Oysterville, Washington

Oysterville is an unincorporated community located along Willapa Bay on the Long Beach Peninsula in Pacific County, Washington, United States. It is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) from the city of Ocean Park, and 15 miles (24 km) from Long Beach. Founded in 1841 as an oyster fishing village, the community is registered on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oysterville Historic District. It currently has a population of about 20 residents.

Oysterville
Unincorporated community
Oysterville Church
Oysterville
Location within the state of Washington
Oysterville
Oysterville (the United States)
Coordinates: 46°32′56″N 124°1′36″W
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyPacific
Founded1841
Population
 (2000)
 • Total20
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
GNIS feature ID1512544[1]

History

Before Oysterville was given its English name, it was the site of shellfish cultivation and harvesting by Indigenous people. Katie Kettle Gale, a Coast Salish woman, married a newcomer, John Douglas who emigrated to the Pacific Coast around 1841. Katie Kettle Gale and her relatives taught him shellfish farming.[2] Oysterville was established and named in 1854 by J.A. Clark.[3] It was a hub of oyster farming as the name suggests. It was the seat of Pacific County until the seat was relocated to South Bend in 1893.

In a county seat war, on February 3, 1893, all of the county records and books were stolen in order to move the county seat from Oysterville to South Bend, Washington. However, it had been agreed upon that the seat would be moved to South Bend. There is a sign telling the story of this incident across from the historic Oysterville school.

The town has several historic buildings, including a school house and historic homes, many built prior to 1880. Most of the buildings in this once prosperous town have been lost to the sea and the elements. Oysterville was placed on the National Register of Historic Districts in 1976 as Oysterville Historic District.[4]

Geography

Oysterville is located at 46°32'56" North, 124°1'36" West (46.549021, -124.026735) on the Long Beach Peninsula. Oysterville is located on the east side of the (north-south running) peninsula, on the shallow and sheltered Willapa Bay.

Notable people
  • Ned Osborne House, built 1874
  • John Crellin House, built 1867
  • Schoolhouse
  • Willapa Bay from Oysterville
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References
  1. "Oysterville". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. De Danaan, Llyn, Katie Gale, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln: 2013.
  3. Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
  4. "Oysterville Historic District". National Register of Historic Places. U.S. Government. Retrieved August 7, 2019.



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