Event Information
(253) 756-3928
Join us at Fort Steilacoom Museum in Lakewood from 4:30 to 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, as living historians re-enact the Christmas of 1859. Watch festivities by candlelight as the holiday season could have been celebrated in these same buildings 165 years ago.
Re-enactors will gather in candlelight to talk, sing, dance and dine as our predecessors did in the first U.S. military post in Puget Sound. Visitors from 2023 will quietly witness scenes as if the visitors are spirits from the future.
Yes, 1859 could see the U.S. Civil War coming, and there were tensions. Many Fort Steilacoom soldiers would go on to serve in that war. But Christmas, then as now, was a time of celebration with friends and family.
The last tour that evening leaves at 7:10 p.m.
Tickets are $7 for an adult and $5 for youth. A family of up to two adults and four youth pays $12. Because this event is a fundraiser to support maintenance of the aging buildings, discounts are not offered.
Because of space limitations in our authentic buildings, tickets should be purchased in advance through Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/753247532647?aff=oddtdtcreator
Tickets may be purchased at the door, but availability is not guaranteed. Based on the previous two years, this event will likely sell out. You can check the Fort’s Facebook page to learn if the event is sold out.
Please be sure to read the Eventbrite page for information about accessibility of the buildings.
Fort Steilacoom, the first U.S. Army post to be located in Puget Sound, is on the grounds of Western State Hospital at 9601 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, 98498. Be sure to use that street address to find the fort.
Please allow extra time to find the fort. GPS and map software often direct people to Fort Steilacoom Park, but that is not where the park is located. The fort is across the street. To reach the historic Fort, be sure to type in the street address, turn right after entering Western State, and then look for the cannon shelter and lights.
For more information, visit http://www.historicfortsteilacoom.org.