After nearly a decade of restoration work, a piece of Olympia’s maritime history is now settled into its new permanent home outside the Olympia Farmer’s Market.
The Parthia, a tugboat built in 1906, is now safely out of the water and living out retirement as a heritage and educational attraction.
The tugboat was a common sight on Olympia’s waterfront for nearly four decades, and became a familiar, race-winning participant in the annual Olympia Harbor Days festivals beginning in 1986.
After the Parthia sank in 2017, that private owner donated her to the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association (SSMHA), the nonprofit organization that also produces the annual Olympia Harbor Days event.
SSMHA’s goals were to restore the tug to her 1950s working appearance and find an appropriate site to exhibit her as a maritime educational exhibit, and public attraction for South Sound residents, students and tourists.
The Port of Olympia approved a plan to display the Parthia on Port property adjacent to Olympia Farmers Market, and dozens of donors and community supporters have already helped rescue, restore, and relocate the vessel, SSMHA said.
“We look forward to putting some finishing touches on Parthia, erecting the covered exhibit pavilion, and installing educational information panels and landscaping,” SSMHA states on its website.
SSMHA is currently fundraising to build the protective pavilion, which will help protect the Parthia from weather damage.
For more information, visit maritimeoly.org
