Downtown Manchester is already quite quaint in itself, but a walk through the nearby Manchester State Park is like walking through history.

At the entrance, a great empty structure that was once a torpedo warehouse is now home to a smattering of picnic tables in the day-use area of the historic state park. Up the trail, near the beach looking out to Seattle, an old gun battery recedes mysteriously into an embankment.

Both structures are listed on the register of National Historic Monuments.

According to Washington State Parks, the 111-acre park on the shores of Rich Passage was constructed at the turn of the century as a U.S. Coast Artillery harbor defense installation for the protection of Bremerton. Later, during World War II, the property was converted to a Navy fuel supply depot and firefighting station.

It’s now a popular, yet somewhat secluded, destination for picnickers, dogwalkers, beachcombers and more.

See www.parks.wa.gov for more state park info.