Chimacum is a community that was once the site of an Native American village. It was named for a now-extinct Native American tribe which once inhabited the valley. The town serves as the trade center for the surrounding agricultural lands and is home to Finn River Cider’s tasting facility on the former Bishop dairy farm.
Chimacum
Points of Interest
Bishop House and Office
William Bishop, Jr., was born on September 9, 1861, the second son of Chimacum pioneer William Bishop, Sr. When the iron works at Irondale first begun, fir trees were burned to charcoal in large pits at Chimacum. As a young man, Bishop drove a two-horse team carrying the charcoal to Irondale. This method of obtaining charcoal was quickly abandoned and Bishop returned to his father’s farm. In 1890 Bishop took up a government claim in Clallam County. Soon afterward he entered into the logging business with S.L. Hall; the company known as Hall and Bishop was active for twenty years. Although Bishop retained his interest in the logging business, in 1898 he moved back to Chimacum and purchased five hundred acres formerly owned by Reuben S. Robinson. Bishop established a herd of purebred Holstein-Friesian cattle, known as the Puget Sound Herd, and his ranch was called the Chimacum Stock Farm. In 1899, Bishop was elected to the State House of Representatives.
Chimacum Post Office
The Chimacum Post Office, built around 1899, was put up by the Bishop family. The first post office in Chimacum was established in 1878 but closed one year later. The post office was reopened eight years later in 1887, but once again was closed and the mail sent via Port Hadlock in 1891. The Chimacum Post Office was re-established in 1899 when it was located in this building. Alfred Bishop, Sr., was postmaster from 1899 until he resigned in 1911. At this time, the post office was transferred to Alfred Van Trojen’s store at Chimacum. Early in Kathleen Bishop’s tenure as postmaster, she moved the post office back to this building. This lasted a short while until a new post office was built.
Points of Interest
Bishop House and Office
William Bishop, Jr., was born on September 9, 1861, the second son of Chimacum pioneer William Bishop, Sr. When the iron works at Irondale first begun, fir trees were burned to charcoal in large pits at Chimacum. As a young man, Bishop drove a two-horse team carrying the charcoal to Irondale. This method of obtaining charcoal was quickly abandoned and Bishop returned to his father’s farm. In 1890 Bishop took up a government claim in Clallam County. Soon afterward he entered into the logging business with S.L. Hall; the company known as Hall and Bishop was active for twenty years. Although Bishop retained his interest in the logging business, in 1898 he moved back to Chimacum and purchased five hundred acres formerly owned by Reuben S. Robinson. Bishop established a herd of purebred Holstein-Friesian cattle, known as the Puget Sound Herd, and his ranch was called the Chimacum Stock Farm. In 1899, Bishop was elected to the State House of Representatives.
Chimacum Post Office
The Chimacum Post Office, built around 1899, was put up by the Bishop family. The first post office in Chimacum was established in 1878 but closed one year later. The post office was reopened eight years later in 1887, but once again was closed and the mail sent via Port Hadlock in 1891. The Chimacum Post Office was re-established in 1899 when it was located in this building. Alfred Bishop, Sr., was postmaster from 1899 until he resigned in 1911. At this time, the post office was transferred to Alfred Van Trojen’s store at Chimacum. Early in Kathleen Bishop’s tenure as postmaster, she moved the post office back to this building. This lasted a short while until a new post office was built.
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