Historic Fort Steilacoom

03/13/2026

This Day in History: The "Day of Brevets" (March 13, 1865)

For the closing weeks of the Civil War, the U.S. government created a massive wave of honorary "brevet" promotions to recognize "faithful and meritorious service."

For Fort Steilacoom, this date is a gold mine. Today, we honor the men who once paced our sometimes muddy (and as we're reminded today, snowy) parade grounds before shaping the rest of American history.

On this single day, at least seven Fort Steilacoom alumni were recognized:

🏆 Silas Casey: The Fort’s longest-standing commander, brevetted to Major General.

⚔️ August Kautz: The man who built our buildings that still stand today, brevetted to Major General. Kautz has dozens of descendants in the Nisqually Tribe and his diary is a priceless chronicle of Washington Territory history.

🏗️ Thomas Lincoln Casey: Casey’s son, a young engineer here who later completed the Washington Monument, brevetted to Colonel.

⭐ Lewis Cass Hunt: A veteran of the "Pig War," brevetted to Brigadier General.

✍️ George W. Patten: The "Poet Laureate of the Army," brevetted to Brigadier General.

🦅 Benjamin Alvord: The "Scholar-Soldier" who commanded defenses in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, brevetted to Colonel (and a month later, Brig. General). Alvord was paymaster before that, and every time he showed up at Fort Steilacoom, the local economy blossomed.

🌟 Henry Prince: A veteran of the Mexican-American War and Steilacoom's early days, brevetted to Major General.

Did we miss someone? Let us know in the comments.

From Puget Sound to the Civil War's biggest battlefields, these soldiers had frontier service, including at Fort Steilacoom, in common. Today, we celebrate their service and their lasting impact on our nation.

The fine print: In case you're wondering: Brevet rank was great, but it made no difference in pay. It was more about prestige and setting soldiers up for future success. You could be addressed by the higher rank in social circles and could wear the higher level insignia on your uniform. And that was certainly a big deal for these hard-working soldiers as they proceeded through life.

Extra fine print: March 13, 1865, was a postdated date. These promotions were actually offered after the Civil War, after the Union had won, mostly from 1866 to 1869. For simplicity’s sake and as a direct “Thank You” for Civil War service, these promotions were backdated to March 13, 1865.

When you visit Fort Steilacoom in what's now Lakewood, Washington, you walk the same grounds as these earlier soldiers. Speaking of Lakewood, we appreciate marketing support from the City of Lakewood, Washington - Municipal Government lodging tax fund.

03/11/2026

Today in history: 164 years ago today, one of the most famous, and most frustrating, generals of the US Civil War got cut down to size. To be honest, we doubt if Gen. George McClellan was thinking of his short stay in what became Lakewood, Washington, a few years before.

On March 11, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln had seen enough. He stripped McClellan of his status as General-in-Chief, leaving him in command of only the Army of the Potomac.

The official reason was that McClellan needed to focus on his upcoming campaign against Richmond. The real reason was that Lincoln had been waiting months for his general to actually fight.

At one point, Lincoln reportedly told his advisors: "If General McClellan does not want to use the Army, I would like to borrow it for a time."

We knew McClellan in quieter times. In 1853, he led a U.S. Army survey expedition through Washington Territory, searching for a railroad pass through the Cascades.

According to Herbert Hunt's Washington West of the Cascades, McClellan spent five days at Fort Steilacoom, in what is now Lakewood, Washington, using it as a base for his expedition to survey the mountains.

He examined Naches Pass and Yakima Pass, the latter believing it might lead toward Snoqualmie Pass, but he never actually reached the true Snoqualmie Pass. Based partly on reports of extremely deep snow, he concluded that the Cascade passes were impractical for a railroad.

Critics said he didn’t go far enough into the mountains to see conditions for himself.

With the benefit of hindsight, historians have often said that McClellan’s lack of energy in exploring passes could be a precursor to his lack of aggression as a general.

We’d be interested in what the Pacific Northwest historians among you think of this reasoning.

A historian wrote in 1883, “McClellan, who explored Puget Sound, the Columbia River and the Cascade passes, made a rather meagre report on his end of the line, and his statement that there is only one practicable pass in the Cascade Range besides that of the Columbia River has long since been disproved; still there is no question as to the serious character of the range as a barrier to easy railway building, and McClellan was not an eminent engineer … His mental organization, as exhibited when he was in command of the army of the Potomac, was such that he saw difficulties plainly, but did not readily see the means of overcoming them.”

Fort Steilacoom connected many officers who would make names for themselves in the Civil War on both sides. In the 1850s they were junior officers. A few years llater they were making history still studied to this day.

McClellan would eventually be relieved entirely in November 1862, after Antietam, when he famously let Lee's battered army escape rather than pursue them. He later ran against Lincoln for president in 1864 and lost.

When you visit Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, you walk the same grounds that McClellan walked.

Our all-volunteer museum thanks the City of Lakewood, Washington - Municipal Government Lodging Tax Program for supporting our marketing efforts.

03/08/2026

Today in history: 164 years ago today, a former visitor to Lakewood, Washington, played a part in the US Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads, during which naval war changed forever. Sadly, we can't say he did anyone any favors.

On March 8, 1862, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia steamed into Hampton Roads, Virginia, and began destroying the Union wooden fleet. The Virginia was rebuilt from the captured Union ship USS Merrimack and was covered in iron plate. Union wooden warships proved largely helpless against her iron armor.

The USS Congress was battered into submission and raised the white flag of surrender.

But not everyone got that memo.

Union General Joseph Mansfield commanded the shore batteries on the beach. When Confederate boats approached the surrendered Congress to take prisoners, Mansfield ordered his men to keep firing.

One of his officers pointed out that the Congress had surrendered.

Mansfield's famous reply: "I know the damned ship has surrendered, but we haven't!"

He was right, technically. The sailors aboard were now prisoners. His infantry on the beach were not.

Mansfield’s order disrupted the surrender process; Confederate forces resumed firing on the Congress. The ship burned through the night, with resulting casualties.

That night, the Union rushed its own ironclad, the USS Monitor to Hampton Roads. The next day, March 9, the Monitor and the Virginia fought to a draw in the first battle between ironclad warships in history. The world took note.

In case you're wondering -- you probably learned that the showdown was called the Merrimack vs. the Monitor. That's because people continued to call the Virginia the Merrimack even though the Confederates had given it a new name.

We knew Mansfield in much quieter times.

Just a few years earlier, in December 1858, he had visited Fort Steilacoom as a U.S. Army Inspector General.

He called our fort in what's now Lakewood "probably the best arranged post as a whole in this Department" and left behind detailed notes about the people and personalities here that you simply cannot find anywhere else.

The same man carefully listing conditions at a then-remote Pacific Northwest outpost was now at Hampton Roads, watching wooden warships burn and a new era of naval warfare begin.

Mansfield would be dead within six months, mortally wounded at Antietam in September 1862.

When you visit Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, you walk the same floors Mansfield walked.

Our all-volunteer museum thanks the City of Lakewood, Washington - Municipal GovernmentLodging Tax Program for supporting our marketing efforts.

02/25/2026

If you're a fan of our page, you probably noticed a blizzard of posts about tours this Sunday. Here's why:

Like most small nonprofits and businesses, we are struggling to use Facebook advertising to our advantage. Facebook is the kind of place where you can put a lot of work into designing an ad, and the company takes your credit card, and then doesn't show the ad to anyone. And you have no idea why.

Facebook/Meta has so much money coming in, they don't care.

So in that environment, we're trying lots of different things. Thanks for letting all those posts pop up in your newsfeed! ~ Walter Neary

02/25/2026

US Army Sgt. Slim is lonely. He wants to mark America's 250th anniversary, but he doesn't have anyone to talk with.
Sgt. Slim has heard that we're offering tours this coming Sunday March 1, and we still have openings. He'd love to meet you if you're free that afternoon.
Sgt. Slim never got the memo that the US Civil War ended, which is why he's still stationed in Lakewood. But like the present-day volunteers at Fort Steilacoom, Sgt. Slim believes that history can provide insights into both our present and our future.
Step out of the cold and into history. For just $10 for the whole family, you can explore four original buildings dating back to 1857, hear stories of the first U.S. Army post on Puget Sound, and walk the same floors as soldiers from the Civil War era.
Expert guides make it come alive — for kids and adults.
📅 This Sunday | 1:00–4:00 PM
📍 Historic Fort Steilacoom Museum, Lakewood
🎟️ Tickets recommended in advance — tours can sell out
→ Get tickets here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tour-historic-fort-steilacoom-museum-tickets-405453441157?aff=oddtdtcreator

We keep tours affordable because we want to celebrate the US's 250th birthday with you. History matters.
Free admission for active-duty military & their families, year-round.
Supported by the City of Lakewood lodging tax fund. See ticket page for accessibility info and directions. We take a little while to find because we're on the Western State Hospital campus. Be sure to read the directions.

Experience daily life of the 1850s in some of the oldest buildings still standing in Washington State

02/25/2026

Looking for something to do with the family this Sunday that won't break the bank?
Step out of the cold and into history. For just $10 for the whole family, you can explore four original buildings dating back to 1857, hear stories of the first U.S. Army post on Puget Sound, and walk the same floors as soldiers from the Civil War era.
Expert guides make it come alive — for kids and adults.
📅 This Sunday | 1:00–4:00 PM
📍 Historic Fort Steilacoom Museum, Lakewood
🎟️ Tickets recommended in advance — tours can sell out
→ Get tickets here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tour-historic-fort-steilacoom-museum-tickets-405453441157?aff=oddtdtcreator
We keep tours affordable because we want to celebrate the US's 250th birthday with you. History matters.
Free admission for active-duty military & their families, year-round.
Supported by the City of Lakewood lodging tax fund. See ticket page for accessibility info and directions. We take a little while to find because we're on the Western State Hospital campus. Be sure to read the directions.

02/25/2026

168 years old. Still standing. Open this Sunday.
Explore four original 1857-58 buildings with an expert guide this weekend. All tours are heated, family admission is just $10, and we still have openings.
📅 This Sunday | 1:30 & 2:30 PM tours still available, but could sell out
🎖️ Free for active-duty military families
👉 Grab tickets → https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tour-historic-fort-steilacoom-museum-tickets-405453441157?aff=oddtdtcreator
Supported by the City of Lakewood lodging tax fund. See ticket page for accessibility info and directions. We take a little while to find because we're on the Western State Hospital campus. Be sure to read the directions.

02/23/2026

🏛️ Stay warm this weekend. Walk through history!
This Sunday, step inside buildings that have stood since 1857 and walk the same floors as U.S. Civil War soldiers.
Historic Fort Steilacoom Museum's monthly guided tour is this weekend, and as we post this, we are wide open for the 1:30 and 2:30 pm tours!
✅ All tours are held in heated historic buildings
✅ Family admission capped at just $10. We want you to see these buildings.
✅ Free admission for active-duty military & their families — year-round
✅ Expert guides bring the stories of the 1850s to life
Explore four original buildings dating back to 1857–1858, learn about daily life at the first U.S. Army post on Puget Sound, and discover the fascinating, complex stories of the people who lived and worked here.
📅 This Sunday | 1:00–4:00 pm (last tour at 3:00 pm)
We recommend grabbing tickets in advance as tours can sell out.
👉 Get your tickets here → https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tour-historic-fort-steilacoom-museum-tickets-405453441157?aff=oddtdtcreatorAccess
Supported by the City of Lakewood lodging tax fund. See ticket page for accessibility info and directions. We take a little while to find because we're on the Western State Hospital campus. Be sure to read the directions.

Experience daily life of the 1850s in some of the oldest buildings still standing in Washington State

02/21/2026

Great photographs and description of an important day in Lakewood.

02/20/2026

Our board secretary's report about the Leschi Honor Walk. Link in the comments

02/19/2026

A reminder that this event is TODAY, Thursday, at noon

02/13/2026

It was our fort that gave 'Garrison' Springs its name, so we're exciting to see the Town of Steilacoom advancing this project.

 The Town of Steilacoom is soliciting statements of qualifications and performance information from professional engineering firms interested in providing engineering planning, design, and permitting services for the Town of Steilacoom’s Garrison Springs Creek Restoration Project.