Haines Wharf, Edmonds

Located in the Meadowdale neighborhood of Edmonds, Haines Wharf (also known as Laebugton Wharf) is a disused wharf over Browns Bay in Puget Sound which was open from 1939 to 2001.

(Photo taken on June 6, 2013. Click the photo for full resolution.)

The wharf was built in 1939 by Herbert Haines, with the large wood boathouse which was a former barn barged to the site. Snohomish County records show the wood boathouse being built in 1920, and the adjacent metal boathouse being built in 1976. An information sign at the nearby Haines Wharf Park states that the wood boathouse was built in the 1850s in Irondale, across Puget Sound.

Opened as the Herb Haines Sport Fishing wharf, the business was operated by Haines and his family and it rented out kicker boats and fishing motorboats, and sold fishing goods and snacks. During World War II, a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat was housed under the wharf. The business was sold in 1976 but ownership returned to the family in 1981 and the business was renamed to Meadowdale Marine. The business shifted toward storing boats.

Local fish runs in Puget Sound declined in the early 1990s, and the Sound was closed to salmon fishing from southern Mukilteo through Edmonds. Business declined for the marina, and the business permanently closed in 2001.

The wharf was sold to Slobodanka Stepanovic and Milo Milosavljevic, and plans were made to redevelop the wharf back into a working business in 2006. Plans included boat rental and storage, fishing and scuba equipment sales, snack sales, public open space, and parking. Even a hotel was mentioned as a possibility. Plans were rejected by the City of Edmonds, due to regulations prohibiting the construction of new structures over the water. There have been no further plans since then.

Since the business closed in 2001, the wood wharf has slowly deteriorated from winter storms and other weathering. The railway crossing which accesses the wharf and the adjacent beaches has been removed and fenced off. The wood boathouse collapsed in January 2011 due to heavy winds, and the collapsed structure still remains. The adjacent metal boathouse is intact, but is not accessible from land.

The road to the wharf begins as 162nd Street Southwest at the intersection with 75th Place West.

The road turns and continues as 76th Place West, running alongside Haines Wharf Park and a wastewater lift station.

The public road ends at this point, with the former railway crossing to the wharf and a private driveway accessing a few homes.

A closer view of the former railway crossing to the wharf. It was removed several years after the closure of the wharf, and a padlocked gate and fence was added in front of the crossing.

This next gate is a recent replacement of a smaller gate with lots of barbed wire. Apparently, the barbed wire was piled and left there.

The access road to the boathouses is a wood bridge which has been patched up in some spots and deteriorated in others. The bridge looks flimsy from this angle, but it managed to carry automobiles in its past.

The extent of the damage can be seen here, with much of the wharf having fallen into the water since its closure in 2001. In the background is the remains of an office chair and a table.

A trailer of some sort is also parked on the wharf. It was painted yellow, but it’s now more of a rust color.

The moss-covered roof of the wood boathouse is most visible in the remains. A boat lift is visible behind the boathouse.

The collapse did not appear to damage the metal boathouse, other than a few pulled pipes. There is graffiti on the metal boathouse as well as opened doors seen towards the back. Photos of the wharf shortly after the collapse show no graffiti and closed doors, suggesting that a person or persons have managed to navigate through the wreckage.