The Pickett House

910 Bancroft Street

In the years before he gained fame on the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg during Pickett’s Charge, Capt. George E. Pickett spent several years in the vicinity of what would later become the City of Bellingham.

Pickett was responsible for offering security and protection to settlers in the area who feared attacks from Native Americans in British Columbia. Pickett’s house was erected in 1856, and it still stands today at 910 Bancroft Street. It is the oldest building in Bellingham, and it is also the oldest wooden building still on its original foundation in Washington State, according to the City of Bellingham’s Web site.

Pickett left Bellingham in 1861 to go to Virginia to fight for the south in the Civil War, and his house has changed hands many times. In 1941, the house was converted into a museum and in 1956 became home to Daughters of Pioneers – still serving in those roles today. The house is also a national monument and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read more at the City of Bellingham’s website.