Whatcom County Washington has 50 places on the National Register of Historic Places including 3 places of National significance and 17 places of Statewide significance. Significant places include Bacon, George H., House, Boundary Marker No. 1, Mount Baker Theatre, Aftermath Clubhouse and Citizen's Dock.
Many famous people are associated with these Whatcom County historic places including Holan O. Hovander, Charles X. Larrabee, Roland Greene Gamwell, J.J. Donovan, Robert Morse and Charles Cissna.
Some of the country's most noteable architects helped create the Whatcom County places including A.W. Quist, Henry Bacon, R.C. Reamer, Moon,George,Construction Co., Kirkpatrick,A.J. Riffe,Co., Holan O. Hovander, Raymond G. Smith, Constant Angle Arch Dam Co., Edward Fischer and Bebb & Gould. Prominent architectural styles found in Whatcom Country are Classical Revival, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals and Queen Anne.
Historic Significance:
Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer:
Bacon,Henry
Architectural Style:
No Style Listed
Area of Significance:
Architecture
Period of Significance:
1900-1924
Historic Function:
Domestic
Historic Sub-function:
Single Dwelling
Current Function:
Domestic
Current Sub-function:
Institutional Housing
The George H. Bacon House, constructed in 1906 in Bellingham, Washington, is a premier architectural landmark and an outstanding local example of the Tudor Revival style infused with Craftsman and Shingle Style elements. Designed by the prominent local architect William Cox, the grand two-and-a-half-story residence is situated on a commanding corner lot along Eldridge Avenue, overlooking Bellingham Bay. The home's exterior is distinguished by its massive first-story foundation composed of locally quarried Chuckanut sandstone, which contrasts with the upper stories' classic Tudor half-timbering, stucco, and cedar shingling. Notable exterior features include steeply pitched gables, prominent chimneys, and leaded glass windows, while the interior showcases exceptional Edwardian-era craftsmanship featuring rich, native Pacific Northwest fir and cedar woodwork.
Historically, the property is significant for its association with George H. Bacon, a highly influential civic leader and pioneer businessman who played a pivotal role in the economic development of Whatcom County during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bacon amassed his wealth in the region's booming timber and shingle industries, serving as a prominent developer and executive whose enterprises helped shape Bellingham's transition from a cluster of frontier settlements into a major industrial port city. The house stands as a physical testament to the wealth, status, and optimism of Bellingham's industrial golden age and remains one of the anchor historic properties within the Eldridge Historic District.
Historic Significance:
Event
Area of Significance:
Politics/Government
Period of Significance:
1850-1874
Historic Function:
Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function:
Monument/Marker
Current Function:
Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function:
Monument/Marker
Boundary Marker No. 1, located on a grassy bluff in Point Roberts, Whatcom County, Washington, holds immense historical significance as the westernmost land marker of the 49th parallel international boundary between the United States and Canada. Erected in 1861, this monumental cast-iron obelisk represents the tangible resolution of the Oregon Treaty of 1846, which settled the highly contested "Oregon Question" boundary dispute between the United States and Great Britain. The marker was positioned by the joint Northwest Boundary Commission, co-led by American Commissioner Archibald Campbell and British Commissioner Colonel John Summerfield Hawkins, following a grueling multi-year surveying expedition through the rugged Pacific Northwest wilderness.
As the very first official marker established along the western land boundary, the monument is a triumph of 19th-century diplomacy, engineering, and cartography. Standing on a granite base overlooking the Strait of Georgia, the obelisk physically defines the unique geographic anomaly of Point Roberts-an American exclave surrounded by water on three sides and connected to the rest of the continent only through Canada. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, Boundary Marker No. 1 remains an enduring symbol of the peaceful partition of the Pacific Northwest and the historically close, cooperative relationship between the United States and Canada.
Historic Significance:
Event, Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer:
Quist,A.W., Reamer,R.C.
Architectural Style:
No Style Listed
Area of Significance:
Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture
Period of Significance:
1925-1949
Historic Function:
Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function:
Auditorium, Theater
Current Function:
Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function:
Auditorium, Theater
Opened in 1927, the Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, Washington, is a masterwork of Spanish-Moorish Revival architecture and stands as the last surviving grand movie palace of its kind in the Pacific Northwest north of Seattle. Designed by the renowned architect Robert Reamer-famous for his work on the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and Seattle's Fifth Avenue Theatre-the building is characterized by its iconic 110-foot-high Spanish bell tower, red-tiled roof, and elaborate Moorish-arched windows. The interior is equally spectacular, featuring a luxurious auditorium decorated with ornate plasterwork, grand chandeliers, and a historic style-215 Wurlitzer pipe organ. Built during the height of the silent film era just as "talkies" were emerging, the theater was designed to offer patrons an immersive, opulent escape, symbolizing the rapid economic growth and cultural ambition of Bellingham during the late 1920s.
The historical significance of the Mount Baker Theatre lies not only in its architectural grandeur but also in its enduring role as the cultural heart of Whatcom County. Originally part of the Fox West Coast Theatres chain, the venue successfully navigated the transition of the entertainment industry from live vaudeville and silent films to talking motion pictures, hosting legendary performers and serving as a premier community gathering space for decades. When faced with the threat of demolition in the 1980s, a dedicated community-led preservation effort rescued and meticulously restored the theater. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the Mount Baker Theatre continues to operate as a vibrant, world-class performing arts center, preserving the golden age of American cinema and theater for future generations.