Historic Town Center

The site of the Hope Chest was once Will & Ada Irwin's Grocery from 1923-1938, and was combined with Couchman's bicycle shop and penny arcade until 1966. The buildings and four small houses were razed, and the site became a bank. ​

Three people standing outdoors in front of dense bushes

You're now entering the Historic Town Center. The short-term-rental reflects its 1923 construction, when it was the home of Mary Windeler, a prominent member of the Rockaway Women's Club. The Club conducted a carnival, flower shows, an annual parade, and beach bonfires to raise funds toward infrastructure projects in the growing town. 

The Millers, Rockaway's founding family, constructed their second Main Street building in 1913. Troxel’s occupies the original structure. Ida Miller Clayton ran the Post Office, rented rooms upstairs, and operated a shop, Clayton's Variety, that sold tobacco and sundries until 1969. ​

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In 1912, the original building at the La Mota site housed and fed the PN & R Railroad crew. It then operated as Scotty's for over 40 years. ​

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From 1935 to 1964, the Jasmanns operated a gift shop at 162 Highway 101. In the seventies, it served as a salon and flower store. 

DIRECTIONS: Continue South toward the end of the block (194 S Hwy 101)

THE 1934 FIRE