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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.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

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517 results for: Museum of History

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Image of South Park, Your Last Chance to Secure a Home, 1890
Ephemera

South Park, Your Last Chance to Secure a Home, 1890

The first residents of Seattle's South Park neighborhood, on the west bank of the Duwamish River, were Coast Salish Peoples of the Duwamish Tribe. Beginning in 1851, white settlers like Eli Maple (or Mapel) (1831-1911) staked claims to the land, however the area was mostly utilized by farmers. In 1889, I. William Adams purchased the Donovan farm and he platted…
ID Number:MS.COLL.252
Date:1890
Image of Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters Banquet and Auction program, 1940
Program

Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters Banquet and Auction program, 1940

The Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters (now The Puget Sound Group of Northwest Artists) was founded in 1928 and continues to support visual artists through scholarship, education, fellowship, and historic preservation. The oldest professional arts organization in the Pacific Northwest, it was founded by Eustace Ziegler (1881-), who wanted the group to be self-supporting, to award scholarships to deserving…
ID Number:MS.COLL.311.2
Date:1949
Image of A Southern Colonial House in Miniature, circa 1948
Ephemera

A Southern Colonial House in Miniature, circa 1948

This booklet describes the creation of the "Hammons House," a Colonial Revival miniature mansion co-designed by Claire Bagley Hammons, her husband Frederick Dent Hammons, and architect Joseph S. Coté. The model house was completed in 1948 and given as a gift to the Seattle Historical Society, now known as the Museum of History & Industry, in 1955. The pamphlet has…
ID Number:MS.COLL.814
Date:Circa 1948
Image of A Guide to Seattle, circa 1925
Ephemera

A Guide to Seattle, circa 1925

This pamphlet was published by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce in order to highlight places of interest for tourists visiting Seattle. The "Brief History" section highlights Seattle as a quick growing city able to offer a "range of attractions" that are argued to be unmatched on the continent. The pamphlet highlights many of the city's parks and outdoor recreational activities.…
ID Number:MS.COLL.1362.1
Date:Circa 1925
Image of My First Trip to Seattle, by Nora Leonard Vandeventer, circa 1938
Manuscript

My First Trip to Seattle, by Nora Leonard Vandeventer, circa 1938

In her story "My First Trip to Seattle," Nora Leonard Vandeventer (1863-1944) recounts the trip she made with her family, as a child of around 10, when they moved from Tumwater to Seattle. She recounts the perilous January trip on the Zephyr, a sternwheel steamer of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. Nora traveled with her parents Amy and Thomas Austin…
ID Number:MS.COLL.1523
Date:Circa 1938
Image of Indigenous dancers fancy dancing at the Ellensburg Rodeo, September 1945
Photograph

Indigenous dancers fancy dancing at the Ellensburg Rodeo, September 1945

The first rodeo at Ellensburg, Washington, opened in September 1923. For many years, the "Indian Village" was one of the more popular attractions at the rodeo. There, Indigenous people from many tribes camped in teepees and put on dancing and riding performances. In 1945, 100 Yakama Natives camped and performed at the rodeo and rode in its parades. In this…
ID Number:PI25362
Date:1945
Image of East-facing view of Seattle and the Alaskan, 1888
Photograph

East-facing view of Seattle and the Alaskan, 1888

Seattle in the 1880s was a rapidly growing city, aided in no small part by the 1883 connection with the Northern Pacific Railway Company. Lumber and coal were the primary industries, but the growth of fishing, wholesale trade, shipbuilding, and shipping also contributed to the town's economic expansion and population growth. The Seattle City Census of 1888 records population at…
ID Number:SHS201
Date:1888
Image of North Pacific Brewery, Columbia and 1st Ave., Seattle, 1874
Photograph

North Pacific Brewery, Columbia and 1st Ave., Seattle, 1874

Commercial beer brewing began in Seattle around 1854 when Antonio B. Rabbeson founded Washington Brewery; by the spring of 1864 he was advertising his porter, beer, and cream ales. On February 1, 1865, Martin Schmieg and Joseph Butterfield announced their new North Pacific Brewery, on the southwest corner of Columbia Street and Front Street (now First Avenue). Butterfield later sold…
ID Number:SHS240
Date:1874
Image of Intelligencer building at 1st and Cherry, circa 1876
Photograph

Intelligencer building at 1st and Cherry, circa 1876

Seattle's oldest newspaper, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, was founded in 1863 as the weekly Seattle Gazette, when Seattle was little more than a sawmill, a few dozen wooden buildings, and a couple of hundred people. This image shows the paper's new building, constructed in 1874 by Henry Yesler at Front Street (now First Avenue) and Cherry Street. The name on the…
ID Number:SHS252
Date:Circa 1876
Image of Man guarding a safe after Great Seattle Fire, June 6, 1889
Photograph

Man guarding a safe after Great Seattle Fire, June 6, 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the city. The fire started at 2:30 p.m. in a shop at Front Street (now First Avenue) and Madison Street and swept across 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The fire left little standing…
ID Number:SHS511
Date:1889
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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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