Harbor History Museum

Preserving the rich fishing heritage of the harbor

The 65-foot purse seiner, Shenandoah, was donated to the Museum in 2000. The fishing vessel was owned by Tony Janovich, who donated it to the Museum shortly after his retirement. Tony spent 58 years in the commercial fishing industry.

The Shenandoah is on display in the Jim and Carolyn Milgard Maritime Gallery and will be restored onsite by master shipwright Nate Slater, apprentices, and community volunteers. Restoration will be a public process and Museum visitors will have the opportunity to interact directly with the restoration crew as they work on the vessel to learn more about classic wooden boat-building techniques. After restoration, visitors will be able to explore the deck and pilothouse of the Shenandoah.

Shenandoah's history

The Shenandoah was built in 1925 at the Skansie Ship Building Company in Gig Harbor. She was built for Pasco Dorotich, a pioneer Gig Harbor fishing boat owner and skipper. The vessel was originally powered by a 65 hp Atlas Imperial diesel engine.

The Shenandoah was operated almost exclusively at the Salmon Banks in the San Juan Islands. She also made several trips to Alaska. Pasco's son, John, took over operations in the 1930s.

Tony Janovich purchased the Shenandoah from the Dorotich estate in 1967 and operated the vessel successfully for the next 32 years, until his retirement. Tony made many improvements and additions during his ownership. A new, larger pilothouse was fitted to the deck at Art Glein's Gig Harbor shipyard in 1948. Longtime local shipwright Hugh Denny did much
of the work on the project. New bulwarks were added by Henry Moller at the Skansie Shipyard a few years later.

The Shenandoah is one of only two Skansie-built purse seiners remaining in Gig Harbor. She will serve as a tribute to the boat builders and fishermen of the region for decades to come.