NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Sept. 12.

PORT TOWNSEND — Tales of the city’s first and most famed coffeehouse will be shared at 7 tonight.

“Ace of Cups: Truth and Fantasy” will feature tales of Port Townsend’s legendary coffeehouse that the Los Angeles Times called the “last vestige of Bohemia.”

The program, part of the Jefferson County Historical Society lecture series, will be at the Pope Marine Building at Water and Madison streets.

Everyone with memories of the Ace of Cups is invited to share their stories.

Admission is by donation, which supports historical society programs.

“The Ace of Cups became a much-loved gathering place, discussion generator and incubator of ideas,” said Bill Tennent, executive director of the historical society.

Etta Roth and Gabriel McCormick opened the Ace of Cups in the late 1970s in the place now housing Sweet Laurette Cafe & Bistro at 1029 Lawrence St.

They brought the Olympic Peninsula’s first espresso machine to uptown Port Townsend and served coffee and desserts while hosting poetry readings and musicians.

On April Fools’ Day in 1982, teachers Kitty Knapp, Connie Welch and Trina Steel purchased the cafe and operated it until Halloween night 1984.

They continued the tradition of providing gathering space for artists, writers, musicians, discussion groups, chess players and sewing groups.

The three also expanded the menu to include “bodacious” soups, salads, lunches and breakfasts.

A writer for Tiburon, Calif.’s Ark newspaper said the ambiance of the Ace of Cups “is a combination of European bistro and American general store, a community center with espresso where local and visiting musicians play impromptu gigs.”

In 1983, The Daily News — the precursor to the Peninsula Daily News — described the cafe as the “Key City’s cosmopolitan coffeehouse; the place to sip, chat, linger, indulge, entertain.”

Owner Welch said: “Nobody is a stranger here. The camaraderie, the culture, the blooming of relationships — that’s what makes us what we are.”