Browns Point, Washington
Encyclopedia
Browns Point is a point of land in Pierce County
, Washington, United States
, bordered by Tacoma
on the east and Puget Sound
on all other sides. The Tacoma neighborhood immediately adjacent to Browns Point is also referred to locally as "Browns Point" (although it is also often referred to as Northeast Tacoma
).
Originally named Point Harris, after Alvin Harris, a sailmaker
on the Wilkes Expedition, Browns Point was later renamed by residents for an early landowner.
Browns Point is home to the Browns Point Lighthouse
, which, although now fully automated, was once fully manned and was first lit on December 12, 1887.
The community is supported by the local Browns Point Improvement Club, which owns much of the land adjacent to the lighthouse. The club is best known in the Pacific Northwest for its fundraiser, the Browns Point Salmon Bake. Started in the 1940s by Browns Point pioneer and Puyallup
tribal member Jerry Meeker, the festival is held in the first weekend of August in even-numbered years.
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
, Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, bordered by Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
on the east and Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
on all other sides. The Tacoma neighborhood immediately adjacent to Browns Point is also referred to locally as "Browns Point" (although it is also often referred to as Northeast Tacoma
Northeast Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington
Northeast Tacoma AKA The "NET" is a neighborhood in Tacoma, Washington.The generally accepted borders of Northeast Tacoma are the Port of Tacoma to the southwest, the unincorporated Fife Heights area to the southeast, the end of incorporated Tacoma at the Browns Point border to the northwest, and...
).
Originally named Point Harris, after Alvin Harris, a sailmaker
Sailmaker
A sailmaker makes and repairs sails for sailboats, kites, hang gliders, wind art, architectural sails, or other structures using sails. A sailmaker typically works on shore in a sail loft. The sail loft has other sailmakers. Large ocean-going sailing ships often had sailmakers in the crew. The...
on the Wilkes Expedition, Browns Point was later renamed by residents for an early landowner.
Browns Point is home to the Browns Point Lighthouse
Browns Point Lighthouse
The Browns Point Lighthouse is located in Browns Point, Washington near Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington.The original lighthouse station was designed by Carl Leick and established in 1887...
, which, although now fully automated, was once fully manned and was first lit on December 12, 1887.
The community is supported by the local Browns Point Improvement Club, which owns much of the land adjacent to the lighthouse. The club is best known in the Pacific Northwest for its fundraiser, the Browns Point Salmon Bake. Started in the 1940s by Browns Point pioneer and Puyallup
Puyallup (tribe)
The Puyallup are a Coast Salish Native American tribe from western Washington state, U.S.A. They were forcibly relocated onto reservation lands in what is today Tacoma, Washington, in late 1854, after signing the Treaty of Medicine Creek. The Puyallup Indian Reservation today is one of the most...
tribal member Jerry Meeker, the festival is held in the first weekend of August in even-numbered years.
External links
- Browns Point Improvement Club
- Points Northeast Historical Society
- Lighthouse Friends entry about Browns Point
- Browns Point Lighthouse Park
- History Link article about the lighthouse station
- Webcam view from Browns Point looking south
- Webcam view from Browns Point looking west