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History · Gorst

Gorst’s post office opened in 1941

Most of Gorst was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965.

1941first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Gorst began

When was Gorst founded?

1941

The Gorst post office opened in 1941, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Butler (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 60585 years
Founding year: the first Gorst post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Gorst’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Gorst are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gorst’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gorst’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Gorst, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gorst yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Gorst is a census-designated place (CDP) at the head of Sinclair Inlet in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 605 at the 2020 census. Gorst, located on the shores of Puget Sound, is primarily a town consisting of stores, auto dealerships and espresso stands. A residential area, located west of the water along State Route 3, also exists. Gorst is named for the Gorst family who settled there in the 1890s. Famous residents of Gorst include Vern C. Gorst, "grandfather" of United Airlines, and Edward S. Curtis and Asahel Curtis, well-known photographers.

Its first post office opened in 1941. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 592 to 605 (+2%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Gorst, 1890 to 1966

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Butler post office opens
  3. 1893Post officeThe Butler post office closes
  4. 20th century
  5. 1941Post officeThe Gorst post office opens
  6. 1966Post officeThe Gorst post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Gorst

Nobody well known was born in Gorst itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Dove CameronAmerican actress and singer-songwriter · b. 1996
Madelaine PetschAmerican actress and YouTuber · b. 1994
Mike EnziAmerican politician · b. 1944
Nathan AdrianAmerican swimmer · b. 1988
Ben GibbardAmerican singer, songwriter and guitarist · b. 1976
Marvin WilliamsAmerican basketball player · b. 1986
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Gorst had its own post office from 1941 to 1966. Another post office, Butler, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Butler
1890–1893
Gorst
1941–1966
18901960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Port Orchard1 historic placeC+Bremerton10 historic placesB+

Questions about Gorst’s history

What year was Gorst founded?

The Gorst post office opened in 1941, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.