National Register of Historic Places

Fort Lawton

Seattle, King County, Washington
Listed
August 14, 1978
Type
District
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
78002752

About this property

Fort Lawton was a United States Army post located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acres of Fort Lawton, was given to the city of Seattle and dedicated as Discovery Park. Both the fort and the nearby residential neighborhood of Lawton Wood are named after Major General Henry Ware Lawton. While Fort Lawton was a quiet outpost prior to World War II, it became the second largest port of embarkation of soldiers and materiel to the Pacific Theater during the war. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list. Fort Lawton officially closed on September 14, 2011.

Location

Seattle, King County, Washington
47.65968, -122.41546

Categories

MILITARYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
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Nearby Historic Sites

West Point Light Station
Industrial
1 mi
W. T. PRESTON (snagboat)
Industrial
1 mi
Magnolia Public Library
Industrial
1.2 mi
ADVENTURESS
Industrial
1.5 mi
Ballard Avenue Historic District
Listed
1.6 mi

Nearby Battles

Puget Sound War — Battle of Seattle (January 26, 1856)
1856Indian Wars
5.4 mi
Yakama War — Battle of Seattle
1856Indian Wars
5.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fort Lawton listed on the National Register?

Fort Lawton was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Fort Lawton?

Fort Lawton is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fort Lawton?

The period of significance for Fort Lawton is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Fort Lawton?

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