Historical Sites

Sequim Opera House

Location: 119 N. Sequim Ave.

 Located in the heart of downtown Sequim, the Sequim Opera House served to quench the creative thirsts and entertainment needs of area residents for many decades. Built in 1906 by Austin Smith and opened the following year by prominent area entrepreneur Charles Franklin Seal, the two-story structure with retail space on the ground floor and a second-level auditorium with stage was the site of musical events, concerts, dances, school graduations, film screenings, public meets and civic gatherings. It remains one of Sequim’s oldest commercial buildings and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Photo by Renee Mizar, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

Sequim Opera House

Grain Elevator

Location: 531 W. Washington St. Sequim

Strategically positioned near the railroad tracks that once sliced through town, the old Clallam Co-Op granary has provided a distinctive notch to the Sequim skyline for decades. The former grain elevator, which operated as such from the mid-1940s through the mid-1970s, has been home to the Mexican restaurant El Cazador since the early 1980s. The structure now also serves the area as a multi-purpose communications tower.

Photo by Renee Mizar, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

Grain Elevator

Pioneer Memorial Park

Location: 387 E. Washington St. Sequim

Pioneer Memorial Park was originally the site of Sequim's first cemetery. Flooding on the property resulted in moving the cemetery and property remained unused for more than 30 years. In 1951, the newly formed Sequim Prairie Club signed a 99 year lease with Sequim's Cemetery Association and members of the club began work on Sequim's first community park. The park had developed into a beautifully landscaped retreat with historical artifacts including some of the original cemetery headstones, a hand-hewn pioneer cabin, a totem pole carved by Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe elders, and a memorial waterfall. In 2001, the Sequim Cemetery Association disbanded and the park property was deeded to the City of Sequim. In a 2002 amendment, the Sequim Prairie Garden Club agreed to continue maintenance of the grounds for the park and a clubhouse that hosts community events.

Pioneer Park in Spring

Railroad Bridge Park

Located: 2151 W. Hendrickson Rd.

Constructed by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway in 1915, this 600-foot railroad trestle spanning the Dungeness River was part of a railway that transported both passengers and freight across the North Olympic Peninsula. Now part of the Olympic Discovery Trail, the bridge is an integral part of the 28-acre Railroad Bridge Park, which was dedicated in 1992 and is home to the Dungeness River Audubon Center, in partnership with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and the River Center Foundation. The Dungeness River Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. For more information, visit Dungeness River Center.

Engine 217 shown pulling a load of empty flatcars with one loaded at right on Sequim's historic railroad bridge. Image from the J. R. Williamson Collection, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

1977 railroad bridge.jpg

Port Williams / Marlyn Nelson County Park

Location: End of Port Wiilliams Road

Boasting a long wharf, hotel, post office and store operated by the enterprising Bugge family at the turn of the 20th century, little remains of the once thriving commercial port of Port Williams. In 1944, the waterfront area was renamed Marlyn Nelson County Park in honor of Sequim resident Marlyn Wayne Nelson, who at age 19 died from injuries sustained in the attack on Pearl Harbor while serving on the USS California. A monument bearing his name and photograph was erected at the one-acre park, which is operated by the Clallam County Parks Department, in 1999.

Image from the Herrett Collection, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

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Dungeness Schoolhouse

Location: 2718 Towne Rd. (Dungeness)

Built in 1892, this two-story rural schoolhouse first opened its doors in February 1893 under the leadership of one instructor for more than 60 students ranging from ages 5 to 20. The school continued in operation until 1955, when Dungeness School District No. 29 consolidated with Sequim School District No. 323. The Dungeness Community Club and Women of the Dungeness saved the building from ruin in the years to follow, eventually purchasing the property and overseeing its preservation into the mid-1990s. Today, the schoolhouse, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, is owned and operated by the Museum & Arts Center (MAC) in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley and is available for rent for widespread community use. Additional information is available at MAC Sequim.

The Dungeness Schoolhouse, shown after its 1921 remodel. Image from the Bert Kellogg Collection, donated by Margaret and Dan DeWitt, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

Dungeness Schoolhouse

New Dungeness, Washington Territory Historical Marker

Location: Corner of Marine Drive and Clark Road (Dungeness)

This historical marker briefly chronicles the history of New Dungeness. It was erected by Michael Trebert Chapter NSDAR, on May 8, 1965, on land donated by Margaret (Cline) Bigelow that was part of the original Elliot Cline land patent. Cline, who platted the town site of New Dungeness and for whom the nearby Cline Spit was named, was one of the first settlers of the area, having arrived in 1852.

Photo by Renee Mizar, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

New Dungeness Historical Marker

New Dungeness Light Station

Location: Dungeness Spit, Sequim

Operating since 1857 at the tip of Dungeness Spit, the New Dungeness Light Station was the first lighthouse built in the Washington Territory. Once towering 91 feet, the upper portion of the light station’s brick tower was removed due to deterioration in 1927 and is now 63 feet. Living quarters were added and modified over the ensuing decades to accommodate lighthouse keepers, who often lived at the light station with their families, and an armored marine cable brought power to the light station in 1934. The light station and 80 acres surrounding it were designated a National Historic District and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The following year, the New Dungeness Light Station Association, a volunteer non-profit organization, formed and assumed control of the light station from the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information about the New Dungeness Light Station, visit New Dungeness Lighthouse.

Historical photo of New Dungeness Light Station

Historical Lighthouse