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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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506 results for: Government and Public Services

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Image of Seattle Fire Department employees, wagons, and engine houses, 1898
Photograph

Seattle Fire Department employees, wagons, and engine houses, 1898

The creation of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) can be traced back to July 6th, 1876, when the all-volunteer Seattle Engine Company No.1 was organized. In 1883, the City Charter was amended to create and fund equipment, but not staff, for a centralized municipal fire department. The volunteer-based system persisted until pressure from the insurance industry and citizens after the…
ID Number:1953.287.1
Date:1898
Image of King County Courthouse construction, Seattle, September 11, 1915
Photograph

King County Courthouse construction, Seattle, September 11, 1915

This image of the King County Courthouse in Seattle was taken facing northeast during construction on September 11, 1915. Architect A. Warren Gould designed the five-story steel frame and reinforced concrete structure, built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company. The building sits at 516 Third Avenue, between Dilling Way and James Street, and was dedicated May 4, 1916,…
ID Number:1955.970.500.7.1
Date:1915
Image of King County Courthouse construction, Seattle, July 17, 1915
Photograph

King County Courthouse construction, Seattle, July 17, 1915

This image of the King County Courthouse in Seattle was taken facing southeast during construction on July 17, 1915. Architect A. Warren Gould designed the five-story steel frame and reinforced concrete structure, built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company. The building sits at 516 Third Avenue, between Dilling Way and James Street, and was dedicated May 4, 1916…
ID Number:1955.970.500.7.2
Date:1915
Image of King County Courthouse construction, Seattle, May 15, 1915
Photograph

King County Courthouse construction, Seattle, May 15, 1915

This image of the King County Courthouse in Seattle was taken facing southeast during construction on May 15, 1915. Architect A. Warren Gould designed the five-story steel frame and reinforced concrete structure, built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company. The building sits at 516 Third Avenue, between Dilling Way and James Street, and was dedicated May 4, 1916…
ID Number:1955.970.500.7.3
Date:1915
Image of Account of Mails Received at the Post Office at Seattle, County of King, Territory of Washington, August-October, 1853
Ephemera

Account of Mails Received at the Post Office at Seattle, County of King, Territory of Washington, August-October, 1853

The Territory of Washington was incorporated on March 2, 1853, a period of time in which the village of Seattle consisted of a church, a brothel, two blockhouses, a post office, and a small assortment of homes. Mail at that time had to be sent on a steamship that sailed bimonthly from San Francisco to Astoria, Oregon, and then made…
ID Number:1957.1281.3
Date:1853
Image of Julia Rochester concert poster, Seattle Theatre, December 27, 1893
Poster

Julia Rochester concert poster, Seattle Theatre, December 27, 1893

Julia Gwynn (Smith) Rochester (1860-1931) was born in Missouri and came to Seattle in 1889 with her husband, George A. C. Rochester (1855-1929), a prominent lawyer, judge, and Librarian of the Seattle Public Library from 1907. An accomplished vocalist, Julia Rochester organized the Capitol Hill Unit of the Music and Art Foundation and represented the Ladies' Musical Club of Seattle…
ID Number:1957.1344.1
Date:1893
Document

King County Census, 1877

"An Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Washington," passed in 1853 by the Thirty-Second Congress of the United States, required that a census be performed prior to elections for non-appointed members of the territorial legislature. "An Act to Authorize the Assessors of Each County to Take the Census in the Statutes of the Territory of Washington," enacted in 1854,…
ID Number:1959.1671.4
Date:1877
Document

King County Census, 1878

"An Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Washington," passed in 1853 by the Thirty-Second Congress of the United States, required that a census be performed prior to elections for non-appointed members of the territorial legislature. "An Act to Authorize the Assessors of Each County to Take the Census in the Statutes of the Territory of Washington," enacted in 1854,…
ID Number:1959.1671.5
Date:1878
Image of Interior view of Government of Japan Pavilion, Seattle World's Fair, 1962
Photograph

Interior view of Government of Japan Pavilion, Seattle World's Fair, 1962

The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) ran from April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962. Nearly 10 million people attended the fair. As planned, the exposition left behind a fairground and numerous public buildings and public works; some credit it with revitalizing Seattle's economic and cultural life. The site, slightly expanded since the fair, is…
ID Number:1963.3119.65.20
Date:1962
Image of Exterior of Government of the Philippines Pavilion, Seattle World's Fair, 1962
Photograph

Exterior of Government of the Philippines Pavilion, Seattle World's Fair, 1962

The Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair) ran from April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962. Nearly 10 million people attended the fair. As planned, the exposition left behind a fairground and numerous public buildings and public works; some credit it with revitalizing Seattle's economic and cultural life. The site, slightly expanded since the fair, is…
ID Number:1963.3119.65.40
Date:1962
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Land Acknowledgement

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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