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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 Opium scale found in Seattle street, ca. 1880s

Opium scale found in Seattle street, ca. 1880s

Henry Coffin stated that he found this scale on a street in downtown Seattle around the time of the Great Seattle Fire. He was a child when his family arrived in Seattle in the spring of 1889.
ID Number:1964.3482.2
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Fire alarm telegraph, ca. 1890

Fire alarm telegraph, ca. 1890

The Great Seattle Fire in 1889 cleared the way to build a new city and prompted the need for a professional fire department with new technology. A fire alarm telegraph, like this one, would reach five stations at once.
ID Number:1965.3520.14
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Fireman's hat, ca. 1880s

Fireman's hat, ca. 1880s

This Foreman's hat from the Seattle Fire Department is dated to the time of the Great Seattle Fire.
ID Number:1965.3520.15
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Fireman's speaking trumpet, ca. 1900

Fireman's speaking trumpet, ca. 1900

The Great Seattle Fire in 1889 cleared the way to build a new city and prompted the need for a professional fire department with new technology. This brass fireman's speaking trumpet was used by the Seattle Fire Department.
ID Number:1965.3520.16
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Fifty cent pieces fused together from the Seattle Fire of 1889

Fifty cent pieces fused 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:1965.3597
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Chief Battalion 7 fireman's helmet presented to Olympic Hotel manager Frank Hull, 1936

Chief Battalion 7 fireman's helmet presented to Olympic Hotel manager Frank Hull, 1936

This fireman's helmet was presented to "Honorary Battalion Chief, Frank Hull" by the Seattle Fire Department in 1936. Mr. Hull was manager of the Olympic Hotel in Seattle.
ID Number:1966.3963.1
Date:Circa 1936
Image of Porcelain pitcher recovered from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889

Porcelain pitcher recovered from the Great 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:1966.4041.4
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Black and white leather gloves sold at MacDougall & Southwick in Seattle, ca. 1910-1950

Black and white leather gloves sold at MacDougall & Southwick in Seattle, ca. 1910-1950

These gloves were sold at Seattle department store MacDougall & Southwick. In 1875 Polish immigrants Ferdinand Toklas (1845-1924) and Paul Singerman (1847-1915) opened a retail business which soon became the city's first department store. Originally located at Cherry and Front Street (later called 1st Avenue), the store moved and expanded multiple times and was an early adopter of new technologies…
ID Number:1967.4109.196
Date:Circa 1910-1950
Image of Sewing frame for binding newspapers, ca. 1880

Sewing frame for binding newspapers, ca. 1880

This sewing frame was originally used in Anthony's Bookbindery in Seattle before the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. The book attached, "The Musical Quarterly," a 1946 periodical, demonstrates how the frame worked.
ID Number:1967.4276
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Set of four liquor bottles from the Our House restaurant and hotel in Seattle, ca. 1898-1958

Set of four liquor bottles from the Our House restaurant and hotel in Seattle, ca. 1898-1958

Our House restaurant and hotel was owned and operated by William Grose (ca. 1835-1898), a Black sailor and prospector who arrived in Seattle in 1861. He opened Our House in 1876 on Yesler Way but the building burned down in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. One or two of these bottles may have been sold by Grose, but most…
ID Number:1967.4277.2
Date:Circa 1898-1958
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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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