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History · Quilcene

Quilcene’s post office opened in 1881, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1940 on, and the census since 2000.

1881first post office
2on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Quilcene’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Quilcene began

When was Quilcene founded?

1881

The Quilcene post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 591 in 20002020 census: 598145 years
Founding year: the first Quilcene post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Quilcene’s past

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

Old housesHalf of Quilcene’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · The story

How Quilcene came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Quilcene.

Read it all →

Early inhabitants of the area were the Twana people, inhabiting the length of Hood Canal, and rarely invading other tribes. The name "Quilcene" comes from the Twana word /qʷəʔlsíd/, referring to a tribal group and the name of an aboriginal Twana village and community on Quilcene Bay. The Quilcene ("salt-water people") were a distinct band of these people.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Quilcene, 1880 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880In the archiveTeam of oxen belonging to Georg Shold & Brothers on skid road, Quilcene, Washington, n.d
  3. 1881Post officeThe Quilcene post office opens
  4. 1898In the archiveCampsite at Quilcene, Washington, ca. 1898-1899
  5. 20th century
  6. 1916In the archiveThe Town Crier, v.11, no.31, Jul. 29, 1916
  7. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Quilcene, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1910s5 items
Team of oxen belonging to Georg Shold & Brothers on skid road, Quilcene, Washington, n.d1880Team of oxen belonging to Georg Shold & Brothers on s…Campsite at Quilcene, Washington, ca. 1898-18991898Campsite at Quilcene, Washington, ca. 1898-1899Logging scenes on skid road, Quilcene, Washington, 1898-19091898Logging scenes on skid road, Quilcene, Washington, 18…People camping at Quilcene, Washington, ca. 1898-18991898People camping at Quilcene, Washington, ca. 1898-1899The Town Crier, v.11, no.31, Jul. 29, 19161916The Town Crier, v.11, no.31, Jul. 29, 1916
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today1 recent
WAMap-doton-Quilcene2004WAMap-doton-Quilcene
On the map

Quilcene on the map, 1940 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Quilcene. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Quilcene on the 1940 USGS mapQuilcene on the 1975 USGS mapQuilcene on the 1992 USGS map1940Quilcene sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Quilcene.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Team of oxen belonging to Georg Shold & Brothers on skid road, Quilcene, Washington, n.d
Retake this viewTeam of oxen belonging to Georg Shold & Brothers on skid road, Quilcene, Washington, n.d, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Quilcene’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 7 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
2012
Quilcene Ranger Station
Hamilton-Worthington HouseQuilcene Ranger Station
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Rustic1
Hamilton-Worthington HouseBuilding
All 2 listings
Quilcene Ranger StationDistrict · listed 2012

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Quilcene, census by census

010020030040050060020002020Peak: 598

Between 591 and 598 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Quilcene’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Quilcene’s post office has been open since 1881.

Gone or out of use
Penny Creek QuarrymineQuilcene Quarrymine
1cemetery inside Quilcene
Quilcene

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

Help out

Finish Quilcene’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewTeam of oxen belonging to Georg Shold &…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Quilcene’s history

What year was Quilcene founded?

The Quilcene post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Quilcene?

Two places: the Hamilton-Worthington House (listed 2014) and the Quilcene Ranger Station (2012).

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 Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.