The Rothschild House
c. 1868

Washington State's Smallest State Park
corner of Jefferson St. & Taylor St.

open 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday thru Sunday

A ticket to "Guided Walking Tour of Uptown Port Townsend" includes admission to the Rothschild House

Admission:

Purchase at the door $4.00 - Adults $1.00 - Children under 12 - or - Purchase a the door or at the JCHS Museum $6.00 JCHS Passport - Adult $1.00 - Children under 12 gains entrance to both: the Rothschild House the JCHS Museum

Want to see what it was really like to live in Port Townsend over 100 years ago?

Step back to the 1800's as you step through the kitchen door of the Rothschild House State Park, the smallest State Park in Washington. Located at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor, the Rothschild House is almost unchanged from a hundred years ago. Imagine entering the kitchen door to be greeted not by a family member or a servant, but by a parrot! Polly the parrot frequently invited visitors into the kitchen.

Port Townsend harbor was a busy seaport in the 19th century. View the evidence of countless hours spent in the Parlor's wicker rocking chair near the window. Someone long ago whiled away many pensive hours monitoring the harbor activity. Ninety percent of the furniture remaining in the house belonged to the Rothschild family and nearly all was purchased between 1860 and 1886.

D.C.H. Rothschild, or the Baron, as he became universally known, was born in Bavaria in 1824. After traveling extensively around the world and engaging in several business enterprises, he settled in Port Townsend in 1858 and began a business under the name of "Kentucky Store".

For the first several years the family lived over the store in the downtown business district. In 1868 the Baron had the Rothschild House built where it now stands. His widow Dorette remained in the house until her death in 1918, allowing only minimal changes, such as a bathroom. Her daughter lived there for nearly 78 years, until her death in 1954.

The Rothschilds were the only family to ever own the home. The last surviving member of the immediate family donated the house to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. It opened to the public as a historic site in 1962, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Original furnishings, photos, and even clothing of the family can still be seen as you walk in the family's footsteps.

The Rothschild House is located a short walk up the hill from downtown.