Seabeck is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,105 at the 2010 census. Seabeck is a former mill town on the Hood Canal.
Etymology
The name Seabeck comes from the Twana /ɬqábaqʷ/, from /ɬ-/, "far", /qab/, "smooth, calm", and /-aqʷ/, "water".
In his narrative of his voyage down the Hood Canal in 1792, Captain George Vancouver made no mention of the Seabeck area. The first known use of the place name "Seabeck" dates from the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838 to 1842. On 16 May 1841, Captain of the expedition, Charles Wilkes, ordered Lieutenant Augustus Case to take four boats and survey the Hood Canal. Wilkes wrote of the Canal:
Hoods Canal branches off from Admiralty Inlet at Suquamish Head, where it is two miles wide. Its direction is south-southeast, five miles; it then turns to the south-southwest, six miles; thence to Squaller's Point, southeast, six miles, turning again to the west-southwest, three miles to Nukolowap Point, south point to Toandons Peninsula, which divides the north branch from the canal. Continuing on this course across the mouth of the north branch, for four miles, is Quatsap Point, passing the harbor and point of Scabock [sic.] Harbor on the east then southwest, three miles to Triton Head ...
History
Seabeck was founded in 1857 by Marshall Blinn and William Adams, doing business as The Washington Mill Company. Their lumber was in such demand they built a second mill, then a shipyard to build boats to haul the lumber to California, which had high demand due to the California Gold Rush. Eventually, along with four saloons, the town had two general stores and two hotels. In 1876, there were over 400 people living in Seabeck. After decades of success, in the 1880s, the demand had eased, and most of the easily accessible trees had been harvested. In 1886 a spark from the ship Retriever started a fire that consumed both mills, along with other buildings. Rumors flew that the mills would not be re-built, so most residents moved to other towns with mills, notably Port Hadlock, turning Seabeck into a virtual ghost town.
Seabeck is a mostly rural area, consisting primarily of a conference center across the road from the general store, coffee shop, antique store, a pizza parlor and Olympic View Marina. There are houses and a now-closed elementary school that serviced the areas around Seabeck. The population was 1,015 at the 2010 census.
Seabeck is also the hometown of figure skater Ashley Wagner.
Conference center
In the early 1900s, Laurence Colman and Arn Allen of Seattle formed a partnership to build a facility for YMCA and YWCA groups to hold summer conferences. In 1914, Lawrence Coleman and his brother George purchased much of the original Seabeck site. In 1936, Laurence Colman's son, Ken Colman, incorporated the conference grounds as a private, non profit corporation. He deeded to the corporation the 90 acres (360,000 m2) that now make up Seabeck Conference Center. The Conference Center is available for events during the year. For over thirty years, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. has held its annual Deaf-Blind Retreat there, hosting Deaf-Blind visitors from across the nation and world at the Conference Center.
Seabeck Elementary
The town's primary school, Seabeck Elementary, offered kindergarten to sixth grade. It had a long and locally significant history and thus was supported by the community. However, recent events beginning in the 1990s have questioned the value of the school; the reasons included various health and safety issues. Also, the local school district has claimed to need budget cuts. Because of this, the school closed at the end of the 2006-07 school year. The future of the site has not been decided.
Footnotes
References
Melton, Charles (19 December 2008). "Fate of Seabeck Elementary school unknown". Central Kitsap Reporter. Retrieved 18 January 2009.Â
Further reading
- Bowen, Evelyn T.; Kvelstad, Rangvald; Parfitt, Elnora; Perry, Fredi; Stott, Virginia (1977). Kitsap County: A History: A Story of Kitsap County and its Pioneers (Second Edition, 1981 ed.). Seattle, Wash.: Dinner & Klein / Kitsap County Historical Society.Â
- Johnson, Judith M. (July 1960). "Some Materials for Pacific Northwest History: Washington Mill Company Papers". Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 15 (3): 136â€"138. JSTOR 40487495.Â
- Just, Fred (2016). Seabeck and the Surrounding Area. Poulsbo, Wash.: Kitsap Publishing. ISBNÂ 978-1-942661-39-9.Â
- Perry, Fredi; Mjelde, Michael Jay (1993). Seabeck: Tide's Out. Table's Set. Victoria Rowe, artist. Bremerton, Wash.: Perry Publishing.Â
External links
- Seabeck (Washington) travel guide from Wikivoyage