Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum — Attraction in Port Townsend

The Coast Artillery museum was good, not as good as the Fort Flagler Historical Museum but broader in scope and with interesting artifacts from throughout US military history. The room with information on how Puget Sound, Seattle, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca was defended during WWII and the Cold War is the most interesting part. The museum is within an old barracks, so the space isn't conducive to a typical museum flow, the customer service desk is between the two galleries so you have to pass back and forth to see everything. There was a guided tour of the museum going on, but from what I heard, it wasn't worth spending the time on - the guide was basically just saying what was on the signs, and the tour was barely through the first room by the time I was done with both galleries - and it had already started when I arrived! There is a small entrance fee, and they have books for sale on a variety of interesting military history & local history topics.

Overall, the museum was the highlight of the park, and worth the visit alone. As with any other Washington State Park, you need to have a park pass - which you can buy on-site for $10 for the day, or $30 for the year (and it covers all Washington parks). Consult the Washington State Parks website for specific location, some parks have both machines that take credit cards and a visitors center option, some only have the machines. There is parking outside the museum, but slightly down the road and it does have...

Small but mighty! There is a lot of history in this small museum. There is a video that tells about the fort and the guns there. It is somewhat dated, but still informative.

In addition to the museum, there are lots of concrete installations where the guns used to be (no guns here now). The price can't be beat ($4.00) and there is even a family admission price. Also, if you don't want to spend a lot of time, wait until after 3:30 when you can get in free!

There are actually three coast artillery forts in the area, including Flagler and Casey. The three of them together made up what was called the Triangle of Fire. Fort Casey is on a nearby island which is a short trip by ferry -- and it has guns; the other is just up the highway, and there is not a lot there compared to...

I stopped by March 16th, 2023 and got a personal tour of the place. The tour guide was great and really knowledgeable about the coastal defenses built along the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the Endicott period. I previously visited Fort Casey and Fort Flagler. It was great seeing the history but also the location where An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed at the fort and Port Townsend. I picked up a book called, Keepers at the Gate by V.J. Gregory. It goes into the history of the forts built along the strait and Puget Sound during the late 1800s until the forts closed...