What to See in Sequim - Top Sights and Attractions

The Dungeness School is a historical schoolhouse building located at 657 Towne Road in Dungeness, Washington. The idea for the school was formed in 1892 by the settlers of the Dungeness area. On May 10, 1892 a meeting was held in which settlers created a bond for land and a two-story school house. In August 1892, the Dungeness Beacon reported that the contract for construction was awarded to Hall and Duncan for $1,673. The school house opened on February 27, 1893. The school originally had 73 students from the ages of 5 to 20. The school had one teacher who lived on the second floor of the school. Classes were large and books and supplies not easy to get. School Board minutes of April 8, 1895, show a motion was passed to buy the school a bottle of ink.

In 1955, the Dungeness and Sequim School Districts were consolidated, and the old Dungeness School was closed. In 1967 the Dungeness Community Club purchased the land and the building from the Sequim School District. The Dungeness School was designated a Washington State Historical Site in 1971. On May 19, 1988, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1995, faced with rising maintenance costs, the schoolhouse was donated to the local museum and is now operated as a division of the Sequim Museum & Arts.

The original building was 36 feet by 48 feet, and then in 1921 a second wing was constructed. A USGS datum point was placed on the southeast corner of the building in 1929. In 2008 the Schoolhouse Belfry along with the original school bell was restored.^[2]

Bridge in Clallam County, Washington. The Dungeness River Bridge is the centerpiece of Railroad Bridge Park near the town of Sequim, Washington. It crosses the Dungeness River. The bridge was first constructed by the Seattle, Port Angeles, and Western Railway, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1916. Because of the ready availability of timber, the bridge was built of wood. This first bridge was replaced in 1930. The new bridge was also built of timber, and like its predecessor, is a through Howe truss 156 feet long and 22 feet high. Two wooden trestles are on the east and west approaches.

After the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy, the bridge was left abandoned. In 1992, volunteers began to work on the bridge and replace planking and created a bike trail. In 1995, the property surrounding the bridge was purchased by the Washington State Audubon Society, which then created the Dungeness River Center and a park, called Railroad Bridge Park. The bike path through the park and over the bridge is connected to the Olympic Discovery Trail, a rails-to-trails initiative.

The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places due to its being one of the last timber Howe through-truss railroad bridges still remaining in Washington.

In February 2015, due to high winds and rainfall, the Bridge's center collapsed. The repaired and improved bridge was reopened in March 2016.^[3]

Museum in Sequim, Washington. The Sequim Museum & Arts, located in downtown Sequim, Washington, is a free-admission local history museum. Founded in 1976, the museum is home to the Manis Mastodon tusks and bones which were found at an early human encampment located on the present day Manis Farm, famous as one of the first-known contact between humans with a mastodon 13,000 years ago.

The Manis Mastodon exhibit features a mastodon mural mounted with the remaining mastodon bones, related artifacts, and a video about the archaeological digs. Additionally the museum is home to many local and photographs from the 19th century which showcase the prosperous dairy industry. Models of the Mosquito Fleet, along with records of the Dungeness Wharf, Washington Harbor, and Port Williams serve as reminders of the early primary transportation to the region. The Cowan Family Collection is a rotating exhibit of natural history artifacts. The Judith McInnes Tozzer Gallery features exhibits from local artists and changes often. The Boys in the Boat exhibit about Joe Rantz and the Gold Medalist rowing team of the 1936 Olympics. Also on display are vintage vehicles and tractors, a dairy parlor, a logging display, as well as a Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe exhibit, which as of 10/2019 it is still under construction.

The museum's first exhibit building was opened May 10, 1979 at 175 W. Cedar Street where the former Post Office was. In 1992 merged with Peninsula Cultural Arts Center to become the Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. Then in 1995 the museum acquired the Dungeness School. On July 6, 2019 the current exhibit building opened. In 2019 the museum changed its name to the Sequim Museum & Arts

The Exhibit Center is located at 544 N. Sequim Ave. in Sequim. The museum administrative offices are located at the DeWitt Building, 544 N. Sequim Ave. The DeWitt Building also houses the Whatton Library for Historical Research, the Vollenweider Archives, the Robert Cooper Photography Studio, and the John & Inez Cowan Collection. The Dungeness School is located at 2781 Towne Rd.

The Sequim Museum operates and maintains the historic Dungeness School (available for rentals), Captain John Morris House and Washington Harbor Schoolhouse. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organization, supported by membership fees, donations, bequests, and grants. It does not receive any county or municipal funding.^[4]