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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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138 results for: Maritime

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Image of Life preserver ring from ferry San Mateo, ca. 1947-1969

Life preserver ring from ferry San Mateo, ca. 1947-1969

The S.S. San Mateo, part of the Evergreen fleet of ferries, operated on several different runs throughout the Puget Sound during its service.
ID Number:1976.6295.2
Date:Circa 1947-1969
Image of Color photograph of the ferry Hyak in Puget Sound, reprinted by Forest and Whitmire Photography, ca. 1970

Color photograph of the ferry Hyak in Puget Sound, reprinted by Forest and Whitmire Photography, ca. 1970

The MV Hyak Super-class ferry was built in 1966 at a San Diego shipyard and began service in July 1967. It would ferry passengers from Seattle to Bremerton and from Anacortes to the San Juan Islands. Hyak is chinook jargon for "speedy."
ID Number:1976.6295.18
Date:Circa 1970
Image of Cannon from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Cannon from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Built by the Russians in Sitka, the POLITKOFSKY came under United States ownership in 1867 when Russian Alaska was sold to the US. The gunboat was then sold into civilian service as a tugboat, POLLY, working the northwest coast of North America until 1896. It was then converted to a schooner barge and carried eager gold seekers to Alaska during…
ID Number:1980.7094.423
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Collection of Teredo or worm wood mounted as sculpture pieces, ca. 1850-1890

Collection of Teredo or worm wood mounted as sculpture pieces, ca. 1850-1890

These 565 miniature wooden sculptures were made by shipworm clams otherwise known as the Teredo clam. The clam attaches itself to logs and drills into the interior, not unlike a tunnel-boring machine, creating artistic designs and sculptures in its wake. Often referred to as the "termites of the sea," these creative creatures are a menace to ship's hulls and wooden…
ID Number:1981.7367.94
Date:Circa 1850-1890
Image of Oil painting,

Oil painting, "The Saint Paul," by Kathleen Houlahan, ca. 1923-1940

The St. Paul was a three-masted clipper ship built in Maine in 1874. She made several trips around Cape Horn to the west coast of the United States. By 1930, she was no longer a working ship and, in 1934, was turned into a museum docked on the shores of Ballard. Less than a decade later, the St. Paul was…
ID Number:1983.14.1
Date:Circa 1923-1940
Image of Set of brass luggage claim check tags from Seattle Steamship Company, ca. 1900-1920

Set of brass luggage claim check tags from Seattle Steamship Company, ca. 1900-1920

The Seattle Steamship Company waiting room was located at the White Star Dock at the foot of Spring Street. In the early twentieth century, travellers most likely received their baggage claim checks at this location before boarding. The numbers on these tags include: 108, 302, 375, 492, 719, 725,773, and 794.
ID Number:1984.20.ONLINE
Date:Circa 1900-1920
Image of Pencil drawing of a sidewheeler at a dock by Emily Inez Denny, ca. 1870-1915

Pencil drawing of a sidewheeler at a dock by Emily Inez Denny, ca. 1870-1915

The daughter of one of Seattle’s founding families, Emily Inez Denny (1853 – 1918) was both an artist and writer. Greatly influenced by seeing the drawings of Sarah Willoughby as a student at the Washington Territorial University, she took on painting as a life-long pursuit. Denny trained with Miss Parsons, Thomas Harrison, and Harriet Beecher. In 1909, she authored and…
ID Number:1984.74.11
Date:Circa 1870-1915
Image of Folding stool from a Lake Washington ferry, ca. 1930

Folding stool from a Lake Washington ferry, ca. 1930

Captain John Anderson started the Anderson Steamboat Company and Lake Washington Ferries, providing ferry service across Lake Washington before roads and bridges connected Eastside communities to Seattle. Anderson bought his first passenger steamer, the Winnifred, in 1895, and by 1909, held a monopoly on Lake steamers. The company was in direct competition with King County ferry services. He made most…
ID Number:1986.8.1
Date:Circa 1930
Image of Oil portrait of Horace W. McCurdy by Charles A. Veteto, ca. 1970

Oil portrait of Horace W. McCurdy by Charles A. Veteto, ca. 1970

Horace W. McCurdy (1899-1989), born in Port Townsend, was a shipbuilder, bridge builder, civic leader, native Washingtonian, and prolific maritime collector. Both the Lake Washington Floating Bridge and the Hood Canal Bridge were built by his firm, Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging. He was instrumental in the establishment and early development of MOHAI and he donated over 500 maritime-related artifacts…
ID Number:1990.19
Date:Circa 1970
Image of Oil painting of the Duthie Shipyards by Amos Grant, 1919

Oil painting of the Duthie Shipyards by Amos Grant, 1919

J. F. Duthie & Company was a small shipyard in Seattle, Washington, established in 1911, that built cargo ships during during World War I . Most of the vessels built were "West boats," or steel-hulled cargo ships, used by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) on the west coast of the US. Not much is known about the artist Amos…
ID Number:1992.10
Date:1919
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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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