Southwest Seattle Historical Society Programs
Education
Our Log House Museum is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Visitors explore two exhibit galleries, talk with trained docents and view history videos. Tours are available to school and community groups upon request. We offer a popular summer history walking tour series and sponsor or co-sponsor many community events. Education trunks and books are available for borrowing by education institutions or teachers.
Preservation
Our collection comprises thousands of items ranging from photographs and documents to artifacts both small (such as hundreds of decorated paper bags from luminaries created spontaneously and left on Alki Beach in the days following 9/11) and large (an original Statue of Liberty replica and original totem pole, both West Seattle icons).
Advocacy
In 1989, we led the successful, grassroots effort to secure Seattle city landmark status for the 1942 art-deco Admiral Theater, which has operated continuously since its repurchase and reopening in 1992. In 1996, we secured Seattle city landmark status for the 1904 log structure called Fir Lodge/Alki Homestead and its companion Carriage House, which has become our museum. Since 2009, when a fire damaged the Alki Homestead, our organization has forged a coalition with Historic Seattle, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and 4Culture to promote and provide hands-on help to the owner for restoration of the Alki Homestead.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Our "Telling Our Westside Stories" campaign and exhibit, which brings alive the memories of community elders from interviews conducted by area middle-schoolers and whose traveling version reaches residents at area libraries and schools, focuses on a theme of "The Land." This campaign and exhibit will continue in 2013 and 2014 with exploration of the ancillary themes of "The Work" and "The Home."
We also have embarked on the restoration of an iconic West Seattle totem pole that stood from 1966 for 40 years at Belvidere Viewpoint. We are partway through the campaign of raising funds to complete this project, which will culminate with the raising of the pole at our Log House Museum. We envision completing the campaign through the help of partner companies, organizations and individuals.