September 1, 2018
Fall is just around the corner, bringing with it changing colors and fascinating History events! Today, we note with sadness the sudden death of accomplished area historian and writer John Hough while on vacation in South Africa. John was a past president and board member of the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, and recently co-wrote “Maritime Olympia and South Puget Sound” with Les Eldridge, documenting the South Sound’s evolution to an important international seaport. Mr. Hough’s detailed obituary may be viewed online at https://funeralalternatives.org/, a full clickable link is included at the bottom of this bulletin, just below the orange box. A memorial service will be held at South Puget Sound Community College on September 15 at 2:00 PM. To hear John discuss some of the early maritime history of the Olympia area and the famed Mosquito Fleet, visit “Now Where Were We” on Youtube. See the clickable link to the video at the bottom of the bulletin.
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* September 4, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM. Harbor History Museum (Gig Harbor): Gig Harbor Literary Society Discusses “Sarah Canary”.
When black-cloaked Sarah Canary wandered into a railway camp in the Washington territories in 1873, she had no notion of the adventures she was about to face, including being referred to as “The ugliest woman imaginable” and a period of commitment to a local insane asylum. Join the Gig harbor Literary Society for a fascinating discussion of this engaging work. Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library and Museum staff will lead the discussion. This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722. The Harbor History Museum is located at 4121 Harborview Dr, Gig Harbor.
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* September 7, 7:30 PM. Schneebeck Concert Hall (Tacoma): Jacobsen Series – Bernstein 100.
Famed conductor Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday was August 25, 2018. Celebrating Bernstein’s legacy as a composer, conductor, and intellectual, Anna Wittstruck will emcee an evening of classical music, jazz, and Broadway. Featuring soloists Maria Sampen, violin; Dawn Padula, mezzo-soprano; Tanya Stambuk, piano; Tracy Knoop, saxophone/clarinet; and other faculty and student performers. Established in 1984, the Jacobsen Series celebrates faculty and guest talent in a variety of performances held at Schneebeck Concert Hall. The Schneebeck Concert Hall is located on the campus of the University of Puget Sound, 1567-1625 N Union Ave, Tacoma.
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* September 8, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Olympia Timberland Library (Olympia): Beginning Genealogy Workshop.
Olympia Genealogical Society members will help workshop participants gain the skills they need to begin their family history research. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop if they have one, and a lunch for the 30-minute break. Check in at 9:00 AM, before the library opens, at the 9th and Adams Exit Only doors to the library. Registration is required and walk-ins will not be accepted. Register online, at http://www.olygensoc.org/, in person, or by phone at 360-352-0595. The Olympia Timberland Library is located at 313 8th Ave SE, Olympia.
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* September 8, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Fort Nisqually Living History Museum (Tacoma): Harvest Home Festival.
Join the Living History Museum to celebrate the sights, sounds, and smells of autumn at their Harvest Home festival! The day will include popular Victorian games, traditional music and dance performances, and the arrival of the hock cart carrying the last sheaf of wheat through the fort to the granary. Everyone is welcome to come down and press cider, make a corn dolly, and help us send off summer 19th century style. For more information visit fortnisqually.org or call (253) 404-3970. The Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is located at 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma.
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* September 8, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM. Chehalis Timberland Library (Chehalis): Tales from the Parks – Author Talk with Russell Cahill.
The National Park Service celebrated their 100th birthday in 2016, but the origin of America’s parks goes all the way back to the Civil War and beyond. Author Russell Cahill thinks it started when a single tree was cut down in California in 1852. Cahill was a National Park Ranger during the 1960’s and 1970’s and has written on the origins of our parks and his adventures in Yosemite, Alaska, Washington D.C. and Hawai’i. Join him and hear of rescues, forest fires, bears breaking into a five star hotel and other happenings. Books will be available for purchase and signing. The Chehalis Timberland Library is located at 400 N. Market Blvd, Chehalis.
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* September 8, 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Asia Pacific Cultural Center (Tacoma): We Are History Keepers – Tacoma!
We Are History Keepers – Tacoma! is a free daylong workshop on preserving the historical and cultural record of your family and community – a program brought to you by the Ethnic Heritage Council, the University of Washington Libraries, and the Washington State Historical Society. Sessions will include: small group instruction on sorting and preserving papers and records of your family and cultural organizations; creating exhibits; organizing and preserving your photo collections; conducting oral histories; cultural preservation through storytelling; and more! Library, archives, and museum professionals from the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, UW Tacoma Library, and the Washington State Historical Society will lead the program. The Asia Pacific Cultural Center will serve a delicious lunch of Asian Pacific foods for a $15 cash donation per person. Reserve lunch and indicate vegetarian, if required, when you RSVP to: rsvp@ethnicheritagecouncil.org. Participants are also invited to share a completed history project or work in progress. If you or your youth have a visual display to exhibit, please let us know when you RSVP for the event. We Are History Keepers! is co-created by the Ethnic Heritage Council and the University of Washington Libraries. Tacoma History Keepers! is funded in part by the Washington State Historical Society, the Heritage League of Pierce County and 4 Culture. The Asia Pacific Cultural Center is located at 4851 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma.
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* September 9, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Tumwater Historic District (Tumwater): Voices from the Past.
On Sunday, September 9, three talented living history reenactors will give performances at period homes located in Tumwater’s Historic District. Staggered start times will allow the public to hear all three presentations. Beginning at Schmidt House at 1:00 PM, storyteller Kristin Alana will portray Rebecca Groundage Howard, an African-American woman who operated the Pacific House, a restaurant and hotel in Olympia in the 1860’s and ‘70’s. At 2:00 PM, reenactor Karen Haas will visit Crosby House to portray Norwegian immigrant Thea Foss, who in 1912 bought a used rowboat in Tacoma and built a maritime empire on Puget Sound. At 2:45 PM at Henderson House, long-time reenactor Ray Egan will portray one of his favorite historic personalities, Ezra Meeker. Meeker’s reminiscence begins with his first experiences working with oxen, and continues with a discussion of what oxen are and are not, and why they were vitally important on the Oregon Trail. All three Houses will be open for tours before and after the performances. Schmidt House is located at 330 Schmidt Place SW, Crosby House is located at 702 Deschutes Way SW, and Henderson House is located at 602 Deschutes Way SW, all in Tumwater. For more information, contact Karen Johnson at karen@olytumfoundation.org or 360-890-2299.
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* September 10, 7:00 PM. Tacoma Historical Society (Tacoma): Some Mid Life History of Tacoma Rail.
Join the Tacoma Historical Society for their first monthly meeting of the fall, and hear local railroad historian, photographer, and author of multiple articles on railroading David Cantlinas discuss the history of rail in the Tacoma area. Admission is free and all are welcome! This event will take place at the Murray Board Room of the Wheelock Student Center, University of Puget Sound, located at 1500 N Warner St, Tacoma.
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* September 13, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Schmidt House (Tumwater): The Darker Side of Tumwater’s History.
Olympia Tumwater Foundation’s Public History Manager Don Trosper will begin a new season of History Talks at Schmidt House with an illustrated talk highlighting the darker side of Tumwater’s history. Learn how newspapers of the day reported on murder, political intrigue, scandal, immorality, tragedy, racism, conflict, and Trosper’s personal favorite, “Strange Events.” Schmidt House is located at 330 Schmidt Place SW, Tumwater.
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* September 13, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM. Lacey Timberland Library (Lacey): Antiquated Technologies Series – Moving Pictures with Devon Damonte.
Witness a plethora of 16mm & 35mm movie viewing and projecting apparatus, including a running upright Moviola editing machine once used by film director Hal Ashby (Being There, Harold & Maude, etc). Help celebrate Devon’s latest acquisition: a Tagarno 35mm medical viewer that plays both in high speed and in super slow motion. These technologies have withstood the test of time – what other media format has remained playable for over 100 years? This program is part of the Antiquated Technologies series and is sponsored by the Friends of the Lacey Library. The Lacey Timberland Library is located at 500 College St SE, Lacey.