Log House Museum

01/06/2024

What a difference a day makes! Alki Beach is particularly stunning today with sunshine and sailboats. Today is the Duwamish Head Race. Swing on by the beach and stop by the Log House Museum! We are open Fridays and Saturdays 12-4.

01/04/2024

“It’s amazing how responsive [salmon] are to even the most minor improvements. Whether it’s the Elwha or Longfellow Creek, if you give them a chance, they’ll come back.” — Tom Reese

Thank you to Eric Wagner, author of Once and Future River: Reclaiming the Duwamish for this great article in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound about our current exhibit, t?awi: Creek of Hope.

Visit the Log House Museum Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4pm!

Longfellow Creek near West Seattle's industrial district still draws spawning salmon despite a century of city development and an onslaught of toxic chemicals. A current exhibit by photographer Tom Reese explores this often-overlooked gem of urban nature.

12/08/2023

Looking for gifts? Stop by the Log House Museum for one of a kind gifts celebrating local landmarks and local history!

We are open Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4!

11/28/2023

We enjoyed listening to this KUOW Public Radio article on beavers, salmon, and local creek habitats.

We are still exhibiting t?awai Creek of Hope - a vibrant photo exhibit on Longfellow Creek in partnership with the Duwamish Alive Coalition and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association - DNDA. Featured photos by Tom Reese include images of the beavers and salmon along the historic creek!

We are open Fridays and Saturdays 12-4.

Typically, a major construction project in Seattle requires a city permit. Changes to a park would have you wading into the political process – maybe lobbying your city council member or the mayor. But beavers can’t be bothered with land use applications.

11/28/2023

It is GivingTuesday 2023!

GivingTuesday is an annual, global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

To celebrate, we ask you to consider a one-time donation to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.

As a 501c3 nonprofit, your tax-deductible contributions are critical to our mission – to preserve local history through education, preservation, and advocacy.

You can make your donation anytime between now and Tuesday, November 28. Make your contribution here and type “GivingTuesday” in the notes. You may also mail your contributions to SWSHS 3003 61st Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116.

11/25/2023

We are just a few days from GivingTuesday 2023!

GivingTuesday is an annual, global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

To celebrate, we ask you to consider a one-time donation to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.

As a 501c3 nonprofit, your tax-deductible contributions are critical to our mission – to preserve local history through education, preservation, and advocacy.

You can make your donation anytime between now and Tuesday, November 28. Make your contribution here and type “GivingTuesday” in the notes. You may also mail your contributions to SWSHS 3003 61st Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116.

11/23/2023

We are just a few more days from GivingTuesday 2023!

GivingTuesday is an annual, global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

To celebrate, we ask you to consider a one-time donation to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.

As a 501c3 nonprofit, your tax-deductible contributions are critical to our mission – to preserve local history through education, preservation, and advocacy.

You can make your donation anytime between now and Tuesday, November 28. Make your contribution on our website, www.loghousemuseum.org/get-involved/donate/ and type “GivingTuesday” in the notes. You may also mail your contributions to SWSHS 3003 61st Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116.

11/21/2023

Thank you West Seattle Blog for your excellent and thorough coverage of our Celebration of Longfellow Creek event, held at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center earlier this month. We were inspired to see everyone come out to learn about this historic creek and meet those who are advocating for it.

We hope everyone gets a chance to see our current exhibit, t?awai Creek of Hope, developed in partnership with the Duwamish Alive Coalition and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association - DNDA.

The Log House Museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 12-4pm. (Note: the museum is NOT open this Friday, November 24.)

(Recent video of salmon spawners in Longfellow Creek by Betsy Bertiaux) By Tracy Record West Seattle Blog editor

11/17/2023

Very interesting news off of Alki Point. The Northwest Shipwreck Alliance has announced it believes it has located the Dix, a steamer ship from the famed Mosquito Fleet that sank in a fatal crash almost exactly 117 years ago.

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society helped tell this story in its exhibit, "West by Water" back in 2011. Learn more here: https://www.loghousemuseum.org/exhibits/west-by-water-maritime-history-of-west-seattle/

The SS Dix was part of the "Mosquito Fleet" carrying passengers across Puget Sound. It sunk in 1906 after colliding with another vessel.

11/12/2023

We got lucky with the weather! It was a perfect day for a hike along Longfellow Creek with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association - DNDA to talk about salmon habitat and creek restoration efforts.

Visit t?awai: Creek of Hope at the Log House Museum, Fridays and Saturdays 12-4pm.

11/09/2023

We had an excellent time at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center last evening to celebrate and learn about Longfellow Creek. Thank you to all of our presenters, community partners, and to our attendees for joining us.

There are limited spots available for this Saturday's guided hike along Longfellow Creek at Dragonfly Pavilion Park. Registration required at www.loghousemuseum.org.

11/08/2023

"In West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek, Edward Kolodziej, an associate professor at the University of Washington Tacoma and a co-author on the 2020 paper, saw coho fighting for life.

'You’re watching them gasp. They really should breathe in and out the same way that we breathe in and out — chest rises and falls — and in this type of mortality, they stop breathing correctly.'"

---

Today's article in the The Seattle Times announces a new lawsuit targeting 6PPD-quinone, a chemical used in tire manufacturing that is toxic to coho populations.

Ed, one of the researchers of the study behind this lawsuit, joins SWSHS and other experts and advocates at tonight's A Celebration of Longfellow Creek event.

The event is located at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center. Doors open at 5:30. Tickets available at loghousemusuem.org.

A chemical known as 6PPD-quinone helps tires last longer, but when it gets into stormwater runoff, it is lethal to coho and other salmon.

11/07/2023

It's Election Day! Get your ballots in by 8pm today. Then - join us for this Thursday's Words, Writers, Southwest Stories with - Women in Government!

Archivists Anne Frantilla and Jeanie Fisher invite you to listen to stories from the Municipal Archives about women whose lives intersected with city government.

From advocating for women and children on the streets to finding a way to increase the number of women working for the City in professional positions, women in city government have struggled since the City was founded to create a more hospitable environment for themselves and the women who came after them.

Words, Writers, Southwest Stories - Women in Government
Thursday, November 9 at 6pm

Register today at https://www.loghousemuseum.org/blog/words-writers-southwest-stories-presents-seattle-municipal-archives-women-and-government/

Photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives, Super Majority of women on Seattle City Council, 1994.

11/03/2023

Once a mighty salmon spawning stream known by Coast Salish People of the region as t?awi, Longfellow Creek has a storied past. The people and this creek have been in a close relationship for many thousands of years, from when salmon first chose to make their home here, through intense urbanization in the late 19th and 20th centuries, to today – where this creek and its people are beginning to tell a renewed story – one of hope.

Join SWSHS, Duwamish Alive Coalition and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association for a celebration of this historic creek, Wednesday, November 8 at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center.

The event will bring together researchers, advocates, and others to discuss the history of the creek, to unpack new, ground-breaking research on tire dust toxins and its impacts on local coho population, and discuss how community organizers are advocating for its protection.

This program is free. Registration and information at: https://www.loghousemuseum.org/blog/longfellow-creek-event/

11/02/2023

From advocating for women and families to finding a way to increase the number of women working for the City in professional positions, women in Seattle government have striven to create a more hospitable environment for themselves and the women who came after them.

This election season, SWSHS presents Words, Writers and Southwest Stories - Women in Government, presented by City Archivist, Ann Frantilla and Reference Archivist, Jeanie Fisher of the Seattle Municipal Archives, on Thursday, November 9 at 6pm.

This program is free. Registration and information at: https://www.loghousemuseum.org/blog/words-writers-southwest-stories-presents-seattle-municipal-archives-women-and-government/

City Light Home Economists, Image courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives.

10/31/2023

To cap off our week long celebration of the spooky, scary and just plain weird from our museum collection, we present, "Mr. Marion Michaelson descendant Old man with beard."

Happy Halloween West Seattle!

Film negative, SWSHS 2004.21

10/30/2023

This Halloween the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is sharing the oddities in our collections - the ones that are a little spooky, a little scary, or just ... odd.

Pictured here is the Skidoo House "with bars, and entrances into [a] rock-like structure. [Signs read:] "We feed the animals at 9..." "Palmistry" and "Kingdom of..." with a painting of a woman with a snake over her shoulders signage visible," SWSHS 1992.2.85.

The Skidoo House was never actually at Luna Park, (although it would have fit right in). It was installed at Madison Park's White City carnival.

10/30/2023

Once a mighty salmon spawning stream known by Coast Salish People of the region as t?awi, Longfellow Creek has a storied past. The people and this creek have been in a close relationship for many thousands of years, from when salmon first chose to make their home here, through intense urbanization in the late 19th and 20th centuries, to today – where this creek and its people are beginning to tell a renewed story – one of hope.

Join SWSHS, Duwamish Alive Coalition and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association for a celebration of this historic creek, Wednesday, November 8 at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

The event will bring together researchers, advocates, and others to discuss the history of the creek, to unpack new, ground-breaking research on tire dust toxins and its impacts on local coho population, and discuss how community organizers are advocating for its protection.

This program is free. Registration and information at: https://www.loghousemuseum.org/blog/longfellow-creek-event/

10/29/2023

On June 6, 1889, at about 2:45 p.m, the Great Seattle Fire started as a pot of glue burst into flames in a small shop in downtown Seattle. While miraculously no lives were lost, the fire destroyed much of downtown Seattle.

This Halloween we celebrate the spooky, scary, and just plain weird through objects from our museum collections.

The Great Seattle Fire endures as a defining moment in Seattle History. This photo here shows of a remnant of that fire, a spooky souvenir, that was mounted and displayed in Richey Drugstore at Alki Beach.

SWSHS 1992.2.1

10/28/2023

The Hi-Yu Parade was a central feature of West Seattle summers for over 80 years before it ended in 2017. Our oral history collection contains many memories of this parade - but, unfortunately, no information on the "man in vampire costume" captured here in 1968. (Clown picture from the same year added for extra spook.)

Happy (almost) Halloween!

-Color picture from the Hi-Yu Parade, July 20, 1968. Picture of man in vampire costume surrounded by a group of children, SWSHS 2004.21.1563
-Color picture of the 1968 Hi-Yu parade. Picture of a clown, SWSHS 2004.21.1584.

10/28/2023

Sometimes you find photographs in your museum's collection and you just don't have a lot of context. And sometimes you don't even want any.

Keeping with our spooky, scary, and just plain weird theme for Halloween week, we thought we would share these two gems, Captain Ozone and an empty parking garage:

-"Color photo of an unidentified man in a super hero outfit (white body suit, blue cape, boots, mask, and underwear) holding a chainsaw above his head, with a black symbol on a yellow background on the front of his body suit. Located in "Mugs 1970s-80s" box." SWSHS 2005.32.57
-"Empty Southgate parking garage interior, White Center," SWSHS 2008.2.10

10/27/2023

Happy (almost Halloween!) from the Log House Museum! 🧟‍♀️🧛‍♂️This week we celebrate Halloween by sharing our collection.

Here, a photograph labelled "Halloween costume Party, Svendsen's .... All of the children are holding Jack-o-lanterns with handles. Interesting decor shown inside Svendsen house with pictures hanging on the wall, nice furniture and an AYP pennant hanging in the center of curtains": SWSHS 1986.2.1.

10/26/2023

From advocating for women and families to finding a way to increase the number of women working for the City in professional positions, women in Seattle government have striven to create a more hospitable environment for themselves and the women who came after them.

This election season, SWSHS presents Words, Writers and Southwest Stories - Women in Government, presented by City Archivist, Ann Frantilla and Reference Archivist, Jeanie Fisher of the Seattle Municipal Archives, on Thursday, November 9 at 6pm.

This program is free. Registration and information at: https://www.loghousemuseum.org/blog/words-writers-southwest-stories-presents-seattle-municipal-archives-women-and-government/

Seattle's Women's Commission, 1971. Image courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives.

10/26/2023

Its almost Halloween so we thought we'd dig into our collections for the spooky, the scary, and the just plain weird.

You know about the current West Seattle Bridge. But do you know what propelled it into existence? More importantly, do you know the story of Ruth and Rolph Neslund??

This picture is of a piece of the original bridge in our museum collection. It is labelled "Piece of West Seattle bridge where impact occurred 1978. Function Unknown," SWSHS 1999.33. The second photo also in our collection shows the site of impact and notes: "Crushed and crunched bridge portions from above, looking down toward bridge and water," SWSHS 2005.32.34.

Read more about the eerie tale of the Neslunds on historylink.org. https://www.historylink.org/File/8137

10/21/2023

Our beavers are here! Join us today for a Family Day with Beaver Insights!

Make your own beaver mask, build a dam, peak into a beaver lodge and celebrate these cute and helpful creatures that call Longfellow Creek home.

The Log House Museum will be open today from 12-4pm

10/20/2023

West Seattle - we are seeing your excellent pics and videos of coho salmon along Longfellow Creek! Keep 'em coming!

From its headwaters at Roxhill Park to its mouth at Elliot Bay, this historic creek doesn't cease to amaze. And we are here for it.

Join us this month and next for programs related to this creek and visit our ongoing exhibit t?awi: Creek of Hope at the Log House Museum.

Longfellow Creek Events:

Saturday, October 21: Family Day with Beaver Insights - at the Log House Museum

Create your own Beaver mask – just in time for Halloween, help build a working beaver dam (and learn how beavers help wildlife who depend on the creek), peak into a constructed beaver lodge to see how beavers care for their kits, and enjoy complementary hot cider. Free, Drop In

Wednesday, November 8: A Celebration of Longfellow Creek, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center

Join SWSHS, Duwamish Alive Coalition and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association - DNDA for a celebration of Longfellow Creek. The event will bring together researchers, advocates, and others to discuss the history of the creek, to unpack new, ground-breaking research on tire dust toxins and its impacts on local coho population, and discuss how community organizers are advocating for its protection.

Saturday, November 11: Longfellow Creek Hike with DNDA, Dragonfly Pavilion Park

Join SWSHS and DNDA Environmental Educators on a guided hike along Longfellow Creek at Dragonfly Pavilion Park and learn about the spawning habitat for salmon. The hike will be less than a mile on mainly flat trails. Participants should dress for the weather, wear comfortable walking shoes and rain gear, and are encouraged to bring water. Registration required, limited space!

Details and registration at www.loghousemuseum.org.

Photos, from t?awi: Creek of Hope, by Tom Reese.