One of the most popular KCHS events is the Eat Your Way through Kitsap History series. Each year six new sites are chosen to visit. These outings provide a wonderful combination of history and food. Participants enjoy a historical presentation and tour, followed by a meal at the historic site or a participating restaurant. The calendar of events runs between April and September, a wonderful season to travel the county and soak up history! To download the full brochure, or to register for any or all of our historic tours, click here.
9th Annual Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History
First Course: Port Gamble Heritage Trees and Exploring
Did you know that are designated rare trees named Washington State "Champion Trees"? One of these is the rare 120-year-old Camperdown Elm at Port Gamble. Heritage tree expert Jim Trainer guides us today as we learn more about this and other noteworthy Kitsap trees on our leisurely walk through beautiful Port Gamble. The stroll takes about one hour. Following the guided tour you will be free to wander the quaint streets of the updated Port Gamble community. There are interesting mint condition historical homes to peruse and shops to visit, including the wonderful Dauntless Bookstore in an old home, the Tango Zulu import shop, the Artful Ewe, the Historic Museum of Port Gamble, the Tea Room and more. When you are ready for lunch, you will have a ticket for a tasty light meal at the General Store Cafe.
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Time: 10:00 am, Lunch - anytime 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Cost: $35 per person, $30 KCHS members
Second Course: Furuya House and Gazzam House, Bainbridge Island
We will visit two historic early 1900s homes situated close together on Crystal Springs Drive. The Furuya House, currently owned by Frank and Michele Whitman, was the summer retreat of Masijiro Furuya, a successful Seattle businessman. Because Mr. Furuya was Japanese, he was not allowed to own property, so he leased this property from his neighbor, Colonel Warren Gazzam. The Colonel, a colorful entrepreneur whose business ventures included a Mosquito Fleet line and a Bremerton hotel, at one time owned over 500 acres on Bainbridge Island, including Gazzam Lake, and intended to develop the southwest shoreline as the "gold coast" of the island. His 6000-square foot house, built with river rock from the shore, has been lovingly researched and cared for by its current owners, artist Kathe Fraga and her husband Jeff. You won't want to miss this fascinating destination and hear the stories it tells.
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2011
Time: 11:00am, Lunch at Sawatdy Thai Cuisine Restaurant 1:30 pm
Cost: $35 per person, $30 KCHS members
Third Course: Naval Base Keyport, Dive Locker & Keyport - SOLD OUT!
We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport, a site that plays an important role in our community and is the location of some lovely historic homes, as well as the "dive locker", the oldest hyperbaric chamber in the United States, still in use today. Dean Cox, NUWC Keyport historian, will be our guide as we travel by bus onto the base, where we will enjoy a stroll on the beautiful grounds to Keyport House, the quarters of NUWC commander and his wife, Captain Stephen and Lynn Iwanowicz. We will walk or be drive by van to see and learn about the dive locker, and then, as we finish our visit, we will get to see the Gettysburg Oak, planted by a Civil War hero who lived his final days on his homestead near the Keyport lagoon. Outside the Keyport gates after our tour, we will hear the history of the small Keyport community from its proud and knowledgeable residents. And then a box lunch at the historic Keyport Mercantile, established in 1903.
Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011
Time: 11:00 am, Lunch at Keyport Mercantile 1:00 pm
Cost $35 per person, $30 KCHS members (The tour of Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport is free of charge; cost of the tour covers lunch and the Keyport community tour.)
Fourth Course: Seabeck Gardens Tour, Historical Notes & A Moveable Feast
We will visit some of the most beautiful gardens in Seabeck and, along the way, hear the history of this unique area of Kitsap. Among the properties to which we have been invited are Kathy Mahan and Don Paulson's small but elegant beach side garden; Jerry McAuliffe's expansive Emel Glade property near the Big Beef estuary; and the Asian Northwest gardens of neighbors Tim and Shirley Ryan and John and Kristie Lamberg, also on the Hood Canal and with spectacular vistas. At each garden visit, Seabeck historian Fred Just will narrate "chapters" of Seabeck history, starting with the Native American settlements in the area and continuing through the Milltown years and into the present. Our catered breakfast, lunch and dessert will be strategically served so that we can enjoy picnic style food along with the sights, the sounds, history and good camaraderie of this day in lovely and interesting gardens. We will be outside the entire time and may get to watch eagles and herons feeding along the shoreline of the Hood Canal. A wonderful morning and afternoon.
Date: Saturday, August 13, 2011
Time: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Catered meals throughout the tour by Ambrosia
Cost: $55 per person, $50 KCHS members
Fifth Course: Hansville Native Plant Garden and Tour of Historic Kingston
At the northern-most tip of Kitsap County lies the charming little community of Hansville, famous for its historic lighthouse. But there is much more to see in Hansville The Native Plant Garden in Buck Lake Park is an easy and interesting walk, made even more so by our expert guide, landscape architect Patrick Leuner. Patrick is well known throughout the area, having designed noteworthy gardens for Paul Allen and others in the Pacific Northwest. We are fortunate to have him available for our group excursion. We will also visit the Hansville Community Center before we head into Kingston, where members of the Kingston Historical Society will take us on a walking tour of downtown Kingston and point out historic sites. Following our tour, we will break into smaller groups and enjoy lunch at several local restaurants in Kingston. Lots of fun and interesting history for everyone.
Date: Thursday, September 8,2011
Time: 10:30 am in Hansville, Lunch in Kingston at selected restaurants 1:00 pm
Cost: $35 per person, $30 KCHS members
Sixth Course: The Carl Nelson House in Olalla
This spectacular Victorian home, built by Charles Nelson for his bride in 1913 and listed on the National Historic Registry, sits perched on the hillside overlooking Colvos Passage and Vashon Island. Current owners Roy and Jennifer Hjalseth will share with us the house's proud history. After our home tour, we will cross the nearby Olalla Bridge, the site of the annual Polar Bear jump on New Year's Day, and stop at what was until recently Al's Grocery. The grocery, Olalla's first store, located near a mosquito fleet stop for the Virginia V, was the center of community social activities, housing the post office, the jail, and boarding rooms. Dances were often held in the second story. Be sure to join us for this day of history in Olalla.
Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Time: 10:30 am at the Carl Nelson House, Lunch at the Family Inn, Manchester 1:00 pm
Cost: $35 per person, $30 KCHS members
Bonus Event: Drink Your Way through Kitsap History
Last year we explored some of the oldest taverns of Bremerton, Port Orchard and Silverdale. This was such a popular and interesting tour, we are including a similar adventure in our 2011 program, this year exploring old taverns of the Poulsbo, Keyport, and Kingston areas. We board our Silver City Bus in Keyport and head for the Voodiez Bar and Grill in Poulsbo. This establishment, in existence since the Poulsbo Hotel was razed in 1913 and replaced with the A. Nelson Blacksmith Shop and Hardware, has had many different "lives", including numerous taverns and restaurants. Another Poulsbo destination is The Loft, established in 1907 and also witness to a varied history, including a time as the popular Viking House. We'll travel up Highway 3 to the 4 Corners Tavern, dating to 1952, then on to former drinking establishments in Kingston, and then to check out the 19th Hole at Erlands Point. On our return to Keyport, we'll enjoy a fine dinner of pub food at the famous Whiskey Creek Steak House. Originally Keyport's First Mercantile in 1927, then the Keyport Tavern, then the Torpedo Shop in the 1930s, Whiskey Creek Steak House showcases its past in the historic photographs that line its walls. Our accomplished guide will again be Paul Middents, who mixes history with humor and little known facts about taverns and breweries. Join us for this unique look at Kitsap County's colorful history.
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Time: 2:00 - 7:00 pm
Cost: $55 per person, $50 KCHS members
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In 2010, the Kitsap Historical Society presented the inaugural Drink Your Way through Kitsap History. Traveling via a tour bus from Silver City Brewery, attendees learned the history of a number of notable drinking establishments as they visited (and patronized) historic bars from Silverdale to Port Orchard. We plan for this to become a new KCHS tradition!
2010 Drink Your Way photos: view
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2010 EYW events:
My Girl Drive-in (May 11, 2010)
An authentic replica of a 1950s drive-in restaurant, this 10,000 square feet of antiques and collectibles, including classic cars, machinery, toys and celebrity memorabilia, is the culmination of years of a dedicated effort by our host Bob Thompson. view photos
Westinghouse/Lindbergh Estate (June 3, 2010)
This beautiful property was built orginially by the commodore of the Seattle Yacht Club in 1908, when the SYC had an “out station” on the bay. The Colonial Revival style home was significantly enlarged and rebuilt during the 1930s, when it served as a residence for the family of George Westinghouse, Jr., who sought sanctuary for his young family after the Lindbergh kidnapping. Coincidentally, the home was later owned by Charles Lindbergh’s son, Jon. view photos
Blakely Harbor Park (July 24, 2010)
A lovely outing to one of the most historic sites in Kitsap County takes us to Blakely Harbor Park on Bainbridge Island. Andrew Price, preeminent historian of Blakely Harbor, will share his extensive knowledge of the story of Captain William Renton’s Port Blakely Mill, described in its heyday in the 1880s as “the largest sawmill in the world”. view photos
South Kitsap – Beautiful Gardens, Good Eats, Historical Notes (August 21, 2010)
Tucked away in wooded glens, along with beaches and overlooking ocean vistas lie some of the most beautiful gardens of Port Orchard. Lovingly designed and tended by Master Gardeners and award winning landscape artists, four of these gardens in Port Orchard will be our destinations as we enjoy a day of beauty, history and refreshment. view photos
Early Days in Eglon – A Storyteller’s Historical Account (September 16, 2010)
Join us as we hear stories that bring to life the early days of Eglon, a tiny community near Hansville that was home to many well-known Kitsap pioneer families who shaped the development of the area. view photos
Seabeck – Logger’s Breakfast & Tour of Historical Homes (October 20, 2010)
We begin in the Seabeck Conference Center dining room with a hearty breakfast that will fortify us for the rest of the day, just as it did the lumberjacks of the late 1800s. Those were the days when Seabeck was a thriving mill and shipbuilding center, and the lumber company’s reputation depended as much on the quality and quantity of timber it produced as it did on the quality and quantity of the food it put on the tables in the cookhouse where the workers ate. Following breakfast, we will be treated to a tour of some of the original houses, built in the 1850s, that remain in use on the property today.
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