Gig Harbor was established as a fishing village on Gig Harbor Bay in 1888. The town's first doctor, Alfred Burnham, bought the land on which The Parsonage sets. He announced to the community that he was willing to sell some land for houses, as long as the owners agreed to paint their houses white. The house was still white when owners John and Mary Souza purchased it in 2005.

The Methodist/Episcopalians, the only religious sect in town, saw an opportunity to build the first church in "the Harbor". William Peacock, the only skilled builder in town, was called upon to coordinate the volunteers' efforts in 1901. They constructed a church on the land behind the Parsonage and set about building the Rector's quarters, known today as "The Parsonage".

With a parish of thirteen and no money, the house remained unfinished and uninhabited for four years. As ministers came and went, it took four long years to make the building habitable. Brother Andrew Jackson McNamee, who never owned a horse or wagon, walked the northwest establishing churches. Using his own labor and $250, $100 more than the salary paid by the ministry, Brother Mack completed The Parsonage and became its first resident.

John and Mary Souza bought The Parsonage in 2005, becoming its fourth owner in 104 years. The house was redone from the foundation up and was transformed from its original 1400 square feet to the 2350 square feet it is today. The first floor has original 10’ high ceilings. The dining room is now the space previously occupied by the stairs and a nursery. Windows have their original style and remain in their same location. The house was modernized about 1938, when it became fashionable to relocate the stairs from the front foyer to the rear of the house.

During reconstruction the framers found glass plate photo negatives in the walls. The subjects in those photos remain unidentified.