I grew up just a few miles from this Torpedo Storehouse in Manchester Washington, however, it took me an entire lifetime to visit it. To be honest, I never knew it existed until recently when my sister hired a photographer to shoot senior photos of my nieces and nephews here. If I didn’t know better, I’d think this romantic setting was an abandoned building in the countryside of Rome. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Fondly known as The Bricks, this building was built during the Spanish American War in about 1900. It was used to store underwater mines, known as torpedos, as part of a costal defense system built to protect the Bremerton Naval Shipyard. It’s one of three buildings located on the shores of Rich Passage, which separates the Kitsap Peninsula from Bainbridge Island. During this time, they literally laid underwater mines across the passage, with the intention of blowing it up, should there be imminent threat. Fortunately, no such thing occurred. One of the really cool details that I love about this building, besides its roman arches, are the rail tracks in the floor. A short rail line was planned to help transport mine cases, anchors and other equipment to the shoreline, however that never happened. The Army Corp of Engineers mothballed the entire project in 1910 when leadership decided these defenses weren’t needed.
What we’ve been left with for over 100 years, is a spectacular setting that later served as an officer’s club, a barracks, and a mess hall. Now it’s an ideal setting for weddings, parties, or even a simple picnic as my family and I had here. I can’t thank my sisters enough for sharing this hidden gem with me.