I like visiting Port Gamble, the restored lumber mill town on Port Gamble Bay in North Kitsap. I drove my old Chevy there today—a gorgeous Sunday in May. There are acres of open space, a couple dozen historic homes, stunning views of Hood Canal, an old post office and general store, antique shops, a summer car show, and an annual Civil War reenactment. If that’s not enough the town’s promoters have scheduled several ghost-related events for the coming October.
Founded in 1853 by a couple of businessman from Maine, Port Gamble was the longest continuously operating mill town in North America. The 120-acre site is now a National Historic Landmark. All of the old homes are occupied. But in the past mill employees lived in them, some for more than 60 years in the same house. If that makes a good breeding ground for paranormal activity, the ghost promoters could be onto something.
Or maybe they are just capitalizing on the publicity from last fall’s zombie festival, which featured the movie Zombies of Mass Destruction, an independent film shot in Port Gamble in 2007.
Whatever the case, ghost investigators have a couple of options this fall for communicating with spirits in Port Gamble: ghost tours and a ghost conference. Led by the museum curator, the tours will visit places in the town with reported supernatural activity. Promotional materials advise that “Infrared cameras and recorders are allowed and encouraged.” At $10 a person, this sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday evening. The two-day ghost conference appears to be aimed at experts in the field. It costs $125 a head and space is limited.
I have never seen a ghost or felt the presence of a spirit from the other world. To me ghost stories make for great entertainment, but I have difficulty taking them seriously, even really scary ones. Even so I called my sister right away to see if she’s interested in a bit of ghost hunting. She doesn’t travel much due to her caregiver obligations (she takes care of Dad). But so far she hasn’t said no and even speculated that with her kids moving back to San Diego County she might be able to get away for a few days. Perhaps in October we’ll be better able to answer the question I posed in the title.
More information: Port Gamble
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