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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 Georgetown City Hall, circa 1925
Photograph

Georgetown City Hall, circa 1925

Georgetown, located to the north of Boeing Field, was once a separate city connected to Seattle by streetcar. It became part of Seattle in 1910. In the 1920s, Georgetown's old city hall remained a center of community activity. It housed a baby clinic, the police department, and a branch of the Seattle Public Library.This photo shows how the Georgetown City…
ID Number:1983.10.3076.5
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Seattle's water pipeline, circa 1926
Photograph

Seattle's water pipeline, circa 1926

As early as the 1890s, Seattle city engineers realized that Lake Washington could not supply enough clean water for the growing city. Workers built a pipeline system from the city-owned Cedar River watershed, and the first Cedar River water arrived in Seattle in 1901. The early pipelines used both steel and wood stave pipe. Workmen built the wooden pipes by…
ID Number:1983.10.3161.4
Date:Circa 1926
Image of Fire engines in front of Fire Station No. 2, circa 1926
Photograph

Fire engines in front of Fire Station No. 2, circa 1926

Seattle built several new firehouses when the Fire Department seitched from horse-drawn fire equipment to motorized trucks. Fire Station No. 2, at Fourth Avenue and Battery Street, was one of these new stations. It opened in 1921 and is still in operation.Webster & Stevens took this photo around 1926 for the B.F. Goodrich tire company. It shows a row of…
ID Number:1983.10.3220
Date:Circa 1926
Image of Baker Dam, 1926
Photograph

Baker Dam, 1926

Photographers from Webster & Stevens toured outlying communities and scenic spots to take pictures for the Sunday newspaper. On this particular trip, they visited the Baker Dam, near Concrete. This 1926 photo shows the Baker Dam, the generating plant, and the valley of the Baker River. The dam, built in 1924, was part of the Puget Power and Light Company's…
ID Number:1983.10.3286.1
Date:1926
Image of City buses, Seattle, circa 1928
Photograph

City buses, Seattle, circa 1928

This photo shows Mack Truck Co. buses used by the city of Seattle in the late 1920s. Handwritten on sleeve: Mack Truck Co. City Buses.Photographer's Reference Number: 129734
ID Number:1983.10.3513.1
Date:Circa 1928
Image of Fire station on Beacon Hill, Seattle, circa 1928
Photograph

Fire station on Beacon Hill, Seattle, circa 1928

Fire Station No. 13 was constructed at 1536 14th Avenue South in 1904. In 1928, the company moved to a new single-story masonry station at 3601 Beacon Avenue South, as shown here. Handwritten on sleeve: Fire Dept New Beacon Hill Station.Photographer's Reference Number: 130913
ID Number:1983.10.3651
Date:Circa 1928
Image of Volunteer Park conservatory interior, Seattle, circa 1928

Volunteer Park conservatory interior, Seattle, circa 1928

The Volunteer Park Conservatory was completed in 1912 and opened in 1913, part of the Olmsted Brothers design for the park in Capitol Hill. Handwritten on sleeve: Vol. Park Green House Int.Photographer's Reference Number: 128650Caption information source: "Volunteer Park Conservatory nears completion on September 22, 1912," by Colleen E. O'Connor, HistoryLink.org Essay 10618
ID Number:1983.10.3935.3
Date:Circa 1928
Image of County-City Building and Holland Hotel, March 6, 1931
Photograph

County-City Building and Holland Hotel, March 6, 1931

The County-City Building housed both the King County Courthouse and the offices of Seattle's city officials. At the time it was built, in 1916, it was common for downtown buildings to have more floors added later. Starting in 1929, six stories were added to the original five. The lower and upper sections had different architects, but the two parts were…
ID Number:1983.10.4255
Date:1931
Image of Old Federal Office Building, March 8, 1933
Photograph

Old Federal Office Building, March 8, 1933

Seattle's Old Federal Office Building was called the New Federal Office Building when it opened in 1933. Forty government agencies were gathered under one roof. This allowed area residents to go to one place to deal with alcohol prohibition, customs regulations, veterans' issues, agricultural concerns, federal taxes, and other business. This photo shows the Art Deco-style Federal Building when it…
ID Number:1983.10.4422
Date:1933
Image of County-City Building after completion of phase two, July 3, 1936
Photograph

County-City Building after completion of phase two, July 3, 1936

In 1916, the new King County Courthouse and Municipal Building, also called the County-City Building, opened on Third Avenue in downtown Seattle. The building, designed by Seattle architect Augustus Warren Gould, was five stories tall, with a partial sixth story for the use of the city engineer. In 1929-1931, architect Henry Bittman's six story addition expanded Gould's original building upwards.…
ID Number:1983.10.4557.2
Date:1936
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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.
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Phone: 206 324 1126
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