Boat Stern Is A Sensational Multi-Million Dollar Home in Washington

It’s one thing to own a piece of maritime history, it’s another to live in it. Actually, in half of it and it’s on land.

The USS Manzanita was built in 1906 in New Jersey and went into service in 1908. It made the long journey around Cape Horn to begin duty on the Pacific coast. She served the Oregon coastline out of Astoria during World War II and even laid antisubmarine cables in Pacific Northwest waters to deter and defend against a Japanese attack, but mainly she serviced lighthouses with mail and supplies.

How Did the USS Manzanita Become of Home?

After World War II she was decommissioned and was headed for a scrapyard – at least that’s what the plan was and most of the ship was scrapped - except for the stern. In 1949 the boat was sold to a father and daughter for $1000 dollars and the short story is, that they kept the stern and turned it into a home on Mercer Island, Washington.

The stern of the USS Manzanita still sits on the shore of Lake Washington to this day and is estimated to be worth over $2 million dollars. Most of the woodwork and other pieces inside this nearly 1400-square-foot home are original from 1908.  Keep scrolling and take a tour of this curiously-fantastic landlocked boat turned home.