Pacific Coast Codfish Company Centennial
This May is very special for the citizens of Poulsbo and the greater North Kitsap area. We are celebrating the centennial of the Pacific Coast Codfish Company, one of the largest employers in the Poulsbo area at one time and a geographical icon on the Poulsbo waterfront. Please join the Poulsbo Historical Society, and the community of Poulsbo on Saturday, May 14, for the first program in our new evening presentation series. Doors will open to the Heritage Museum at 5:00pm, with a fascinating presentation beginning at 7:00pm in the City Hall Council Chambers, located at 200 Moe Street, Poulsbo, WA.
The Pacific Coast Codfish Company moved to Poulsbo at the current site of the Liberty Bay Marina in 1911. The company was founded by Captain J.E. Shields. His son Captain Ed Shields carefully documented the family business in a book titled Salt of the Sea that memorializes the industry. The presentation by the Shields family will share a photographic history of the industry, maritime memorabilia, and its impact on our young city.
The centerpiece of the evening will be a documentary that Captain Ed Shields filmed in 1950, the last year a commercial sailing ship left the west coast. The Shields family has also generously loaned the society numerous maritime artifacts collected from the cod fishing industry, which will be on display in the museum on the 14th and for several weeks thereafter. They include navigation instruments, fishing gear, ship equipment, and scale models of the original sailing ships used by the Shields family.
The museum will be open from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, with the presentation beginning at 7:00pm. Refreshments and appetizers will be provided. There is a suggested donation of $5 ($2 for PHS members). A raffle and small silent auction featuring an original Salt of the Sea book, an original photograph of the Pacific Coast Codfish Company housed on Liberty Bay, and original labels from the PCCC will take place throughout the evening.
As a member of the board of directors of the Poulsbo Historical Society, I would be honored to have you attend. For more information visit:
