Williams-Olson Park
Shoreline access on a historic homestead property
Williams‑Olson Park is a 5‑acre shoreline park overlooking Manzanita Bay. The parcel was held by the Olson and Williams families from the late 19th century through the early 21st century, serving over time as a homestead farm, summer retreat, and full‑time family home before being acquired for public use.
The shoreline parcel was purchased through the City of Bainbridge Island’s Open Space program and transferred to the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District, becoming Williams‑Olson Park. Fundraising for park renovation began in 2018, supported by gifts through the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation.
Renovation of the park was completed with final interpretive elements added in 2026. The park includes a picnic shelter, rolling lawns with mature trees, walking trails, a viewpoint overlooking Agate Pass, and approximately 400 feet of public shoreline. Interpretive displays document the family history, and features such as the historic dinner bell and a small pickleball court reflect past uses of the property.
The Williams-Olson ties date to 1890, when Swedish immigrants John Olson and Karin Persson Olson settled roughly 30 acres above the bay near what is now Koura Road. The family raised chickens and eggs for sale in Seattle and developed the property with help from their daughters. Through marriages and additional purchases, the extended Olson and Williams families expanded their holdings and maintained continuous presence on the land for generations.
In the 20th century, the property included family homes, a Victorian farmhouse nearby, and later Pan‑Abode cabins added in 1958. Carl Williams, a descendant of the original settlers, lived on the property with spouse Lydia and raised a family there beginning in the 1970s. Carl Williams died in 2009, and the family later chose to sell the waterfront portion with the goal of preserving it for public access. During renovation, the Pan-Abode structures were carefully disassembled and used to build three new cabins at Fay Bainbridge Park, a showcase for adaptive reuse.
