PORT TOWNSEND — On Feb. 23, 1852, Lucinda Bingham Hastings stepped off of the schooner Mary Taylor and became the first non-Native American woman to settle in Port Townsend.
On Feb. 28, her great-great-granddaughter Lucinda Eubank cut the ribbon opening a major new exhibit titled “From Far Away: Early Settlers and Communities of Jefferson County” at the Jefferson Museum of Art & History, operated by the Jefferson County Historical Society.
The new, permanent exhibit includes many artifacts, including the desk that belonged to that first Lucinda’s husband and town founder, Loren Hastings.
The exhibit features the origins of Brinnon, Quilcene, Port Hadlock, Port Discovery, Irondale, Chimacum, Port Ludlow and the West End as well as Port Townsend.
The exhibit was created and installed by exhibit designer Becky Schurmann with research assistance from historical society archivist Marsha Moratti.
The Jefferson Museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Port Townsend’s historic City Hall, 540 Water St.
The museum may also be visited during First Saturday Gallery Walks.
Admission is free for Jefferson County residents on the first Saturday of every month, underwritten in part by the Port Townsend Arts Commission.