Photo courtesy of Museum of Flight

The Museum of Flight broke ground for its new Space Gallery on June 29, and reaffirmed its commitment to bring to Washington State one of the four Space Shuttles NASA is retiring. Read the rest of this article »

Historic preservationists are planning to be among the stakeholders participating in the Department of Interior’s “America’s Great Outdoors” Listening Session, which takes place in Seattle on Thursday, July 1. Read the rest of this article »

The people of Seattle will have a public opportunity to stand up for a century-old West Seattle city landmark at a mid-day rally on July 4, 2010. Read the rest of this article »

Last month, we told you that American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation had awarded $125,000 each to the Schooner Adventuress and Town Hall as the top two vote-getters in the Seattle-Puget Sound Partners in Preservation initiative. This month, nine additional historic sites were named as recipients of sizable grants. In King County, those winners include: Read the rest of this article »

King County Executive Dow Constantine, himself an advocate for historic preservation, presided over the recent presentation of the King County Historic Preservation Program’s 10th Annual John D. Spellman Awards. Four areas of achievement were highlighted. Read the rest of this article »

On June 17th, I was fortunate enough to attend my first Washington Museum Association conference in Gig Harbor. Having never been to Gig Harbor, I was looking forward to visiting the town as well as attending what promised to be interesting sessions. The conference was held at the recently constructed Harbor History Museum, a beautiful facility with views of the harbor and close proximity to the charming downtown of Gig Harbor. Read the rest of this article »

The 2010 Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival will be held over the July 4 weekend in Seattle. There will be plenty of visiting vessels, boat rides, activities for kids, and boatbuilding demonstrations, as well as live music. And by all means, stop by the AKCHO display to find out more about heritage and preservation organizations throughout King County! Visit www.cwb.org/2010-wooden-boat-festival to learn more.

The Rainier Valley Historical Society’s Mikala Woodward, who also serves as AKCHO Vice President, has written up a neat account of Hitt’s Fireworks Company. This internationally renowned business concern manufactured fireworks in Columbia City until the 1970s and created the 4th of July show for Ivar’s until 1974, as well as the displays at Sick’s Stadium and at Playland in north Seattle. Read the rest of this article »

My first encounter with Ruth Ittner took place in the late 1980s, when she initiated and accepted the challenge of establishing a hiking trail as a Washington State Centennial legacy project. At first, Ruth had no trail site in mind, but after approaching the Forest Service with her idea in 1987, the abandoned route of the Great Northern Railway near Stevens Pass became a natural choice. Its rich history, natural scenic beauty and railroad grade made it made it a hiking trail worth developing. Read the rest of this article »

In conjunction with the opening of its exhibit, “Women’s Votes, Women’s Voices,” which celebrates a century of women’s suffrage in Washington State, the Museum of History is planning a summer filled with special events and programs. Read the rest of this article »