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(Photograph by J. Philip Gruen) -
(Photograph by J. Philip Gruen) -
(Photograph by J. Philip Gruen)
Migrating from Scotland at an early age, brothers Thomas and John Trumbull moved to Port Townsend in the late nineteenth century from Iowa and built one of the city’s most acclaimed houses. Both brothers were attorneys in town who jointly built the house in 1891, although only John and his family lived there. After the Trumbulls sold the house in the early twentieth century, it changed ownership numerous times and fell into disrepair.
The house is one-and-a-half stories, with a brick foundation and wood frame. The steeply pitched front-facing gables, bay windows, veranda, and the decorative ornamentation are significant features of the residence. The current wraparound veranda is not original to the house, but was reconstructed to resemble the original one following a late-twentieth-century reconstruction.
During the 1960s, the John Trumbull House was converted for short-term room rental. In the latter half of the 1960s, new owners embarked on a large restoration project, including refurbishing the doors, windows, trim, and the white fence with its distinctive pickets. The home changed hands again and fell into disrepair during the 1980s, but was refurbished once again under new ownership. In the late 1990s, the home became part of the Port Townsend Historic Homes Tour.