The Fight for a Port Townsend Customs House
A Congressman makes a spirited plea to Washington D.C. for funds to house the booming commerce of the Puget Sound district.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Brents desires to call up for consideration the bill for the erection of a public building at Port Townsend, Washington Territory. Port Townsend is the port of entry of the Puget Sound customs district. Its commerce is enormous and rapidly growing. During the last year, more vessels were entered and cleared at this port than any other port in the United States, except New York. The business of the port has doubled every two years for the last four or five years. The building in which this business is done is a mere wooden shanty, wholly inadequate to our needs and unsafe for the public. The records of the office are exposed and liable to be destroyed at any time. Port Townsend is in the Territory, represented by a Delegate without a vote, and with no political power or influence. The bill has been forcibly reported by three committees on public buildings and grounds to three successive Congresses unanimously, and on its merits alone I confidently hope to see it passed.
“The building in which this business is done is a mere wooden shanty, wholly inadequate to our needs and unsafe for the public.”
In 1885, Port Townsend was a burgeoning commercial titan fighting for federal recognition and infrastructure. Today, it stands as a preserved historic site, reminding us of the era when Washington's maritime trade was the primary engine of the regional economy.
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