15 Fun Facts About Kitsap County

Jul 26, 2021

Kitsap County is known for its deep indigenous roots and its military and timber industries. There are also many interesting bits of trivia to discover about our area. Here are some fun facts about Kitsap’s past and present.

Unique Name Changes

1. Kitsap County was originally named Slaughter County, and only six months later became Kitsap County, named after Chief Kitsap, a Suquamish chief. And, Port Orchard’s Slaughter County Brewery pays homage to our county’s original name.

2. Poulsbo’s Liberty Bay was originally named “Dogfish Bay”. Residents petitioned for the name to be changed beginning in 1905, but it took nine years for the legislation to go through.

Sports Gems

3. Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island by three men, including Joel Pritchard, a Washington congressman.

4. Five-time Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Nathan Adrian is from Bremerton, and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Swimmer Emily Silver grew up on Bainbridge Island.

5. Aaron Sele, a North Kitsap High School graduate, was a pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1993 - 2007.

Historical Trivia

6. Hansville's Point No Point Beach hosts the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound.

7. Kingston has the longest-running 4th of July celebration west of the Mississippi.

8. In 1891, Congress appropriated $10,000 to acquire 200 acres of land for what is now the Puget Sound Naval Station (PSNS). It is one of the largest naval shipyards on earth and is now 650 acres.

9. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, five of the six surviving battleships were sent to the Bremerton shipyard for modifications and repair: U.S.S. Tennessee (BB-43), U.S.S. Maryland (BB-46), U.S.S. Nevada (BB-36), U.S.S. California (BB-44), and U.S.S. West Virginia (BB-48).

Claims to Fame

10. Gordon Elementary in Kingston was named after the famous astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr. who piloted Apollo 12. Gordon graduated from North Kitsap High School in 1947.

11. Ben Shepherd, bassist of the band Soundgarden, grew up in Kingston and currently resides on Bainbridge Island.

12. Actor and comedian Chris Kattan, who is best known from his time on SNL, graduated from Bainbridge Island High School.

13. Chloe Zhao considered wearing a Bay Hay and Feed shirt to the Oscars. She won Best Director for her work on “Nomadland” and was the first woman of color to win the award. While Bainbridge's Bay Hay and Feed didn’t make an appearance on the Oscars, Zhao did wear the shirt when accepting an Independent Spirit Award during a virtual ceremony.

14. Quincy Jones, who has won 28 Grammys, grew up in Bremerton, and talked about it with Stephen Colbert when he was on his show in 2016. Bremerton dedicated an entire square downtown to honor Quincy's legacy.

15. Martha Stewart visited Heronswood botanical garden in Kingston and called it “one of the best places on earth.”