March 17, 2021
The Washington State History Museum reopens on April 2
After more than a year of closure (with the exception of six weeks last fall) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the History Museum is able to reopen to the public starting Friday, April 2. We are ready to greet you with new exhibitions and more gallery renovations underway.

“We are really happy to be at the point of safely reopening and welcoming our community again,” said Jennifer Kilmer, director at WSHS. “Stimulating exhibitions, cultural engagement and education are critical nutrients to feed resilience as folks begin to recover from the challenges of the past year. We know people are eager to get out and enjoy different spaces and opportunities to learn and connect, and the History Museum is ready to fill those needs.”

Following the protocols defined by the Office of the Governor and Department of Health, visitors are required to wear masks or face coverings while in the museum, observe social distancing between cohorts, and follow a one-way path through the galleries.

The History Museum will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Every Third Thursday, hours are 10:00 AM-8:00 PM with free admission from 3:00-8:00 PM. We are looking forward to seeing you!

Image credit: This sunny shot of the Washington State History Museum was taken by photographer Michael Simmons, who also works at Anthem Cafe located on the History Museum's plaza.
Ready for a historical true crime story?
The Bosses’ Clubs:
Employers organizing against workers, and the campaigns to defeat Billy Gohl and the Wobblies

FREE live virtual program
Thursday, March 18, 6:00 PM

Historian and author Aaron Goings brings you into the true-crime world of Billy Gohl (dubbed by newspapers as the Ghoul of Grays Harbor), a labor organizer from Aberdeen arrested for the murder of dozens of sailors and lumber workers. Goings will also delve into the collective, often brutal, union-crushing activity of employers toward working people.

Drawing from his two recent books, The Red Coast (Oregon State University Press, 2019) and The Port of Missing Men: Billy Gohl, Labor, and Brutal Times in the Pacific Northwest (University of Washington Press, 2020), Goings will survey the actions of anti-unionists along the Washington coast with a focus on their efforts to crush the Sailors’ Union, led by Billy Gohl, and the radical movement of the Industrial Workers of the World (also known as the Wobblies).
WSHS Collections Highlight
March is Women's History Month
From the WSHS Espy Family ephemera collection, a handbill in support of the Seattle Women's Industrial Union and Trades School for Girls. The flyer solicits contributions toward an endowment fund.
Creation Date: 1912. WSHS catalog ID: 1998.31.1.92
A brief survey
Image credit: WPA workers for the Seattle Schools conduct a survey of high school graduates. Location: 810 Dexter Avenue, Seattle. March 28, 1934. WSHS catalog ID: 2002.71.88.
The Washington State Historical Society is working with a museum studies graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and collaborated on an audience survey as part of her studies. The survey responses are anonymous and could help us determine what kinds of programs and exhibitions our audiences are interested in seeing. 

It takes just a few minutes to complete. Click the button to take the survey. Thank you for your participation!
Membership cards have gone digital. Get yours!
We are so thrilled to be able to safely welcome our members back into the History Museum in the weeks and months ahead! Thank you so much for your support and investment in our mission- we truly appreciate our community.

In order to make sure that you have easy access to your benefits, our digital membership card partners at Cuseum will re-send email invitations for downloading your digital card. Keep a look out for that invitation during the week of March 21-27 (the from email address should read Washington State History Museum <[email protected]>).

Please reach out if you have any questions about the digital membership cards. And if you prefer a physical card, we can certainly accommodate your request. Email Camille Perezselsky, Director of Philanthropy (or call 253-798-5899).
Check it out! This is what your WSHS digital membership card will look like. You’ll be able to use your digital card as soon as we reopen. It will be stored on your phone for easy access, and when you walk in our front doors, we'll simply scan it and you’ll be on your way to explore the the History Museum. It's quick, easy, and safe.
Mark you calendar: Exhibitions and Events
Hop aboard for a journey through the history of railroad travel in Washington State! For many riders in the late 1800s and early 1900s, train travel was preferred for long distances. This exhibition of rail travel posters, schedules, tickets, and train-related objects from the WSHS collections provides a glimpse of how and why passengers traveled. Visit the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma for this new exhibition, and while you're there, see the state's largest model train layout on public view, too!
In honor of her leadership in the farmworkers’ civil rights movement, Washington State recognizes Dolores Huerta Day on April 10. Yet even with this recognition, few Washingtonians understand the wide-ranging and significant impacts she and Cesar Chavez made on farmworker rights in our state, and the work Dolores Huerta is still doing today. Join us for an online program to learn more about the lasting contributions of Dolores Huerta and her legacy. Program details will be posted soon.
Washington State History Museum created this original exhibition in collaboration with historian and author Peter Boag.

Crossing Boundaries highlights historical narratives of transgender people in the West from 1860 to 1940, and considers how westward migration provided opportunities for self-expression and fulfillment. As they traversed unfamiliar territory, these individuals crossed both physical boundaries and the perceptual boundaries of their earlier lives. Like all pioneers, they shared a history of obstacles and fear, bravery and triumphs. Join us in learning more about the history of gender, identity, and changing cultural perceptions in the West and the connections between transgender history and the LGBTQ+ community today.
Get your tickets today for the next History After Hours
Thursday, May 13, 7:00-9:30 PM
Virtual gathering

Alive or deceased? Disgruntled or ingenious? Folk hero or terrorist? This ages 21+ program explores the layers of myth and mystery surrounding the 1971 hijacking of Northwest Orient Flight 305 and the enigmatic figure at that story’s center, D.B. Cooper.

See material released by the FBI and hear harrowing first-hand accounts of crisis decision making from that Thanksgiving eve flight. Learn how to make Cooper’s favorite mixed drink, review fashions from the time period, and decide if you think a human could survive a mid-flight jettison from a Boeing 727 aft staircase.

"Book your flight" today for this fun evening event! We’ll send you a downloadable event kit with the cocktail recipe so you can prep the ingredients, as well as items to get you ready for other History After Hours activities!
Work with us!
Do you share a passion for history and museums?

Washington State Historical Society will soon be recruiting for several positions. Job descriptions and further information about how to apply will be posted at this link:
Gratitude
WSHS exhibitions and events are generously supported by Columbia Bank, Humanities Washington, The Norcliffe Foundation, and South Sound Magazine.