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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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83 results for: Great Seattle Fire (1889)

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Image of Cupels used for assay work that melted together from the Seattle Fire of 1889

Cupels used for assay work that melted together from the Seattle Fire of 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the city. The fire started in a paint and woodwork shop at Front and Madison and swept southward across 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The inferno completely consumed the business district's wooden buildings,…
ID Number:1961.2465.3
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Silk ribbon program for the Dedication Concerts at Seattle's New Opera House held May 15-16, 1962

Silk ribbon program for the Dedication Concerts at Seattle's New Opera House held May 15-16, 1962

The new Opera House was built and opened in conjunction with the Seattle World's Fair in 1962. This program is a replica of the one used in the Frye Opera House on November 10, 1887. The Frye was completely destroyed in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.
ID Number:1962.2645.2
Date:1962
Image of Wooden kitchen bowl or tray, 1860-1900

Wooden kitchen bowl or tray, 1860-1900

This wooden kitchen bowl could be used for chopping items (with a rounded food chopping tool rather than a straight knife) or for working and shaping butter. This one was used by Frances Mercer McCallister, who came to the Seattle area in 1863 when she was two years old. She married John W. H. McCallister who ran a brickyard near…
ID Number:1962.2723.10
Date:1860-1900
Image of Pot scrubber used by Frances Mercer McCallister, ca. 1880-1900

Pot scrubber used by Frances Mercer McCallister, ca. 1880-1900

Metal pot scrubbers were used to scour heavy cookware in the 19th century. This one was used by Frances Mercer McCallister, who came to the Seattle area in 1863 when she was two years old. She married John W. H. McCallister who ran a brickyard near the Duwamish River in South Seattle. The McCallister home was near the brickyard, and…
ID Number:1962.2723.37
Date:1880-1900
Image of Printing block with image from Great Seattle Fire, 1889

Printing block with image from Great Seattle Fire, 1889

This printing block, donated by Lowman & Hanford Co., contains an image of the tent city that was Seattle in the aftermath of the Great Seattle Fire in 1889. Lowman & Hanford was a printing company and retail stationery business operating in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle beginning around 1885.
ID Number:1963.2898.40
Date:Circa 1889
Image of Printing block, image of tents after Great Seattle Fire, 1889

Printing block, image of tents after Great Seattle Fire, 1889

This printing block, donated by the Lowman & Hanford Co., contains an image of the tent city that was Seattle in the aftermath of the Great Seattle Fire in 1889. Lowman & Hanford was a printing company and retail stationery business operating in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle beginning around 1885.
ID Number:1963.2898.59
Date:1889
Image of Box made from wood from Yesler's Mill, ca. 1909

Box made from wood from Yesler's Mill, ca. 1909

Henry Yesler built the first steam-powered sawmill in Seattle in 1852. It was instrumental in developing this small white settler town into a thriving city. The mill burned down in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, but wood from the mill was found during the excavation of the public comfort station at Pioneer Place in 1909. This box was made…
ID Number:1963.3093.1
Date:Circa 1909
Image of Glass crystal paperweight in the shape of a pyramid from the Frye Opera House, 1889

Glass crystal paperweight in the shape of a pyramid from the Frye Opera House, 1889

This badly cracked paperweight from the Frye Opera House was damaged in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 when the building was completely destroyed.
ID Number:1964.3230.25
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Locker room door from old Seattle Armory, ca. 1888

Locker room door from old Seattle Armory, ca. 1888

The old Seattle Armory was built in 1888 on Union Street. After the Seattle fire of 1889, the building was used a relief station. The territorial militia companies were quartered here, along with the Regimental Band. It was here that the National Guard companies volunteered to serve in the Spanish-American War of 1898. Each of the quarters had locker rooms…
ID Number:1964.3381.1
Date:Circa 1888
Image of Cup and saucer burned in Seattle Fire of 1889

Cup and saucer burned in Seattle Fire of 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the city. The fire started in a paint and woodwork shop at Front and Madison and swept southward across 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The inferno completely consumed the business district's wooden buildings,…
ID Number:1964.3482.1
Date:Circa 1880
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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