Webb said, as she stood across
the street from Port Townsend's Bank of America. The year was
1862.
"Well, we caved. We were defiant for 44 minutes. We turned
over the Customs House records, as demanded. The ship sailed off
with all of the records and established the Customs House in Port
Angeles," the tour guide smiled, realizing her audience was
left in awe. "I'm always trying to find obscure stories."
For more than a decade, Webb has been delighting audiences
young and old, on her Guided Historical Sidewalk Tours.
"The real stories are so much more interesting than what people
make up," Webb said. "I think the most important thing
is that I've established a reputation of taking history seriously.
There was a real business reason for everything to exist in early
Port Townsend even the brothels. It wasn't a moral issue.
We need to know how people came here, what they did, how they accumulated
their wealth and how they used it."
Captain George Vancouver first sailed the HMS Discovery
into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in 1792. Camped on the shore, near
Point Hudson, the explorer no doubt noted the deep harbor, along
which would one day rise the seaport of Port Townsend.
Boat building began in this area in about 1850, soon after the first
settlers arrived. But, for the most part, wooden boats just passed
through Port Townsend, using her as needed. Of the more than 550
vessels built on the Puget Sound in 1899, only two were created
locally.
A hundred years later, Port Townsend now lays claim to being the
wooden boat mecca of the northwest.
In the latter part of the 1800s, Port Townsend was
one of the toughest towns on the west coast. It was well-known for
the 17 saloons and dozen brothels which lined its waterfront. Many
able-bodied seamen were shanghaied in broad daylight.
Local residents convinced themselves Port Townsend was the perfect
stop for the railroad's end. Thriving businesses were built
upon the imagined promise of the coming railroad.
Alas, Port Townsend's deep water port was not enough to lure
the railroad, which, in 1873, chose Tacoma as the terminus for its
rail line.
Undaunted, the city's founding fathers geared up to built their
own track. After one mile, the funds ran out. Rallying once again,
in 1890, 20 miles of track were laid. But the Union Pacific Railroad
never took the bait.
Over the next 90 years, that little railroad line would change hands
more than any other line in the country.
By the end of the 1890s, the "City of Dreams" had become
a nightmare. Businesses went bust. Huge half-finished buildings
littered the downtown.
Even today, a stroll through downtown Port Townsend reveals not
a town of the 21st century, but a haven for that which is old and
majestic, mixed with a healthy dose of tourism.
For Webb, historical accuracy is a must.
"I'm standing on the street talking at the top of my voice.
People are more than willing to come up and say, That's
a bunch of hooey.' So, I have to be accurate. I always go back
and fact check, no matter who's the source of the story,"
Webb said. "I have 13 hours of information just on Water Street,
so I have a real hard time keeping the tours down to about an hour.
But, varying the tours keeps me from getting bored. I watch their
eyes. If I see people's eyes start to sparkle, I elaborate
more.
"I go out, rain, snow, no matter what. I know where all the
sheltered spots are," Webb admitted. "I do the tours by
reservation. I can can go anytime. If people call {360-385-1967}
and want me down there in five minutes, I can be there without mascara.
If you want mascara, I can be there in 15.
"I do cruise ships. I do bus tours. I am very well known on
the bus tour routes North Carolina, Indiana, and more
but, I seem to be the best kept secret in Port Townsend," Webb
chuckled, explaining how many local residents don't realize
her tours exist. "I love to take locals on the tour, because
they're always saying, I didn't know that, or I've
never seen that.'
"I have about 30 or 40 years of research. I was digging into
Port Townsend's history long before starting the tours. I give
them enough information on the tours to give them a toe hold to
continue their own research," Webb promised. "I traveled
a lot when I was young and I took a lot of tours. There's
nothing worse than a bad or a boring tour guide."
Webb's tours are neither bad, nor boring. Her naturally melodic
voice takes on a life of its own, once she begins one of her many
historic sagas.
Webb's book, Self-guided Tour of Historic Homes, takes
folks on a stroll past 36 Port Townsend homes, beginning at the
"The Customs House", er, post office. "Because it's
printed, I was able to put photos of the homeowners and old photos
of the homes in the book," Webb said. "Every single house
I wrote about, I actually talked to the people who lived there."
The $4.50 booklet is available at the Jefferson County Historical
Society Museum and Elevated Ice Cream.
"I'm in awe of the pioneers. They were real. They were
human. They made mistakes. They shot themselves in the foot. Then
they'd back up, go at it again and make it work," Webb
observed. "People'll laugh when I tell them I've
only been here 30 years. I'm a newcomer. My tombstone'll
read: Nosy newcomer. "These tours are also great for kids.
I don't include brothels when there are children in tours,"
she said.
The attractive brunette laughed when asked how many folks have done
her tours. "I'm not a bean counter. Gosh, I have no idea,"
Webb said. "Like many other Port Townsend bright ideas, you'd
better enjoy it because you're not going to get rich giving
historic tours. I do encourage those on the tour to stay and explore
the town more. Stay at a B&B, eat in the restaurants, walk aboard
the ferry, take a sunset cruise. I try to promote the whole town.
No one's going to come to Port Townsend just to play with me."
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