Port Blakely is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...

. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The centre of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Road and Blakely Avenue NE, although the wider area is generally also known as Port Blakely.

The community's name was at one time spelled as Port Blakeley.

Hall Brothers Shipyard and Port Blakely Mill

Port Blakely was named in 1841 by the Wilkes Expedition for the American naval officer Johnston Blakely.

In 1863, William Renton began operating a sawmill at Port Blakeley. In 1880, brothers Isaac, Winslow, and Henry Knox Hall moved their shipyard from Port Ludlow, Washington

Port Ludlow, Washington

Port Ludlow is a census-designated place in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. It is also the name of the marine inlet on which the CDP is located. The CDP's population was 1,968 at the 2000 census. Originally a logging and sawmill community, its economy declined during the first half of...

 to a site near the Port Blakely Lumber Mill. At one point, this mill was "the world's largest sawmill under one roof."

"The first true five-masted schooner built on the West Coast was the Inca

Inca (schooner)

The Inca was "the first true five-masted schooner built on the West Coast."Inca, "the second of her rig built on the Pacific, was launched at Port Blakely by Hall Bros...

, built at Port Blakely in 1896." H.K. Hall a 1237 ton five-masted schooner, was launched here in 1902.

"Between 1881 and 1904, the Hall Brothers launched 77 vessels of every size and rig, including barks, barkentines, three-, four-, and five- masted schooners, steamers, a tug, a government revenue cutter, and several yachts ... Hall Brothers was largely responsible for building most of the schooners for the Pacific Coast lumber trade

West coast lumber trade

The West Coast lumber trade was a maritime trade route on the West Coast of the United States. It carried lumber from the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and Northern and Central California mainly to the port of San Francisco.-Lumber schooners:...

."

The shipyard was moved to Winslow

Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company

Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard that operated from 1903 until 1959 on Bainbridge Island, Washington.The shipyard was built as an expansion of Hall Bros. Marine Railway & Shipbuilding Company of Port Blakely, Washington, on near the village of Madrone, later renamed...

in 1903.

Scenic views and bicycling

To locals, Port Blakely is known for its hilly bike routes and scenic views of the sound and the woody island.

External links

• Hall Brothers Shipyards, the Port Blakely Years
• Port Blakely Mill, Islandwood School
• Port Blakely Mill, Port Blakely Companies
• Captain William Renton (1818-1891), founder of Port Blakely Mill
• Port Blakely Lumber Mill Interior, 2009
• Loss of the Four Masted Schooner Winslow, built Port Blakely