Carlsborg Store

Carlsborg History & Musings

To this day a significant amount of Carlsborg history still remains oral. Embellished stories passed down through the generations. A web of tales about the horse gangs, brothels and whiskey stills that surrounded this hustling industrial mill town. The historic Carlsborg Store was at the center of it all. Established in 1915 along with the lumber mill and town itself, the Carlsborg Store was the hub and  gathering place for the mill workers and farmers who lived in the area. Collecting their mail and stocking up on the goods that the store supplied. Across the street the mill blew its whistle at 6:00am every morning. The train would depart from the depot station loaded with lumber destined to be barged from Port Townsend to the growing world beyond.

Occasionally a physical piece of historical evidence finds it’s way into our ever growing multi-generational collection. An old account statement book, a shingle stamped from the Carlsborg Mill, a telegram about bootleggers during prohibition. Often these pieces are the threads connecting a story to one that was lingering in the minds of those who heard the tales from days gone by.

Read along and share your stories in the comment section of our Carlsborg History & Musings page, as we continue to weave these tales and memories of our local past. Honoring the connections, sacrifices and sentimental whimsy of our personal story and of the ones who came before.