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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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508 results for: Government and Public Services

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Image of Seattle Civil Defense evacuation routes pamphlet, 1955
Ephemera

Seattle Civil Defense evacuation routes pamphlet, 1955

The Civil Defense Evacuation Routes brochure pictured here, "Evacuate: Don't Sit Under The Mushroom," was distributed to Seattle and King County residents in 1955 by King County Civil Defense Department (now Department of Public Defense). At the time Seattle was considered a potential Major Target Area for an attack with a thermonuclear weapon (a hydrogen bomb). The planned evacuation routes…
ID Number:2010.14.1
Date:1955
Image of Deed to City of Seattle for Carkeek Park property, Seattle, August 21, 1918
Document

Deed to City of Seattle for Carkeek Park property, Seattle, August 21, 1918

Seattle’s original Carkeek Park was located on Lake Washington, roughly where Magnuson Park is today. English-born Seattle businessman and contractor Morgan J. Carkeek had come to Seattle in 1875. In 1919, he and his wife gave some 23 acres of land on Lake Washington to the City of Seattle for a park, to be called “Carkeek Park”. On August 21,…
ID Number:2012.3.3
Date:1918
Image of Metro water conservation poster, Seattle, 1977
Poster

Metro water conservation poster, Seattle, 1977

Metro, the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, was founded in 1958 to oversee regional wastewater treatment. In time, supervision of regional transit was added, but after Metro merged with King County in 1994, the water quality and transportation management functions were separated.The poster pictured here was created for Metro’s Community Involvement office and was displayed inside Seattle and King County buses,…
ID Number:2012.34.20
Date:1977
Image of Metro neighborhood water quality poster, Seattle, 1977
Poster

Metro neighborhood water quality poster, Seattle, 1977

Metro, the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, was founded in 1958 to oversee regional wastewater treatment. In time, supervision of regional transit was added, but after Metro merged with King County in 1994, the water quality and transportation management functions were separated.The poster pictured here was created for Metro’s Community Involvement office and was displayed inside Seattle and King County buses,…
ID Number:2012.34.21
Date:1977
Image of Seattle Star, February 5, 1919
Serial

Seattle Star, February 5, 1919

The Seattle General Strike was a work stoppage by more than 65,000 workers in Seattle from February 6-11, 1919. The strike began in shipyards when workers were refused pay increases after two years of World War I wage controls. Most of the city's 110 local unions, including members of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Industrial Workers of…
ID Number:2012.48.1
Date:1919
Image of This is Public Housing 10th Anniversary Report, 1949
Document

This is Public Housing 10th Anniversary Report, 1949

This booklet is the combined 1948/1949 report issued by the Housing Authority of the City of Seattle, titled "This is Public Housing, 10th Anniversary Report." The booklet commemorates the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Housing Authority and, using photographs and personal stories, illustrates how the Housing Authority came to be and its work. The booklet includes photographs and…
ID Number:2012.58.2
Date:1949
Image of Draft Information Picnic & Benefit poster, Fall City, September 7, 1980
Poster

Draft Information Picnic & Benefit poster, Fall City, September 7, 1980

In 1980 President Jimmy Carter reinstated the draft in response to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Depending upon their year of birth, men were required to register by a particular week during the summer and fall of 1980.This poster advertises an event to provide information about the draft, sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and The…
ID Number:2013.87.107
Date:1980
Image of Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, Seattle, March 2019
Photograph

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, Seattle, March 2019

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) is a program of the Washington State Library, providing access for any resident of Washington who is unable to read standard print material because of visual impairment or disability. The WTBBL began in 1906 as a program of the Seattle Public Library and became part of the National Library Service for the…
ID Number:2014.43.2.4.ARCH423
Date:2019
Image of Mail truck at the U. S. Post Office, Broadway Station on Capitol Hill, circa 1954
Photograph

Mail truck at the U. S. Post Office, Broadway Station on Capitol Hill, circa 1954

This Dodge mail truck is parked at the loading dock on Nagle Place behind the United States Post Office, Broadway Station. A postal worker stands on the dock, which is stacked with packages.In the mid-1950s, photographer Al Smith began working as a mail carrier at the Post Office and stayed for 25 years. He was proud of his work there…
ID Number:2014.49.Box22.Folder04.001
Date:Circa 1954
Image of Men outside of the Public Employment Office, Seattle, circa 1936
Photograph

Men outside of the Public Employment Office, Seattle, circa 1936

The Seattle Public Employment Office opened in 1894, serving many men who had come west during the panic of 1893 to seek a living. It was the first office of its kind in the nation. During the Great Depression, unemployed men in Seattle were able to find employment on WPA-funded projects like paving streets, and improving city parks, Boeing field,…
ID Number:2014.49.005.004.0045
Date:Circa 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.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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