Fort Nisqually was established by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), a London-based fur trading company, on Puget Sound in present-day Washington state in 1833. Fort Nisqually was intended to trade with the Southern Coast Salish Indians. By 1839, the fur trade had declined, and the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (PSCAC) was established at Fort Nisqually to raise cattle, sheep, and horses along with crops such as wheat, oats, barley, and peas on the 160,000 acres of land claimed by the company. At the height of operations, Fort Nisqually had over 3,000 sheep, 10,000 head of cattle, and 300 horses. In 1855, HBC sold its holdings to the United States government.
The Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is a reconstruction of the fort which was started in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Two of the fort’s original structures—the Factor’s House and the Granary—were moved from the original site of the fort to the museum. The museum gives visitors a glimpse of life in the fort in 1855.
The Factor’s House (the HBC manager of the fort was called the Factor) was completed in 1855. It was built in the Greek Revival architectural style with plank-on-beam construction methods using milled lumber.
Two rooms in the Factor’s House—the Front Room and the Dining Room—were public, that is, this is where the Factor would meet with visitors and with his administrative staff.
Front Room
Dining Room
More museums
Fort Nisqually: The Granary (photo diary)
Fort Nisqually: The Kitchen area (photo diary)
Fort Nisqually: Men's Dwelling House (photo diary)
Fort Nisqually: Sale House (photo diary)
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Museums 101: The Blacksmith Shop at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Vancouver Fur Warehouse (Photo Diary)