Housed in Port Townsend’s 1891 City Hall Complex, Jefferson County Historical Society Museum (210 Madison St., 360/385-1003, www.jchsmuseum.org, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, $4 adults, or $1 children 3–12), this excellent museum rambles over three floors of boat exhibits and models, intricate baskets, button and bottle collections, a Victorian bedroom, and even two buffalo-horn and bearskin chairs from an old photo studio. Downstairs is the old city jail, in use until the 1940s.

There’s also a small museum inside the lobby of the post office (1322 Washington St.). During the 1880s, this imposing stone building served as the Customs House, the port of entry for all international traffic into Puget Sound.

Another building of interest is the Jefferson County Courthouse, standing high on a hill at Jefferson and Walker Streets. Built in 1892, this redbrick building is one of Washington’s oldest courthouses and is notable for the 100-foot-tall clock tower that serves as a beacon to mariners.