The Washington State History Museum is open for visitors Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. All visitors ages 5 and above are required to wear masks while in the museum. Close
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Crossing Boundaries 2

Crossing Boundaries

May 29 - Dec 10 2021
This exhibit highlights historical narratives of transgender people in the West and considers how westward migration provided opportunities for self-expression and fulfillment. Traversing unfamiliar territory, these individuals crossed both physical boundaries and the perceptual boundaries of their earlier lives. Join us in learning more about the history of gender, identity, and changing cultural perceptions in the West and the connections between transgender history and the LGBTQ+ community today.
As Grandmother Taught

As Grandmother Taught

Jul 23 - Nov 28 2021
This exhibition from the NWMAC in Spokane celebrates three contemporary Columbia River Plateau women alongside historic objects and images from the NWMAC’s collection. The art of these cultures reflects traditional lifeways borne of a time-honored and interdependent relationship with the natural world. Women have been the primary makers of the functional forms necessary to everyday life.
University of Washington and Washington State Historical Society collaboration

Pandemic Perspectives

Aug 19 - Dec 10 2021
The WSHS and UW collaborated to provide a unique learning experience for students in the capstone course for the Public Health/Global Health major. This exhibition is the result of the student's work. By exploring poignant personal accounts of people in our community, you'll come away with a clearer, more diverse understanding of the reach and ramifications of this global crisis as it played out right here at home.
Handstitched Worlds 2

Handstitched Worlds

Sep 17 - Jan 24 2022
Looking across city blocks and quilt blocks, roadways and seams, one can see a visible kinship between quilt making and cartography. Both are built upon established systems that use color, pattern, and symbols to create whole compositions from a network of interlocked parts. Quilts and maps are also infused with history and memory—similarly living records of traditions, experiences, relationships, beliefs, and future aspirations.
A View From Above 2

A View From Above

Sep 17 - Jan 23 2022
See a selection of bird’s-eye view maps from the Historical Society's collections illustrating cities and towns from across Washington. Also called panoramic maps, they were drawn to give the viewer a sense of looking down at a city and its major features as if they were flying above it. Maps on view are from the late 1800s -early 1900s as well as more recently created maps inspired by the panoramic style. Also featuring historic surveying, mapmaking, and illustration tools.
Great Hall of Washington History 7

Great Hall of Washington History

Permanent Exhibition
Our largest exhibit is a walk through time, showcasing some of the state’s earliest history and a variety of artifacts from Native American civilizations and cultures.
Remembrance 1

REMEMBRANCE

Permanent Exhibition
This new long-term gallery at Washington State History Museum explores the intergenerational impacts and legacy of the incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II as a result of Executive Order 9066. Many of the letters, photographs, ephemera, and objects on view were contributed by people in our community who were incarcerated, or are the descendants of those who were incarcerated.
Washington: My Home

Washington: My Home

Permanent Exhibition
This permanent exhibit explores migration and immigration through the experiences of diverse individuals who, over time, have come to live in Washington.
360 - opening September 16, 2021

360

Permanent Exhibition
Why is it called 360, you may wonder? That's the distance in miles from the eastern flatland to the western shore, measuring between the boundaries drawn when Washington became a state in 1889. From mountain and prairie to river and sea, relationships to place have sustained and drawn people here, while shaping the lives of those who have always called this land home.
Remembrance 29

REMEMBRANCE (Virtual)

Permanent Exhibition
Visit this page to view some of the many objects and stories featured in the Remembrance gallery at the Washington State History Museum.
Scholarly Selections

Scholarly Selections

Oct 21, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Join this presentation on Facebook Live (Facebook account is not required to see event!). UWT professor Riki Thompson presents her original research about online dating for individuals who identify outside of binary gender norms. She illuminates the challenges and opportunities of online dating in relation to gender and sexuality.
postponed

Family Saturday: Exploring 360

This event has been postponed. Check back soon for new date.
Join us for a facilitated family-friendly exploration of the new 360 gallery, including a special activity.
postponed

Family Saturday

Postponed, check back soon for new date.
Meet the Pacific Northwest African American Quilters as they share their fiber arts creations and the stories behind them. Then, try your hand at patterning squares that tell your own story!
Veterans Day: Stories from Native American Veterans 1

Veterans Day: Stories from Native American Veterans

Nov 11, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Honor Veterans Day virtually with the Historical Society as we listen to Native American veterans who have served in the United States military. Hear stories from tribes across Washington in this unique event, drawing from oral histories collected by WSHS staff.
UWT Scholarly Selections

UWT Scholarly Selections

Nov 18, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Watch this program on Facebook Live; you don't need a Facebook account to see it. Hear from this accomplished and innovative professor! UWT researchers are collaborating with universities in Portugal and Brazil in the areas of wireless sensor networks for environmental monitoring and energy harvesting. Learn about the latest developments of this research and its applications.
postponed

History After Hours: Bootleggers’ Ball III

Dec 2, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Kick-off the holiday season by raising a glass to Repeal Day! Cut a rug with a live performance by The Happy Sinners, sip on the bee’s knees of cocktails, and take in tales of Washington in the ‘20s with historian Steve Edmiston. Dress to the nines for a chance to win the coveted costume contest!