The Washington Hotel And Restaurant With Railroad Roots That Date Back To 1896
By Jessica Wick|Published December 20, 2021
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Jessica Wick
Author
Jessica Wick is a writer and travel enthusiast who loves exploring new places, meeting new people and, of course, beautiful Big Sky Country and every part of Washington State.
As local travel experts, we know what travelers are looking for when it comes to finding the perfect accommodations for their next trip. To compile our lists, we scour the internet to find properties with excellent ratings and reviews, desirable amenities, nearby attractions, and that something special that makes a destination worthy of traveling for.
The Long Beach Peninsula certainly isn’t known for its railroad history. But considering many of the communities were established in the mid-1800s, it makes sense that the railroad was the preferred way to distribute mail and people from the north end of the peninsula to the steamboat ferry terminal at Ilwaco. The “Clamshell Railroad” was designed to fill this local need, but it also led to the construction of many new local businesses. Washington’s longest-running hotel was one of them, and the Shelburne Inn (now the Shelburne Hotel) is still going strong today.
The Shelburne Inn first opened for business in 1896, making it the oldest continuously-operating hotel in Washington.
The inn was owned by Charles Beaver as a retreat for people in the Portland area, and it was named after a fancy hotel in Dublin. The hotel was a stop on the Clamshell Railroad, which was in operation for more than 40 years.
Ownership of the inn changed hands many times, even before the Clamshell Railroad ceased operations.