OF SEA AND SHORE – MUSEUM OF SHELLS & NATURAL HISTORY
General Store Building, Port Gamble, Washington

Open every day 9am to 5pm. Free admission

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 Olympicd Resource Management a division of Pope Resources. Prior to 1995 only those working for Pope and Talbut 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!).

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.