History

Built in 1890, the Bishop Block was constructed by William Bishop Sr., one of the most famous pioneers in early Jefferson County.

William Bishop and his British Navy companion, William Eldridge, abandoned ship near Victoria during the Crimean War. They paid a local Native American man 50 cents to row them across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Dungeness Spit, and from there, hiked to Port Townsend. Here they met early settler Loren Hastings, who hired them to work on his farm near the present-day site of the Port Townsend Golf Course.

Shortly after, Mr. Bishop established a cheese and dairy business and sold his products in Port Townsend, making the day-long trip by horse and wagon. Bishop was also the first farmer in the area to grow hops.

In 1889, Mr. Bishop retired to Port Townsend, where he became a leading Port Townsend builder, including the erection of the Bishop Block building. He operated the Bishop Block for several years, originally intending to have offices on the upper floors, until the economic decline of the 1890s took away the demand.