Inaugural 'Haunted Histories and Mysteries of Port Townsend' capitalizes on Victorian vice and art

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The quirky, creepy and mystical side of historic downtown is set to be unveiled during “Haunted Histories and Mysteries of Port Townsend” Nov. 1-2, an inaugural event co-produced by the Port Townsend Main Street Program and the Jefferson County Historical Society.

The Victorian waterfront serves as a scenic backdrop for professional actors to take participants on haunted walks, while paranormal investigators guide the living through the haunted buildings of Port Townsend.

And, for those who wish to get a glimpse into potential historical connections with archaic artifacts, psychic Ankhasha Amenti provides psychic readings exploring objects brought along by visitors.

Finally, The Escape Room at the 1892 Museum Jail challenges and captivates those craving a little excitement.

Several do-it-yourself options are available for those who prefer to strike out on their own including paranormal classes, exclusive historic building tours, and flashlight tours.

Haunted Histories and Mysteries is open to ticket-holders aged 16 years and older. Adult ticket holders (21+) are invited to the Boos and Spirits Mixer at the Old Whiskey Mill on the evening of Nov. 1 and Tell Your Ghost Tales story hour on the evening of Nov. 2.

Participating venues:

Jefferson Museum of Art and History and Historic Jail, 540 Water St.

Completed in 1892, Port Townsend’s City Hall is an anchor of the national historic landmark district, according to a press release. This building made the statement that Port Townsend was no longer a lawless clutter of rotting wharves, but a municipality with big dreams. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the council chambers have been continuously used over the life of this building. A massive storm in 1945 damaged the unfinished third floor and ornate façade which was later removed, resulting in the building seen today.

This building also houses what once was the carriage house for the fire department, and the city jail — including a solitary confinement cell that is the site for a paranormal investigation on Saturday night.

Palace Hotel, 1004 Water St.

Built in 1889 by Captain H. L. Tibbals, this building housed a billiard parlor, three saloons, a theater, and a boarding house called The Tacoma on the upper floors, according to the release. One of these saloons, the Townsend Tavern includes examples of historic hand-painted frescoes.

From 1925 to 1933, the upper stories were known as The Palace Hotel. Operated as a brothel, its popular name was “The Palace of Sweets” which offered liquor and more during Prohibition. Following a raid by the sheriff in the mid-thirties, “the girls” left town and Marie, the madam, was told to leave.

The Palace Hotel reopened in 1988. Many of the rooms are now named for former “girls.” It has been the site of many paranormal occurrences, documented in a log that is accessible to guests, and is the featured site for ghost investigations Friday and Saturday.

Water Street Hotel, 635 Water St.

This three-story building on a prime corner location cost $25,000 to construct in 1889, according to the release. Similar to the 1890 Hastings Building, the N.D. Hill Building has a sky-lighted interior atrium.

In 1928, the building was purchased and renovated to create the DeVillo Hotel. Rooms rented for 75 cents to $1.25 per night. A tavern moved into the corner storefront the next year, and the space was a tavern for decades, becoming a cornerstone of Port Townsend’s artistic and music scene. It housed the It Tavern, the Town Tavern and Water Street Brewing.

The hotel has had thousands of guests. Some believe ghostly apparitions visit from the past.

This is the site of an investigation on Friday night.

Mount Baker Block, 910-914 Water Street, Corner of Water and Taylor Streets

Owner Charles Eisenbeis, born in Prussia in 1832, arrived in Port Townsend in 1858, very soon after the city was established, according to the release. A man with diverse interests, he became the first mayor of the rough and tumble town. Eisenbeis decided to construct this four-story business block in 1890.

The imposing building was nearly complete when the town’s economy began to slide and Eisenbeis suspended interior work on the building.

The top two floors were never more than framed. Multiple rooms underground are connected by tunnels, one running beneath the building’s front along Water Street. Ghost investigations this summer left the distinct impression that spirits from the past do not wander far from here.

DIY paranormal classes at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St., at various times Friday and saturday

DIY Ghost Hunting — This special class opens the Histories and Mysteries event by allowing participants to increase their chances of experiencing the paranormal during the event. Attendees have an opportunity to try out the tools of the paranormal trade. Offered by Scott Power of Olympic Peninsula Paranormal.

Ghost Box for Beginners Class — This class offers an eerie audio adventure of the history of the ghost box, various types of ghost boxes, and protocols for a standard ghost box session as well as sound clips from prior paranormal investigations where a ghost box was used. Offered by Mary Bethune of Olympic Peninsula Paranormal.

Evidence Review — This class is a must for those who believe they have collected evidence of paranormal phenomenon on an EVP Recorder, EMF gauge or digital camera. Find out how to discern what is genuine paranormal activity in this class for beginners. Offered by Mackenna Long of Beyond the Paranormal and Pete Orbea.

Key City jailbreak: escape from the museum

Can you escape the old Port Townsend City Jail before time runs out?

Put your puzzle skills to the test at the Jefferson County Historical Society’s Escape Room. Key City Jail Break transports players back in time to the 1890s, the zenith of Port Townsend’s thriving saloons and brothels. The escape room is set in an authentic jail in the basement of the museum at City Hall, 540 Water St.

Escape Rooms, also known as escape games, put a team of players through puzzles, clue-finding and other tasks while closed into an interesting room. The game typically lasts about an hour and the goal is often escape from the room.

A reading with Ankhasha

Ankhasha Amenti is a psychic medium and a hypnotist specializing in past life regressions.

She is also a paranormal investigator, having appeared on television and in the books “The Ghost Hunters Guide to San Francisco,” “How to Investigate the Paranormal,” and “A Paranormal Casebook,” written by parapsychologist Lloyd Auerbach.

In this 90-minute session at Haunted Histories & Mysteries of Port Townsend, Amenti will demonstrate “Psychometry” and tell visitors about the history of objects they bring.

A lifelong interest in ancient magical practices and rituals inspires her work.

At the Cotton Building, 607 Water St.

Historic Building tour OF Hastings Building with the Hastings family

Loren B. Hastings and Charles Pettygrove, founder of Portland, Oregon, arrived in the region that would become Port Townsend in 1851. Thirty years later, Hastings’s widow Lucinda and her children, comprising the Hastings Estate Company, began construction of the Hastings Building.

Lucinda was the first non-native woman to settle in Port Townsend.

An elaborate building with three stories and a basement, it cost $35,000-45,000 to build in 1889, equivalent to about $900,000 today. It was said to be “the handsomest building in Port Townsend” with a thirty-eight-foot-high interior courtyard reaching to the skylighted roof.

The building was intended to provide offices for the city’s upscale professionals including doctors, lawyers and architects.

During World War II, the upper floors served as officer’s quarters and office space.

The Hastings Estate Company, descendants of the original family, hold ownership of the building and are providing the tour, discussing their plans for restoration.

This building is not renovated and has been vacant since the 1950s. Enter at your own risk.

833-839 Water St.

Flashlight tour of the 1868 Rothschild House

Step through the kitchen door of the Rothschild House and step back to the 1800s. What will you find as you explore this historic house museum with only a beam of light?

Located at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets in uptown Port Townsend, the Rothschild House is virtually unchanged from 150 years ago.

D.C.H. Rothschild, or “The Baron” as he became known, was born in Bavaria in 1824. After traveling extensively around the world and engaging in several business enterprises, he settled in Port Townsend in 1858 and established himself in the mercantile and stevedoring business, The Rothschild and Co.

His “Kentucky Store” mercantile was the first in Port Townsend and sold a variety of merchandise. His descendants still operate the stevedoring business today under the same name based in Seattle.

The house, gifted to Washington State Parks in 1957 by the last living child of Rothschild, has been left intact, as the family remembered it from its early years. As such, it is a strikingly authentic reflection of life for a white middle class family 150 years ago.

(A complete schedule is available online at ptmainstreet.org and at the Cotton Building Headquarters, 607 Water St. Event updates are posted at ptmainstreet.org, and on the Port Townsend Main Street Facebook page.)