The Leader Building
Located in downtown Port Townsend, The Leader Building has an interesting background dating back to 1874.
Early settler Enoch Fowler was a sailor who moved to Port Townsend in the 1850's when his ship dropped off the first white settlers. In 1874 Fowler constructed Port Townsend's first substantial stone building which is thought to be the oldest multistory masonry building in Washington. Built of large sandstone blocks from a quarry near Indian Island, it is still in extremely good repair and a sturdy building.
In its early days the "Fowler Building" was used as the County Courthouse, until 1892 when the new courthouse was built. Sometime around the time of Port Townsend's first big recession, in the late 1890's it became empty was not used again until 1916 when the Port Townsend Leader Newspaper took over the main floor, and the upstairs was converted to apartments.
The Port Townsend and Leader has been printed ever since, recently celebrating it's 120th anniversary, still in the location in the orignal townsite in downtown Port Townsend at 226 Adams Street.
