The Phillips Family's Beach Lake Cabin
The 1890s to 1910s was a period of growth for Port Angeles with logging and shipping providing jobs. Improvements in roads, schools, and infrastructure were soon to follow. Yet, financial services to support these improvements were inconsistent and problematic at this time.
In 1914, at the age of 26, Benjamin N. Phillips arrived in Port Angeles with his young bride, Isabel and opened the Port Angeles Trust and Savings Bank on North Laurel Street. It was immediately successful and soon merged with other banks to become the First National Bank of Port Angeles.
By the mid-1930s the Phillips’ were prospering and purchased a 70-acre farm in the Lower Elwha River valley, with beach frontage views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The land included a brackish water lake. The Phillips cabin was built close to the shoreline, which put it in harm’s way. Because of the changing landscape, moving the cabin was necessary. The cabin was slated for demolition....
To learn the story of the of the preservation of the Phillips Family's Beach Lake Cabin click here.
