The Loss of a Landmark: Cyrus Walker’s Port Gamble Home
A catastrophic early-morning blaze consumes one of the finest residences in Port Gamble, resulting in a loss valued at over five thousand dollars.
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.
The dwelling house of Cyrus Walker, at Port Gamble, was destroyed yesterday morning. The fire was discovered about 2 o'clock. A crowd of men got together quickly and did what they could to save the contents of the house. Many things were gotten at, but many more were burned. The house was the most costly and the finest furnished in the place, and the loss is said to have exceeded five thousand dollars.
“The house was the most costly and the finest furnished in the place, and the loss is said to have exceeded five thousand dollars.”
Port Gamble remains a company town of architectural significance, though the grand Victorian homes of the 19th-century timber barons are now carefully preserved rather than lost to fire. The 1885 valuation of $5,000 for a luxury home highlights the immense wealth discrepancy in early Washington state mill towns.
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