Most of these images are included elsewhere on the YHHS website, but we have included them here with much more detailed captions, developing the facts further.
Colby Village
This was one of the very first settlements in all of Kitsap County, located just to the North of the Curley Creek Estuary. More has been written about this town on this website. Click on any of these images to view fully.
This is the most inclusive photo of Colby, probably around 1906. There was a large lumber mill off to the south (left) and many more houses and the town's school to the north (right). John Anspaugh's General Store and town meeting hall, formerly housing the Independent Order of Good Templar's Hall at the foot of the pier, was the most visible building as steamers approached. Note that the sign advertises crabs as well as groceries. The white building on the other side of the pier was Squire Grant Junior's "Fancy Groceries," which was essentially a candy and ice cream parlor. The black building on the pier was the first Grant & Sons warehouse, with the new one under construction in the foreground on the extended pier. Behind the black warehouse and barely visible is a blacksmith shop and a small lending library. The three connected buildings to the left along the waterfront are the Grant & Sons store, Post Office, and store room. The building with the picket fence is the Nieblock Hotel. Only the three Grant residences remain standing in 2011. A more detailed, captioned version of this photo is included below.
A view of the waterfront area at Colby, about 1910. This photo was taken from the roof of the lumber mill and shows the 1900 pier, some of the warehouses, and the large black oak tree that stands there today. The white building in the background was the original Independent Order of Good Templars Hall, which also served as the town meeting hall. This photo is from the collection of JoAnn Grant Lorden.
This is one of the more remarkable photos of any of the early Kitsap County towns, brought to us by Ann Levenseller. It shows the then-young town of Colby pre-pier, with a glassy-smooth Yukon Harbor in the foreground and two boys (probably Tom Grant and his brother, Squire) fishing in the foreground. The buildings shown are the original log-built Grant & Sons Store (left), the two-story Independent Order of Good Templars Hall (center) and accompanying warehouse, and the two-story Boarding House on higher up the slope behind the Hall. In the distance, upper right, is the original schoolhouse that stood at what is now Cole Avenue and Yukon Harbor Drive. The small spec just below the school is the town well, which provided water to all the residents. Note the rather tattered treeline in the background, testimony to the presence of local lumber operations. We estimate that this photo was taken about 1886 or 1888, but it could be as early as 1885.
The Colby Lumber Mill, just to the South of the town. This long-enduring business stood from the late 1880's through the 1930's, and employed most of the townspeople. The mill building straddled the water and employed large docks to help process the wood. Note the lumber barges tied to the piers used to haul finished goods to Seattle for sale. The main building is on the right, with a tall smokestack extending from the steam engine that powered the saws. Curley Creek is off in the distance to the left. When the population outgrew the original schoolhouse about 1900-1905, classes were held in the mill lunch area. This photo is from the Kitsap County Historical Society archives.
- What is today residential waterfront property was once a popular picnic spot and campground between Colby and Curley Creek. This photo, probably taken around 1930, looks North toward the lumber mill, with the road now called Yukon Harbor Drive in the foreground. Photo provided by Shirlee Toman.
The roadway leading toward Colby from Curley Creek, about 1900. This is now Yukon Harbor Road, with the lowlands (later knows as The Picnic Grounds) in the distance. The wooden boardwalk extended from the town to the other side of Curley Creek, connected by a narrow footbridge. It's primary purpose was to facilitate children on their way to and from school. Other things may have changed about the area, but the weather hasn't! This photo was provided by Shirlee Toman.
"Downtown" Colby in the 1940's, as seen from the direction of the lumber mill and looking North. The Grant & Sons store is on the left, the Fancy Groceries store is on the right, with the pier in the distance. Photo provided by JoAnn Grant Lorden.
This veiw of the Colby Village was probably taken about 1901 and is taken from the base of the steamship pier. The large building to the left is the Grant and Sons Merchantile, with the original Post Office (black building) behind the horses. This small building later served as the original lending library, and the postal services were moved inside the Grant store. Behind and to the right of the Post Office is a blacksmith shop and stable. All three of the residences on the rise above the street are still standing as of 2012. The small, hip-roofed structure was built and owned by Joseph Squire Grant, Sr, and is flanked by his oldest son Thomas' house (right) and while the house belonging to his other son, Joseph Squire Grant Jr., is to the left. Not the water tower behind the elder Grant's house. The giant black oak that still stands today is barely discernable amist the trees here. Photo provided by Shirlee Toman.
Manchester.
The second local community was originally known as “Brooklyn” and later changed names for several reasons, not the least of which is that the city fathers hoped to become a major boatbuilding community.
Denniston's General Store (white building, right) stood at the water's edge where the pier would be built. From Manchester Memories.
The large Manchester Inn served travelers from Seattle and elsewhere, and was constructed about 1906 on the water's edge several hundred yards South of Denniston's store and the pier with the current Hemlock Street passing by the north (right in this photo) side of the building. The building, which was directly on the waterline, was fronted by a wooden boardwalk that allowed foot traffic down to Colby, where the original school and post office existed. Note the water tank in the background
Looking ESE from the hill above Manchester, with Blake Island (left) and Vashon Island (right) in the distance.
In the 1920's and 30's automobiles waiting to load onto the ferryboat clogged the streets of Manchester. This view, taken from Sprint and Main, looks down to the original ferry dock. In those days, Spring was the primary road both north and south (Colchester Drive did not exist) and there was a wood bridge crossing to what is now Puget Drive. The sign on the lefthand corner reads, "Bremerton, Port Orchard, Harper, Colby, Vashon Ferry." The building to the left is identified as "Ole's Garage." The northern tip of Blake Island, still known as Trimble Island when this photo was taken, can be seen, right.
With the US Navy's Fuel Dock just yards away to the North, warships became a common sight throughout World War II. Note the steamship at the pier.
South Colby.
Originally described as the Colby Annex, South Colby is the area just across the Curley Creek bridge and in the early days included the church and grange hall.
The original Methodist church stood on the South side of Curley Creek, measuring only about 15 feet wide by 30 feet deep. The pathway running past the church's steps is now Harvey Street in South Colby. When a new one was built, the old one joined together with other buildings, becoming the stage for the Colby Grange Hall. The bell was removed and is now housed in front of the church on Southworth Drive. This photo was provided by Jay Blackburn.
The Colby Grange Hall (sometimes called the Curley Creek Grange) has been a landmark for 90 years and has undergone several reincarnations. This view, taken in 2009, clearly shows that it is actually two older buildings joined together to form one large one. A false-front store (far left) was used for the grand entrance, office, and balcony, while the outdated Colby Methodist Church building (right portion) became the meeting hall's stage. The common walls of both buildings were removed, and a large roof was spanned between the two older buildings to create a huge, 9000-foot building. Lasting only a few years as an official grange hall, it has served as a town meeting hall, athletic club, and dance studio. Photo by Russell Neyman.
Another current view of the Colby Grange building, showing the storefront structure used for the main entrance. The old church is at the far end. It should be noted that both Southworth Drive and Harvey Street have undergone significant grading since the building was established on a hilltop in the early 1920's, and at one time the front entrance was roughly at street level with the roadway.
Miscellaneous Views.
- Long Lake, shown here in the 1920′s, has always been the center of recreation and industry. In the early days, it was the home of a shingle mill and a lumber mill, as well as farms. Photo provided by Shirlee Toman.
- The a closeup of the Niblock Inn, a hotel that stood on the hill above the Colby Landing about 1886. It burned down in the 1920′s, undoubtedly due to the use of oil lamps to light these buildings. It was probably run by the Weed Family, shown here.
The Nieblock Hotel, with white picket fence, about 1906. It had a stable just the right, not shown in this photogaph.
The Independent Order of Good Templars Hall (left) c1888, where the pier would later be built in Colby. It had a meeting room upstairs and a store below, with an adjacent warehouse (right). It was built by Civil War Vet John Anspaugh, as was the white two-story residence/boarding house (background). Photo provided by Shirlee Toman.
This post-1909 photo of First Street (now, Cole Loop) looking to the South shows all three of the original Grant residences in the distance, with the hip-roofed foursquare in the just to the right of center, foreground. That house is essentially unchanged and still standing today and can be seen in a subsequent photo. The two-story false-front building, center, was probably a boarding house and store built by John Anspaugh. The cottage-like house to the right was actually constructed using the original schoolhouse as a basis. They simply picked it up, moved it onto a new foundation a few yards away, and added two or three rooms. It was torn down about 1962 by the Whitner family and replaced. This photo is from the Shirlee Toman collection.
I’ve lived on Yukon Harbor Rd for the last 44 years. I was really pleased to see your article in the Independant and to now see how much work you’ve put into the website. I do a lot of genealogy, so if there is need for that type of service, I’d be glad to help.
If you would like to include the town Of Olalla in your Historical Society I have some old photographs and local history to add. We also just built a Mediterranean style house in Olalla that is setting the new image/trend of the town.
I have an old photo of my Great Grandmother, my Grandmother and Grandfather with their son, my uncle and at this time my grandfather, Charles S Hall worked at I think the Colby Lumber Mill, at least that is what it says on his Military Registration Card, dated 12 April 1918. My Uncle was born in 1907, Snohomish Co, my mother in Startup WA, 1913. Would you interested, and how do I send it? It is a very old and worn photo, not torn or anything, but faded.
Are there any old pictures of the Harper Grange (or Curley Creek Grange) anywhere to be found? Seems like there was a lot of activity there many years ago, and pictures must have survived…
We would absolutely love to find photos of the Curley Creek Grange when it was used for it’s original purpose, which is that of a town meeting hall. Since the Grange charter was lost, the building was used as a general meeting place, an athletic club, a dance studio, and it still might serve as a residence. It’s for sale now!
I would like to submit an article on Blake Island, Curley Creek,… Are queries necessary?
Reg, we’re always interested in contributions, and while we cannot compensate writers for their work, any articles or images will be published with credit given to the author. We reserve the right to edit or rewrite pieces as necessary. Please include your sources and give us a little background about the individuals involved (eg, “…I heard these stories from my Aunt, who grew up in Colby and often visited Blake Island as a child….”).
I’m interested in finding historical information on my home in South Colby. I was reading the article in the paper about your research and wondered if you could help me? I went through the Kitsap History book at the Manchester Library but no info there. This is what I know, 10154 SE Cottonwood DR, Saftsen is who we purchased it from in 1985, the house was built in 1912 and Anna Saftsen told me blind old man Stohlton (Stohlton RD.?) built it. Thanks.