PORT TOWNSEND — At about the two-mile mark heading into Port Townsend on state Highway 20, a Native American statue named “Watch Out” greets cars with his right arm held high.
He stands perfectly still overlooking traffic from the east side of the highway and offers passers-by a glimpse of what’s to behold if they are curious enough to stop.
Watch Out is the sentinel who keeps guard and one of the many concrete villagers who are getting a new lease on life at the Eaglemount Rockeries Museum.
Earnest and Schen Callahan bought the roadside attraction about three years ago and are now dedicating their efforts into restoring the rockery to its original 1950s glory, with some new amenities.
“These roadside attractions are a thing of the past,” said 50-year-old Schen.
“We decided it would be a good retirement project for us to restore it.”
A public comment period ended Wednesday that gave Jefferson County residents input about the Callahans’ plans to refurbish the rockery by turning a building that was a grocery store and gas station into a museum for rockery memorabilia and drive-through espresso stand.
The Callahans are working with Jefferson County to gain official status as a “small-scale tourist and recreation facility.”
In 1948, Anna Wolfer began crafting concrete and rock figures as a front yard project.
By 1969, her hobby had turned into an outdoor attraction that lured travelers from all over the state to investigate the roadside oddities.
