HANSVILLE, Wash. — When Lee McAllister showed up in his '57 Studebaker Silver Hawk to show us around his hometown of Hansville - population 2000 - we knew we were in for something special.
First stop? A scenic lighthouse with a funny name: "We are at the Point No Point Lighthouse, Hansville, Washington. You're probably thinking Hansville, where's that at? We're about 10 miles from Kingston, northwest of Kingston," said Lee. "It was named Point No Point by a Captain Wilkes I believe, he called it Point No Point because it has really no point to it until you get far away from it. A little trivia."
Lee says the salmon fishing is fine right from the beach, and you can spend the night right here - in the Keeper's Quarters.
"It's a beautiful place," Lee said.
Next stop - Hansville's most unique home. It's the upper deckhouse of a World War II tugboat that's been land-locked on the road to the lighthouse since 1972, when its first owners barged, then towed it to its current location.
"First time I came down here, about 20 years ago I saw it and thought what the heck? But it fits in the whole area, it's not that far out of place!" Lee said.
Next, Lee took us to meet Darcy Herrett at the Hansville Greenway - a nearly 400 acre nature preserve that exists because this tiny town worked to save it. Some of this land was slated for a housing development; In 2022 Darcy helped lead a fundraising campaign. The community raised more than two million dollars, and bought the land to share with everyone.
"And it was just by neighbors talking to neighbors. And it made me really proud of this neighborhood. And this community, the greater Hansville community," Darcy said.
And the last stop on Lee's tour - a final resting place.
"The Hansville cemetery we're gonna meet with Fred Nelson," said Lee from behind the wheel of his classic car.
One of the perks of living in Hansville is that you can remain here for eternity, for free. Fred Nelson, who volunteers at the cemetery with his wife, explains: "It was deeded to the Hansville Ladies Aid back in 1946. With a provision that anyone that lived in Hansville permanently for a year or more could be buried in a plot at no cost."
'Hansville Helping Hands' is the organization Lee and Fred belong to that takes care of this cemetery and also helps anyone in the community who is encountering difficulty. 'Helping' has been a Hansville thing ever since this remote place was settled by Hans Zachariason in the 1880s. He also rests in this cemetery.
"They took care of each other back then and they still do and it's just, it's just the way of the community," Fred said.
This town may only have one store. But now, thanks to volunteer tour guide Lee McAllister and his sweet Studebaker, we know that Hansville has plenty of heart.
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