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About the FWOH Program
The volunteers of the Fort Worden Oral History Program have collected almost 300 interviews with the men and women who have served, lived, worked, or visited Fort Worden over its long history since the program’s inception in 2003. The interviews tell of the real life experiences of those who served at Fort Worden during the military era; who worked or lived here during the Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center days; or have visited, participated in activities, or worked at the fort since it became a state park conference center.
These interviews, which have been transcribed and cataloged, form a rich treasure trove of stories that should be mined for source material by historians, students, genealogists, and writers.
Interviews by Subject
- 369th EASR
- Army
- Army Families
- Army Wives
- Artillery Hill
- Atomic Bomb Tests
- Campgrounds
- Centrum
- Centrum Foundation
- Children's Games
- Closing of the Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center
- Coast Artillery-248th
- Coast Guard
- Commanding Officers
- Commanding Officers Quarters at Fort Worden
- Cottage Parents
- Cottages
- Death
- Discipline
- Enemy Fire
- Engineer Amphibious Support Regiment (EASR)-369th
- Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment (EBSR)
- Ferries
- Festival of American Fiddle Tunes
- Fiddle tunes
- Fort Flagler
- Fort Lewis
- Fort Worden
- Fort Worden Parade Ground
- General James H. Cunningham
- Greenland
- Guns
- Hangar (Balloon)
- Harbor Entrance Control Post
- Housing
- Hydrophones
- Inchon Landing
- Isolation
- Japan
- Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center
- Korean War
- Korean War Era
- Living Conditions
- McCurdy Pavilion
- Meals
- Military Police
- Mines
- National Guard
- Navy
- Officers Row
- Park Rangers
- Point Wilson Lighthouse
- Port Townsend
- Prisoners of War
- Pusan
- Residents (Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center)
- Runaways
- Russians
- Seasickness
- Sergeants
- Shift Duty
- Ships
- Socialization
- Social Life
- Social Workers
- Staff (Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center)
- State Parks
- Strait of Juan de Fuca
- Submarines
- Target Practice
- Teachers
- Weather
- Weddings
- Wildlife
- World War II
Interviews by Category
- General (2)
- Juvenile Diagnostic & Treatment Center (47)
- Military (125)
- Washington State Parks (42)
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Recent Posts
Interview Archives
- March 2015 (6)
- February 2015 (1)
- January 2015 (1)
- December 2014 (2)
- November 2014 (3)
- October 2014 (4)
- September 2014 (1)
- July 2014 (6)
- June 2014 (7)
- May 2014 (5)
- April 2014 (1)
- January 2014 (1)
- December 2013 (1)
- November 2013 (1)
- October 2013 (1)
- September 2013 (2)
- August 2013 (3)
- July 2013 (2)
- June 2013 (6)
- May 2013 (2)
- April 2013 (1)
- March 2013 (4)
- February 2013 (5)
- January 2013 (4)
- December 2012 (7)
- November 2012 (8)
- October 2012 (2)
- September 2012 (2)
- August 2012 (8)
- July 2012 (4)
- June 2012 (4)
- May 2012 (7)
- April 2012 (6)
- March 2012 (39)
- February 2012 (49)
- January 2012 (4)
Category Archives: Washington State Parks
Interview With Darrel R. “Gus” Gustafson
An excerpt from the interview with Darrel R. “Gus” Gustafson of Edgewood, WA conducted by phone from the Fort Worden History Center on September 25, 2012 by Clio Ward. Mr. Gustafson worked at Fort Worden from April 1973 until December … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged An Officer and a Gentleman movie, Ballet Camps at Fort Worden, Building 225 at Fort Worden, Centrum Foundation, Cooks, Dancers, Debra Winger, Dining Hall at Fort Worden, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Fiddle tunes, Fire Protection at Fort Worden, Food at Fort Worden, Fort Worden, Fort Worden State Park Conference Center, Glen Bellerud, Improvements to Fort Worden, Louis Gossett jr, McCurdy Pavilion, Movie Company Personnel, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Port Townsend, Renovation of Buildings at Fort Worden, Richard Gere, Tourism at Fort Worden
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Interview With Michael Wierman
From the interview with Michael Wierman of Woodinville, WA conducted by phone from the Fort Worden History Center on September 18, 2012 by Eleanor Rigby. Mr. Wierman is a member of the Puget Sound Military Vehicle Collectors Club (PSMVCC), a … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged Artillery Hill, Battle of the Bulge, Food Machinery Engineers, Ford Motor Company, Fort Worden, Hobbies, Jeep Collectors, Jeep Owners, Jeeps, Military Surplus Vehicles, Military Vehicle Collectors, Military Vehicle Show at Fort Worden State Park, Military Vehicles, Normandy Invasion, PSMVCC, Puget Sound Military Vehicle Collectors Club, Remanufactured Jeeps, Vehicle Restoration, Willys Overland Company, World War II
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Interview With Deb Johnson
From the interview with Deb Johnson of Port Townsend, WA conducted by Patience Rogge on October 28, 2004 at the Fort Worden History Center. Ms. Johnson was Dean of Jefferson Educational Services for Peninsula College. The Peninsula Community College District … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged Fort Worden, Morgue in the Schoolhouse Building, Peninsula College, Peninsula College Historyg, Peninsula Community College District, Port Townsend, Psycho Ward in the Schoolhouse Building, Schoolhouse Building at Fort Worden, Wally Sigmar, Water Street in Port Townsend, Waterman Katz Building
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Interview With Michael W. Downey
From the interview with Michael W. Downey of Redmond, WA conducted by phone by Henry West from the Fort Worden History Center on October 19, 2004. Mr. Downey served in the Youth Conservation Corps group that worked out of Fort … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged Bicentennial, Campgrounds, Fort Casey, Fort Worden State Park, Neah Bay, Ozette, Port Townsend, Rangers, Supervisors as Role Models, United States Bicentennial Celebration, Wallace Falls, Whidbey Island, Working Conditions, Youth Conservation Corps
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Interview With Kay W. Wilson
From the interview with Kay W. Wilson of Silverdale, WA conducted by Henry West at the Fort Worden History Center on July 7, 2002. At the time, Ms. Wilson, a former resident of Port Townsend, was attending the Festival of … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged American Music, Appalachian Music, Appalachian Musicians, Balloon Hangars, Bertram Levy, Blimp Hangars, Cape Breton Fiddlers, Cape Breton Musicians, Cape Breton Pianists, Centrum, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Fiddle tunes, Folk Music, McCurdy Pavilion, Piano Accompaniment Styles, Piano Instruction, Tents, Traditional Music
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Interview With Patricia S. Simpson
From the interview with Patricia S. Simpson of Port Townsend conducted at the Fort Worden History Center by Patience Rogge on March 6, 2008. Ms. Simpson worked as a secretary at the Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center for two years, … Continue reading
Posted in Juvenile Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Washington State Parks
Tagged Artillery Hill, Centrum, Chetzemoka Park, Dr. Bill Shire, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Fiddle tunes, Fort Worden, Foxes, Friends of Fort Worden, Gus Lindquist, Mary Johnson, Musicians, Port Townsend Police, Runners and Running, Staff (Juvenile Diagnostic and Treatment Center), Telephone Operators, Telephone Switchboards, Typewriters, Wildlife
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Interview with Roy E. Johnson
From the interview with Roy E. Johnson of Camano Island, WA conducted by phone from 696 Woodland Drive in Port Townsend on January 16, 2007 by Patience Rogge. Mr. Johnson was employed by Washington State Parks in several capacities beginning … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged An Officer and a Gentleman movie, Battery Kinzie, David Keith, Debra Winger, Fort Worden, Lou Gossett, Park Rangers, Public Use of Fort Worden, Richard Gere, Security Guard Compensation
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Interview With Susan S. Thomas
From the Interview with Susan Thomas of Port Townsend conducted by Wendy Los at the Fort Worden History Center on October 9, 2012. Ms. Thomas is Reservation Operations Supervisor at Fort Worden State Park Conference Center. She has been employed … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged Conferences at Fort Worden, Extraterrestrial Communication Efforts, Prophets Conference 2003, Reservations Operations Supervisors, Washington State Parks Employees
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Interview With Rodger Schmitt
From the interview with Rodger Schmitt of Port Townsend conducted at the Fort Worden History Center on March 18, 2011 by Patience Rogge. Mr. Schmitt serves as vice chair of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Before he retired, … Continue reading
Posted in Washington State Parks
Tagged Decision-Making, Fort Worden Advisory Committee, George Randals, Life Long Learning Center, Parks Commissioners, Rex Derr, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
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Fort Worden Oral History Program Blog 