Rent a moment With history at
Fern Cove Park's
Belle Baldwin House
The Belle Baldwin House was the home of Edward Loomis Smith, a prominent physician practicing in the Washington Territory and the State of Washington from 1870 to his death in 1893. His daughter, Belle Baldwin, became the state’s first female physician in 1912 and features prominently in the study of women in America.
Named a State Historic Landmark, the Belle Baldwin house may be the only known intact example of the residential work of Harlan Thomas, a renowned architect whose buildings are distinguished
Seattle landmarks. The Vashon
Photo by Wendy Paridon Park District’s ‘green’ restoration process has returned the house to its 1912 glory, creating a relaxing, natural environment that honors the park and the past.
The house has three bedrooms (2-queen & 2 twin beds), one bath (complete with claw foot tub and full shower). It is fully furnished for up to six adults. All you need to bring is your groceries!
Rental Rates:
Peak Season – May through September
$1200/week
Non Peak Season – October through April
$1050/week
Weekly rentals run Saturday through Saturday only
During the non-peak season, the house is available for $200/night with a minimum of two nights required.
A deposit of $250 is required to confirm your reservation at the time of booking and is refunded after your stay.
Contact: Cynthia Pringle, Vashon Park District
206-463-9602
cynthiap@vashonparkdistrict.org
Fern Cove Nature Preserve
Where natural and human history are alive
“At the end of the last glacial period, meltwater from the glacier on the upper flanks of what became Vashon Island carved thru the soft glacial till seeking a clear path to the Sound. This was the birth of the steep walled, Nettle creek Canyon that in turn created Fern Cove where its fresh water mingled with salt for the first time.” Duncan Berry, Founder, Friends of Fern Cove, 1994 Photo by Wendy Paridon
In the thousands of years since nature created it this elbow shaped cove has been a bustling nursery for life. Rich soils and moist weather patterns spawned dense stands of cedar, salmon crowded the mouth of the creek and the marine shoreline became home to thousands of shellfish, crustaceans, fish and migratory birds. Early peoples left stone tools and shell mounds at the edge of the salt marsh for the first white settlers to find. They, in turn, put up their own shelters. And, Dr. Belle Baldwin, the first female physician in Washington State, settled here with her family in the 1890’s.
Today’s Fern Cove holds all this history in its rich natural and structural forms, waiting for the eager visitor to discover anew. The Vashon Park District, Vashon Land Trust, King County and Friends of Fern Cove have protected its natural gifts since 1994, and recently restored the Belle Baldwin home as a pristine vacation and retreat rental.
Nature at Fern Cove
Fern Cove is the vital link between a 2,200 acre, undeveloped, upland watershed and a vital estuary and marine tideland. It includes 13.5 acres of 100-year-old second growth forest, a marine estuary providing critical habitat for salmon and other wildlife, two high quality streams and more than 750 feet of Puget Sound shoreline on the NW corner of Vashon Island. Two creeks, the Shinglemill and Baldwin, empty into Colvos Passage at Fern Cove creating the estuarine system and a fertile delta.
Photo by Wendy Paridon
Environmental Education
In the revitalized Fern Cove Carriage House People For Puget Sound is working to provide interpretive signage, display materials from area conservation organizations, and a gathering spot for field activities. Working with the Park District, Vashon Island School District, Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust, Vashon Audubon, and other community groups they coordinate educational beach walks, tours and events on the beach.
The Fern Cove restoration is still a work in progress, and a labor of love. To find out more about Vashon Park District's plans for Fern Cove's future, call the Park District at 206-463-9602.