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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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393 results for: Central Area

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Image of Lillian Gideon at dedication of Heritage Garden, Seattle, October 16, 2001
Photograph

Lillian Gideon at dedication of Heritage Garden, Seattle, October 16, 2001

Lillian Morris Gideon (1907-2006) was widely known in Seattle as a volunteer and philanthropist in Seattle's African-American community and other groups. Born in Mobile, AL and educated at Boston College, Gideon served in the American Red Cross during both World Wars, and moved to Seattle in the 1950s with her husband Russell, working as a social worker at the VA…
ID Number:2020.42.5.08.01.11
Date:2001
Image of Black Lives Matter sign from March of Silence, June 12, 2020
Ephemera

Black Lives Matter sign from March of Silence, June 12, 2020

In the summer of 2020, protests against police brutality and systemic anti-Black racism broke out across the United States in response to the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by police officers in Minneapolis in May 2020. The protests were associated with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In Seattle, protesters formed the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP; also…
ID Number:2021.39.1
Date:2020
Image of Seattle Gay News,Vol. 20, No. 14, April 3, 1992
Serial

Seattle Gay News,Vol. 20, No. 14, April 3, 1992

The Seattle Gay News (SGN) was founded in 1976 to provide news coverage focusing on Seattle’s gay community; it is the third oldest LGBTQ+ newspaper in the US. Seattle Gay News started as a newsletter produced by the Gay Community Center. It provided news to a community that was largely ignored by mainstream newspapers and advocated for gay rights in…
ID Number:2021.67.41
Date:1992
Videorecording

Motivation in the Central Area: Good News for Black Children, Community Television Agency program, December 21, 1988

Started in 1976 by Virginia Brookbush, CTA produced up to seven half-hour public access television shows a week in the late 1970s and 1980s. Designed to let anyone use public air time to talk about local issues, CTA produced regular shows like "You Have the Right to Know," "Community Bulletin Board," "Visiting Over the Backyard Fence," "This Town's Talent," and…
ID Number:2021.84.01
Date:1988
Image of Exterior of Seattle Central School II, circa 1895
Photograph

Exterior of Seattle Central School II, circa 1895

In 1875 the Seattle School District purchased a 1.4-acre site at Madison Street between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, on First Hill. This location was just three blocks to the east of the first Central School, which, as the city's only public school, had grown beyond capacity. The district opened a temporary annex at the site in 1878, which was…
ID Number:Lib1991.5.76
Date:Circa 1895
Image of Wharf and beach homes on waterfront, Seattle, circa 1895
Photograph

Wharf and beach homes on waterfront, Seattle, circa 1895

Predating the settlement that became the city of Seattle, the Duwamish had an encampment with two longhouses situated along the north central waterfront, roughly at the intersection of present-day Bell Street and Alaskan Way. By around the 1860s, the longhouses were gone, leaving only modest beach structures. In the 1890s the waterfront from Pike Street north to Broad Street had…
ID Number:Lib1991.5.78
Date:Circa 1895
Image of Seattle's International Settlement brochure, circa 1960
Ephemera

Seattle's International Settlement brochure, circa 1960

The Jackson Street Community Council (1946-1967) was established to represent both Seattle's Asian and African American communities in part of the Central District and the Chinatown - International District, supporting businesses, volunteer organizations, and social groups. The JSCC linked these two communities of color and later advocated for civil rights for both. This brochure, titled Seattle's International Settlement, gives an…
ID Number:Lib1991.30.19
Date:Circa 1960
Image of Captain Billy and woman on horseback, circa 1900
Photograph

Captain Billy and woman on horseback, circa 1900

The Yakama (formerly spelled Yakima) people have lived in the Columbia River basin since time immemorial. During the winter, they lived in permanent villages built on the valley floor, where the climate was most temperate. Starting in spring, they traveled along the rivers and into the hills to gather food. Some gathered roots and berries, and others fished in rivers,…
ID Number:Lib1992.9.72
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Skier on Denny Mountain, Alpental, 1976
Photograph

Skier on Denny Mountain, Alpental, 1976

In the winter of 1934, Seattle made national news by opening one of the first municipal ski areas in the country at Snoqualmie summit, championed by Mayor John F. Dore, a skier who envisioned the project as one that could lift his city's spirits during the midst of the Great Depression. The Ski Park grew, installing a rope tow in…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.48
Date:1976
Image of University of Washington ski team member about to crash, Alpental, 1976
Photograph

University of Washington ski team member about to crash, Alpental, 1976

In the winter of 1934, Seattle made national news by opening one of the first municipal ski areas in the country at Snoqualmie summit, championed by Mayor John F. Dore, a skier who envisioned the project as one that could lift his city's spirits during the midst of the Great Depression. The Ski Park grew, installing a rope tow in…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.119
Date:1976
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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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