OF SEA AND SHORE
– MUSEUM OF SHELLS & NATURAL HISTORY
General Store Building, Port Gamble, Washington
Open every
day 9am to 5pm. Free admission
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Of
Sea & Shore is a non-profit organization
dedicated to the study of natural history,
especially mollusks and other invertebrates.
We operate a free Museum of Shells and Natural
History in the General Store Building (mezzanine
level) in the National Historic Site town
of Port Gamble, Washington. Located within
one hour (drive or drive/ferry combination)
of Seattle and Tacoma, on the way to The Olympic
National Park, Port Gamble is one of the few
company towns left in the United States. Pope
and Talbot’s lumber mill operated here
from 1853 until 1995. The town is now operated
by Olympic Resource Management a division
of Pope Resources. Prior to 1995 only those
working for Pope and Talbot could reside in
Port Gamble, but now the homes are available
for lease to anyone. |
Of
Sea and Shore, Inc.’s museum presents
a small part of one of the largest private
shell collections in the country, Port Gamble
native, Tom Rice, whose greatgrandparents
came to the area from East Machias, Maine
(the town of the Pope and Talbot families)
in 1858. Our museum receives no government
support or other funding and relies totally
on donations from our visitors (note the donation
container at the head of the stairs as you
enter and thank you for your donation!). |
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Tom’s
interest in shells was sparked in early childhood
during beachcombing trips with his grandmother
(who collected driftwood for floral arrangements).
Later, school biology projects continued and
expanded the interest. The present collection
has been built over the past 50 years during
collecting trips to more than 40 countries
and through exchanges with collectors and
purchases from dealers around the world. Tom
now resides in Rawai Beach, Phuket, Thailand,
but the museum remains open for your viewing
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Christmas
and New Year’s Days). |
The photos
here show The General Store Building and some of
the displays in the museum.
Museum
Tour Click
Here
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