Description

On August 12, 1886 the steamer Retriever sent a spark onto a pile of lumber. Soon the entire pier was ablaze. Up in the same smoke as the lumber mills went the future of Seabeck as an industrial center. The fire was so hot it cooked the apples on the trees in the orchard. Without the mill to provide jobs the population scattered to other mill towns and Seabeck became a near ghost town within a month and remained that way for almost thirty years.

In the 1850's Marshall Blinn and William Adams combined their resources and vision of a modern lumber community to create Seabeck. In the early 1900's two prominent Seattle men, Laurence Colman and Arn Allen formed a similar partnership to realize a dream for a facility for YMCA and YWCA groups to hold summer conferences. Laurence Colman was the son of timber pioneer, James Colman. Arn Allen was the General Secretary of the Seattle YMCA. Laurence and his brother George purchased the town and surrounding land in 1914. Many of the old buildings were restored. Arn took over the administration and operation of the grounds. For 29 years Arn Allen managed Seabeck as part of his YMCA responsibilities. His influence on the mission and character of Seabeck are still felt today.

In 1936 Laurence Colman's son, Ken Colman, incorporated the conference grounds as a private, non profit corporation. He deeded to the corporation the ninety acres that now make up Seabeck Christian Conference Center. For the next 45 years Ken Colman supported and guided the operation of the conference center and its mission of serving the people of the Northwest.

Today, as you cross the bridge over the old mill pond there is a strong sense of the past. In the lagoon rowboats are floating-instead of giant logs. Except for a few modern structures Seabeck looks much the same as it did back then; back when we imagine life was less complicated, issues were clearer, and values were stronger. The hillside behind the grounds is once again covered with towering conifers. Those apple trees are now twisted and hollow but still bloom each Spring. The Meeting House, built in 1857, was once the Mess Hall for the mill and community center. Today it serves as an auditorium. The bell that once called the mill hands to meals now calls conferees to meetings and services. Many of the houses built by early pioneers have been converted into guest lodging.

The dress of guests in the lobby may have changed since 1864, but the view of the snow capped Olympic Mountains across Hood Canal hasn't. In 1856 Marshall Blinn sailed the Brontes into this bay looking for a spot to build a lumber mill. His crew were lumbermen and his cargo was modern equipment. Blinn and his partners had formed the Washington Mill Company in San Francisco to supply lumber to the goldrush cities of California. As the ship sailed along the verdant shores of Hood Canal they came upon a secluded, deep-water harbor with an endless supply of giant trees at water's edge. Legend says that they named it "Seabeck" after Blinn's hometown of Seabec, Maine. More likely, it is from the native word, Scabock. As they unloaded their cargo and built their mill the town of Seabeck was born; and the quiet bay would never be the same.

Seabeck, Washington, once known as "The Liveliest Town on Puget Sound, " is the home of Seabeck Christian Conference Center. How the area, once known as L-Ka-bak-hu by the local tribes, changed from untouched land, to booming industrial center, and back to this restful setting is quite a story

In 1856 Marshall Blinn sailed the Brontes into this bay looking for a spot to build a lumber mill. His crew were lumbermen and his cargo was modern equipment. Blinn and his partners had formed the Washington Mill Company in San Francisco to supply lumber to the goldrush cities of California. As the ship sailed along the verdant shores of Hood Canal they came upon a secluded, deep-water harbor with an endless supply of giant trees at water's edge. Legend says that they named it "Seabeck" after Blinn's hometown of Seabec, Maine. More likely, it is from the native word, Scabock. As they unloaded their cargo and built their mill the town of Seabeck was born; and the quiet bay would never be the same.

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