After over three years of work researching, writing, and advocating, Smith Park, the emerald jewel of historic downtown Oak Harbor, has now been officially listed on the Washington Heritage Register!

At the September 1st, 2023 meeting of the Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), Kyle Renninger of the Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society presented the nomination which was unanimously accepted for listing on the register by ACHP.

Read the Full Nomination Document (PDF)

The Washington Heritage Register is “an official listing of historically significant sites and properties found throughout the state. The list is maintained by the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation and includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that have been identified and documented as being significant in local or state history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture.”

Smith Park is the oldest public park in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island and remains true to its original condition from the 1860’s. The 1.3 acre, gently sloping park has beautiful views of Oak Harbor, Maylor’s Point, and Cascade and Olympic mountains ranges. It is set in the center of the first plat of the Town of Oak Harbor in 1889, in an area now known as “Old Town” Oak Harbor.

The most noteworthy and oldest component of the park is a sheltering grove of approximately 154 mature Garry oak, Quercus garryana, trees, many of them likely hundreds of years old based upon their trunk diameters with most in good condition based upon arborist data. The Garry oaks are what give the park its striking, unique essence and strong connection to those who came before. The Garry oaks have a naturalistic distribution throughout the park that is a small, but high quality representation of what the groves of Garry oaks once looked like in the area prior to mass harvesting and development by settlers starting in the 1850’s.

The Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society would like to express its gratitude to the many people and organizations who have contributed to the success of this project, including the strong support we received from the City of Oak Harbor staff and council.

Oak Park Free Campground (Smith Park), Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, WA

An early gathering in Smith Park which is known by several names including Oak Park.