Families Project

WILLIAM BELL --- WALKING THE SAME FLOORS AS HIS GRANDFATHER


One of the many individuals that have put in countless volunteer hours at Fort Flagler State Park in the last few years has been William Bell. However, the past several weeks have been a very special part of Bill’s valuable service to the park. He has, in fact, been walking on the same worn floor boards on which his Grandfather Bell walked ninety years ago! Captain Herbert Yeomans Bell, the grandfather, was a physician at Fort Flagler from 1917 through early 1919. It was in the Fort Flagler Post Hospital, built in 1905, in which he served and it is in this same hospital that William Bell has been devoting a lot of time and talent in the past several weeks. The Friends of Fort Flagler have been renovating the first floor of this wonderful old building for quite some time. However, the members of this group have had their restoration time limited by their work in other areas of the park and, this past summer, by the very long hours involved in preparing for and presenting the FOFF concert series. Mike Zimmerman, Park Manager, recently assigned William Bell to assist the Friends with the hospital project. The results have been great! Bill is currently working on the remodeling of the two hospital bathrooms, adding his own artistic touches to the construction. A recent article in the Port Townsend Leader featured this volunteer at work. William Bell is very proud of his grandfather and is happy to show you his photo which is displayed in the office of the hospital. But we think his grandfather would also be very proud of the long hours and very fine work that Bill has contributed to Fort Flagler State Park! We hope he will continue to be a part of the volunteer force for a long time!