Editing Manchester, Washington (section)

==History==

Manchester was established in the 1860s and was originally known as "[[Brooklyn]]", after the borough in New York City. The name was changed to "Manchester" in 1892 in honor of the city of [[Manchester]], England. Manchester was accessible by land via [[Shelton, Washington|Shelton]]/[[Allyn, Washington|Allyn]]/[[Belfair, Washington|Belfair]], but the main population center in the region, [[Seattle]], had only boat access. After a permanent dock was built in 1908, regular [[steamboat]] service connected Manchester to nearby communities like Colby, [[Southworth, Washington|Southworth]], and [[Harper, Washington|Harper]], and to Seattle across the water.

From 1925 to 1936, a [[Alki–Manchester ferry|ferry route]] across Puget Sound connected Manchester with [[Alki Point]] in [[West Seattle]]. When the Alki Point dock washed away in 1936, the Seattle terminus was shifted to [[Colman Dock]] on the [[Central Waterfront, Seattle|Seattle central waterfront]].<ref name = Ferryboats>Kline and Bayless, ''Ferryboats-A Legend on Puget Sound'', at pages 134, 135, 211, and 374.</ref>  Ferry service was discontinued in 1949 and has never resumed.

In its early years, Manchester was used as a military installation. As early as 1889, land in present-day Manchester was used by the U.S War Department as part of a Puget Sound defense system<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manchester Fuel Depot: Fast facts|url=http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/local/manchester-fuel-depot-fast-facts-ep-355459522-355681001.html|access-date=2022-01-25|website=www.kitsapsun.com|language=en}}</ref> After [[World War I]], the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] acquired the property, and in 1940 built a pier in nearby Clam Bay for refueling ships.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manchester Navy Fuel Depot|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/manchester.htm|access-date=2022-01-23|website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref> The Manchester Fuel Depot, currently the military's largest single fuel station in the U.S,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Farley|first=Josh|title=Manchester Fuel Depot, Pentagon's largest gas station, endures critical test next week|url=https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2021/06/09/pentagons-largest-gas-station-manchester-fuel-depot-endure-test/7621838002/|access-date=2022-01-23|website=Kitsap Sun|language=en-US}}</ref> saw heavy use during [[World War II]] and still operates today. While the Navy still owns most of the original land, some of the property is now occupied by [[Manchester State Park (Washington)|Manchester State Park]] as well as by [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] and [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] labs.

In 1953, the library in Manchester was slated for destruction. The town pulled together and a new library was constructed in 1954. Today, Manchester has excellent views of Seattle, [[Mount Rainier]], and Puget Sound, has a public [[boat launch]], a boat parade on the opening day of boating season, and sponsors [[salmon]] bakes at the Manchester library.
[[File:Pomeroy park.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Pomeroy Park in Manchester, featuring picnic tables and shelter as well as a small public beach area.]]