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Historic Fort Steilacoom
9601 Steilacoom Blvd SW
Lakewood WA 98498
For email or mailing address: Contact Us
Experience an 1861 Christmas at Historic Fort Steilacoom on Dec. 14
/in News/by fortsteilacoomStep back in time and experience Christmas as it was celebrated in 1861! Join Historic Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, from 4:30 to 8 p.m., as living historians bring the holiday season to life in the same buildings where it was celebrated 163 years ago.
Visitors will walk through candlelit scenes of re-enactors singing, dancing, dining, and exchanging gifts, just as the residents of Fort Steilacoom might have done in the first U.S. military post in Puget Sound. Visitors from 2024 will walk past and witness scenes as if the visitors are silent time travelers.
Though 1861 marked the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, Christmas at Fort Steilacoom was a time of celebration and social gathering, where soldiers, families, and friends came together in a festive spirit.
Ticket Information
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth. A family of up to two adults and four youth pays $12. Proceeds support the maintenance of Fort Steilacoom’s historic buildings. Tickets are available in advance through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/christmas-at-historic-fort-steilacoom-1861-in-2024-tickets-1086615178249?aff=oddtdtcreator
This popular event often sells out, so advance purchase is highly recommended. You can check the Fort Steilacoom Facebook page for updates about tickets.
The final tour group departs at 7:10 p.m.
Fort Steilacoom is on the grounds of Western State Hospital, located at 9601 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA 98498. Be sure to use this address to locate the fort, as GPS may direct you to nearby Fort Steilacoom Park. After entering Western State, turn right, and look for the cannon shelter and lights. Tours start at the building furthest right of the four.
About Fort Steilacoom
Fort Steilacoom was the first U.S. Army post in Puget Sound, operating from 1849 to 1868. Now managed entirely by volunteers, it holds an essential place in the settlement and early history of Washington Territory. The Historic Fort Steilacoom Association is dedicated to preserving this heritage, acknowledging the complex history of the Fort, and including diverse perspectives in its storytelling.
Learn more at www.historicfortsteilacoom.org.
Two November talks share about local history
/in News/by fortsteilacoomHere are two opportunities to learn a lot about Lakewood’s early history as part of the United States. One is online, and one is in person. They cover a big part of our community’s history as the first US military presence in all of Puget Sound.
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17: Learn about the military units that served at the first US Army post in Puget Sound
Military historian and longtime fort volunteer Alan Archambault presents the next in the fort’s series of talks commemorating the 175th anniversary of the fort’s founding. Alan has worked in the museum field for over 40 years and was director of the Fort Lewis Museum for 21 of those years.
Alan will share on Zoom about the various units that served at Fort Steilacoom and discuss the roles they played in the fort’s history from 1849 and during and after the US Civil War. If you geek out on military history, or are interested in the Army in early Washington Territory, this talk is for you.
The talk will be 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. THIS TALK IS ONLINE. DO NOT GO TO THE FORT BUILDINGS. THE TALK IS ON ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86750216666?pwd=GUjpa1DmqqJ5yv57dEakR1QIpKNLIJ.1
We’re presenting this on Zoom so we can share information with neighbors and also people outside of driving distance. So please share this program with anyone who has an interest in US military history.
If you’d rather join by phone: 253-215-8782. The Meeting ID: 867 5021 6666. Passcode: 866532.
The history of Fort Steilacoom’s history: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, talk in the Spanish Ballroom, McMenamins
Past museum board president Walter Neary will take the stage 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in downtown Tacoma as part of the McMenamins’ monthly History Pub series. The topic: Why Fort Steilacoom Disappeared Between 1868 and 1978. Learn more about the talk and get ticket information on the McMenamins web page.
Fort Steilacoom Museum opened in the 1980s to restore and preserve the historic site. However, more than 40 years later, many people have never heard of Fort Steilacoom except that it’s the name of a park and campus. Across the nation, many museums commemorate the US Army while now dedicating resources to trying to tell the challenging history of westward expansion. But Fort Steilacoom was not even listed on a Wikipedia page of forts until June of this year.
Walter will talk about the fort, sure, but also how history gets rewritten and often misremembered or forgotten — using Fort Steilacoom as one example.
All ages welcome. Tickets are $7 in advance or at the door. Get ticketing information here.
Historic Fort Steilacoom celebrates 175 years of the US Army in Washington State through City of Lakewood event
/in News/by fortsteilacoomHFSA board president Walter Neary marked the 175th anniversary of Fort Steilacoom’s founding with a talk at Lakewood’s Coffee With the Mayor on Aug. 21. The event took place in a building in Fort Steilacoom Park, which had been part of the original post and is across Steilacoom Boulevard from the museum.
The talk was the day before the actual day 175 years ago that the U.S. Army took occupancy, Aug. 22, 1849.
HFSA board president Walter Neary keeps a tight hold on the Mahon artifacts as he takes them to the 175th anniversary talk across the street.
“The founders of Fort Steilacoom would be thrilled to know that a civic meeting is being held on this land. Their goal was to establish a U.S. government presence in Washington,” Neary told the group of about two dozen attendees.
Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen added a personal touch, asking how many in the audience had connections to the military presence in Pierce County. Many hands were raised, including Whalen’s, whose grandfather had been stationed there during World War I.
In his presentation, Neary highlighted two key points: the role of the men and women of the fort and the fort’s place in U.S. military history over the past 175 years. He also touched on how Fort Steilacoom was overshadowed by Fort Nisqually as the fort to remember, which led to nationwide recognition of Fort Nisqually as a US post in 1978 (see more in his story in this issue). Fort Nisqually is today correctly presented as a fort affiliated with Great Britain.
Neary noted how often people mention they’ve never heard of Fort Steilacoom. “Of course not,” he said, “because some of what their parents thought they knew about pioneer Washington was wrong.” He encouraged the audience to help spread the word about the fort, saying, “It’s going to take repetition and time to change how people think about this fort.”
HFSA will continue offering talks related to the 175th anniversary, with the next one scheduled for Oct. 20 on the history of Western State Hospital.
We have talks scheduled through February! You can see the latest schedule on our Events page. The current lineup:
All meetings will be on Zoom. Do not go to the fort.