# Steilacoom

Steilacoom, a small town of 6,400 people (2018) on the southern Puget Sound, is the oldest incorporated town in Washington state. It has 4 buildings and sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the oldest Catholic church in the state and the first Protestant church north of the Columbia River.

## Understand

Steilacoom was founded by Lafayette Balch, a sea captain from Maine, and incorporated as a town in 1854. When the United States Congress established the Washington Territory on March 2, 1853, Governor Isaac Stevens chose Steilacoom to be the seat of Pierce County. Steilacoom's main source of early prosperity was the manufacture and export of lumber to San Francisco.

## Get in
### By car

Steilacoom is not on any designated state or US highway.
* Steilacoom is several miles northwest of Interstate 5 (I-5):
** Exit 119 Steilacoom-Dupont Rd SW connects I-5 in Dupont directly into the Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry terminal as Union Ave.
** Exit 128 72nd/74th St in Tacoma, and go west on S 74th towards Lakewood Dr W where it becomes Custer Blvd. Continue on Custer Blvd to W 88th. Take a right (west) on W 88th and merge onto Steilacoom Blvd and follow Steilacoom Blvd into Steilacoom.
* From Lakewood, Steilacoom Blvd is the main road into Steilacoom. Once in Steilacoom, it becomes Starling St.
* From University Place, Chambers Creek Rd W starts at 64th St W near New Tacoma Cemetery and goes along the shoreline. Once in Steilacoom it becomes Lafayette St.

### By ferry

* 47.17175-122.602961 Steilacoom to Anderson Island Ferry (Pierce County Ferry), 56 Union Ave (Very end of Union Ave), ☏ +1 (253) 588-1950. A county-operated ferry system serving Steilacoom and Anderson Island, as well as limited runs to Ketron Island. The ferry runs about once an hour between 5AM to 10:30PM.

### By bus

* Connections with Amtrak, Greyhound and Flixbus are at the Tacoma Dome station
* Connections with Sound Transit bus route 594 bus to downtown Seattle and Intercity Transit #620 bus to Olympia (via Lacey) are at the SR 512 Park and Ride (different location from Lakewood Towne Center). Passengers transfer to the #3, 4 or 574 to get to the SR-512 Park and Ride from Lakewood Town Center.

## Get around

* Pierce Transit, first/last stop at Commercial St & Union Ave, ☏ +1 253-581-8000. Operates local and regional public transit bus routes in Pierce County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Puyallup, Steilacoom, Tacoma. (updated Jun 2023)
** Bus route 212 operates between the Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry Terminal (at the intersection of Commercial St and Union Ave) and Lakewood Towne Center for transfer to other Pierce Transit and Sound Transit buses.

## See

* Steilacoom Historic District. The town maintains over 30 historic buildings and properties from the mid-1800s. (updated Mar 2025)
47.17232-122.599921 Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center, 1515 Lafayette St, ☏ +1 253 584-6308. Sa 10AM-4PM. Museum and gift shop of the Steilacoom Tribe. (updated Oct 2019)

## Do

47.17885-122.589451 Sunnyside Beach, 2509 Chambers Creek Rd. ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset. $5 parking fee for non-residents. (updated Oct 2019)

## Eat and Drink

47.17246-122.597891 $^{[formerlydeadlink]}$ Topside Bar & Grill, 215 Wilkes St, ☏ +1 (253) 212-3690, topsidebarandgrill@gmail.com. Su 9AM-9PM, M-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM. (updated Oct 2019)
47.16944-122.602452 Steilacoom Pub & Grill, 1202 Rainier St, ☏ +1 (253) 584-7693. Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-2AM. (updated Oct 2019)