List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state) facts for kids
A National Historic Landmark is a special place in the United States that has been recognized for its amazing history! It could be a building, a whole area, or even an object that tells an important story about our country. The National Park Service helps decide which places get this special title.
Washington state has 24 of these cool landmarks! Many of them are about the state's connection to the sea, like old boats. Others show how Washington helped create our national parks, especially Mount Rainier National Park, which is also a landmark itself. These landmarks help us remember all sorts of important parts of Washington's past.
A wide view of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
Contents
Awesome Landmarks in Washington
Here's a list of the 24 National Historic Landmarks in Washington. One of them even sits right on the border with Oregon!
| Landmark name | Image | Date designated | Location | County | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ADVENTURESS (Schooner) |
 |
(#89001067) |
Port Townsend 47°38′06″N 122°19′39″W / 47.635°N 122.3275°W |
Jefferson | This schooner (a type of sailing ship) was built in 1913. It was first meant for exploring the Arctic but mostly worked as a pilot boat in San Francisco. It's special because it shows the amazing work of Bowdoin B. Crowninshield, a famous ship designer from the 1900s. |
| 2 | American and English Camps, San Juan Island |
 |
(#66000369) |
Friday Harbor 48°27′49″N 123°01′14″W / 48.4636°N 123.02055°W |
San Juan | These two camps were set up in 1859 during the "Pig War" – a funny name for a serious disagreement! Soldiers from both America and England stayed here for 12 years. The camps closed after a peace treaty was signed in 1871. |
| 3 | ARTHUR FOSS (Tug) |
 |
(#89001078) |
Seattle 47°37′41″N 122°20′13″W / 47.628142°N 122.336867°W |
King | The Arthur Foss was built in 1889 and is the oldest wooden tugboat still floating! It became famous after being used in the 1933 movie Tugboat Annie. During World War II, it was the last boat to escape before the Battle of Wake Island began. |
| 4 | B Reactor |
 |
(#92000245) |
About 5.3 miles (8.5 km) northeast of junction of State Route 24 and State Route 240 on the Hanford Site 46°37′49″N 119°38′51″W / 46.63032°N 119.64738°W |
Benton | The B Reactor at the Hanford Site was the very first large reactor built to produce plutonium. This was a super important project during World War II for creating the first nuclear weapons. |
| 5 | Bonneville Dam Historic District |
 |
(#86000727) |
North Bonneville, WA and Bonneville, OR 45°38′38″N 121°57′42″W / 45.64389°N 121.96167°W |
Skamania, WA and Multnomah, OR | Built in the 1930s, this huge dam on the Columbia River was the first to make a lot of power from water. The landmark area includes the dam, its power station, a special lock for boats, and even a fish ladder to help fish swim upstream. Part of it is in Oregon too! |
| 6 | Chinook Point |
 |
(#66000747) |
Chinook 46°15′07″N 123°55′23″W / 46.25194°N 123.923°W |
Pacific | In 1792, Captain Robert Gray was the first European to see the Columbia River from this spot. His discoveries helped the United States claim this land later on. |
| 7 | Duwamish (Fireboat) |
 |
(#89001448) |
Seattle 47°39′50″N 122°23′39″W / 47.6638°N 122.3941°W |
King | Built in 1909, the Duwamish is the second-oldest boat in the United States that was made just for fighting fires. |
| 8 | Fireboat No. 1 |
 |
(#83004254) |
Tacoma 47°17′12″N 122°29′22″W / 47.2868°N 122.4894°W |
Pierce | This fireboat was built in 1929. Today, Fireboat No. 1 is permanently displayed in Tacoma for everyone to see. |
| 9 | Fort Nisqually Granary |
 |
(#70000647) |
Tacoma 47°18′13″N 122°31′58″W / 47.3035°N 122.5327°W |
Pierce | Fort Nisqually was the first European trading post on Puget Sound, started in 1833. These two original buildings have been moved to Point Defiance Park, where you can visit a recreated Fort Nisqually as a living museum. |
| 10 | Fort Worden |
 |
(#74001954) |
Port Townsend 48°07′59″N 122°45′55″W / 48.133°N 122.7653°W |
Jefferson | Fort Worden was built to defend the coast of the United States. Now, it's a popular Washington state park where people can explore its history. |
| 11 | Lightship No. 83 "SWIFTSURE" |
 |
(#75001852) |
Seattle 47°37′40″N 122°20′12″W / 47.6278°N 122.3367°W |
King | Built in 1904, Lightship No. 83 is the oldest American lightvessel (a ship that acts like a lighthouse) still around. It's now at Northwest Seaport in Lake Union Park and is being fixed up. It's been renamed SWIFTSURE. |
| 12 | Longmire Buildings |
 |
(#87001338) |
Mount Rainier National Park 46°44′56″N 121°48′34″W / 46.7489°N 121.8094°W |
Pierce | These three buildings, including a service station and community building, are great examples of the "National Park Service Rustic" style. This means they look natural and fit in with the park's beautiful surroundings. |
| 13 | Marmes Rockshelter |
 |
(#66000745) |
Lyons Ferry 46°36′52″N 118°12′09″W / 46.61431°N 118.20242°W |
Franklin | This site is super important because it's where the oldest human remains in Washington state were found! At the time, they were the oldest found in all of North America. Sadly, the site is now underwater because of a dam. |
| 14 | Mount Rainier National Park |
 |
(#97000344) |
Mount Rainier National Park 46°49′59″N 121°49′59″W / 46.833°N 121.833°W |
Pierce and Lewis | Mount Rainier National Park is a huge, beautiful area with a giant volcano. In the 1920s, how this park was planned helped change how all national parks were managed. Many of the original buildings and areas from that time are still here. |
| 15 | Panama Hotel |
 |
(#06000462) |
Seattle 47°36′00″N 122°19′34″W / 47.60003°N 122.32623°W |
King | Built in 1910, this hotel is special because it has the last Japanese bathhouse (called a sento) left in the United States. |
| 16 | Paradise Inn |
 |
(#87001336) |
Mount Rainier National Park 46°47′06″N 121°43′57″W / 46.78498°N 121.7326°W |
Pierce | The Paradise Inn opened in 1917. It was built in the "National Park Service Rustic" style, which means it looks like it belongs in the natural park setting. |
| 17 | Pioneer Building, Pergola, and Totem Pole |
 |
(#77001340) |
Seattle 47°36′02″N 122°19′57″W / 47.6005°N 122.3324°W |
King | The Pioneer Building is a cool old brick building from 1892. The Pergola was a stop for cable cars, built in 1909. The Seattle Totem Pole was carved around 1790 and given to the city in 1899. |
| 18 | Port Gamble Historic District |
 |
(#66000746) |
Port Gamble 47°51′18″N 122°35′02″W / 47.8550°N 122.58389°W |
Kitsap | This town was started in 1853 by a company that ran a timber mill. That mill was the longest-running one in the U.S., finally closing in 1995. Many of the town's buildings were designed by a famous Seattle architect, Charles Bebb. |
| 19 | Port Townsend |
 |
(#76001883) |
Port Townsend 48°06′54″N 122°45′19″W / 48.115°N 122.7553°W |
Jefferson | Port Townsend used to be a very busy and rich town. It still has many beautiful old buildings from the 1800s, both homes and businesses. |
| 20 | Puget Sound Naval Shipyard |
 |
(#88003053) |
Bremerton 47°33′32″N 122°38′17″W / 47.5589°N 122.63806°W |
Kitsap | This shipyard was super important during World War II. When ships were damaged, especially during the attack on Pearl Harbor, many came here for repairs. Five of the eight ships bombed at Pearl Harbor were fixed right here! |
| 21 | Seattle Electric Company Georgetown Steam Plant |
 |
(#78002755) |
Seattle 47°32′01″N 122°19′18″W / 47.5337°N 122.3216°W |
King | This plant was built in 1906 to power electric trains between Seattle and Tacoma. Now, it's a museum and has the only working "Curtis Vertical Steam Turbogenerator" left in the world! |
| 22 | Virginia V (Steamboat) |
 |
(#73001875) |
Seattle 47°37′48″N 122°22′54″W / 47.62988°N 122.3816°W |
King | Built in 1922, the Virginia V is the very last working ship from the "Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet" – a group of small boats that used to carry people and goods around Puget Sound. It's also the only wooden, steam-powered passenger ship still running on the West Coast of the United States. |
| 23 | W.T. Preston (Snagboat) |
 |
(#72001270) |
Anacortes 47°39′51″N 122°23′44″W / 47.6641°N 122.3956°W |
Skagit | From 1929 to 1981, the Preston was a "snagboat." This means it worked to clear rivers of logs and other debris, making them safe for other boats to travel. Today, it's a museum in permanent dry dock. |
| 24 | Yakima Park Stockade Group |
 |
(#87001337) |
Mount Rainier National Park 46°54′42″N 121°38′33″W / 46.9117°N 121.6424°W |
Pierce | This is a group of four log buildings in Mount Rainier National Park. They are special because of their unique architectural style. |
Other Historic Places in National Parks
Some historic places are so important that they are part of the United States National Park System. These areas are protected even more than other historic sites. The National Park Service lists five of these in Washington, along with the National Historic Landmarks.
| Landmark name | Image | Date established | Location | City or Town | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve |  |
November 10, 1978 | Whidbey Island | Island County, Washington | This is the only "National Historic Reserve." It's a mix of public and private lands, including a historic district on Whidbey Island. |
| 2 | Fort Vancouver National Historic Site |  |
June 19, 1948 | Vancouver, Washington and Oregon City, Oregon |
This site includes the location of Fort Vancouver in Washington. The original buildings burned down in 1866, but they were all rebuilt in 1966. | |
| 3 | Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park |  |
June 30, 1976 | Skagway, Alaska and Seattle, Washington |
This park has parts in Washington and Alaska. It's part of a bigger international park that celebrates the Klondike Gold Rush. | |
| 4 | Nez Perce National Historical Park |  |
May 15, 1965 | Sites in Idaho, Montana Oregon and Washington |
This park tells the story of the Nez Perce people. Two of its 38 sites are in Washington state. | |
| 5 | Whitman Mission National Historic Site |  |
June 29, 1936 | Walla Walla | Walla Walla | This was the site of a mission started by people traveling on the Oregon Trail. In 1847, some members of the Cayuse tribe killed settlers here. This event led the U.S. to claim the land and start a war. |
Landmarks That Moved Away
There's one National Historic Landmark that used to be in Washington but was moved to another state.
| Landmark name | Image | Date of designation |
Date of move |
Locality | County | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USCGC Fir |  |
April 27, 1992 | September 2002 | Seattle (formerly) 47°35′18″N 122°20′19″W / 47.5884351948°N 122.338713015°W |
King (formerly) | This ship, called a "lighthouse tender," was the last working vessel of the United States Lighthouse Service. That service was the ancestor of today's Coast Guard. The Fir was built in 1939 and stopped working in 1991. It's the last ship of its kind that still exists. It was once planned to be a museum ship in New York but was moved to California. In 2010, it was reported to be in San Francisco. |
See also
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List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.