THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

Humanities in the Harbor, a monthly series that explores unique and engaging topics for the Gig Harbor community, will continue in July as we welcome documentarian Vaun Raymond for a screening of his film, Curtis Comes Back to Seattle: Re-discovering Edward Sheriff Curtis and Native American Culture in the Pacific Northwest.

Edward Curtis is known internationally as one of the most important photographers and ethnographers of all time.  Less known are his roots in the Seattle area, and the vital role Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest played in inspiring his work.

Join descendants of Edward Curtis and people he photographed as they re-trace Curtis’ footsteps in the Pacific NW during the 150th anniversary of his birth. This feature-length documentary includes interviews with author Tim Egan, as well as recently-discovered sound recordings of Curtis’ children, sharing first-person accounts of life in the field with their father.

The film is directed by Vaun Raymond, who specializes in documenting Seattle history and teaches filmmaking at The Art Institute of Seattle. It is the final installment in a series of Curtis sesquicentennial films produced by Raymond.

The 90-minute film will be followed by a 30-minute discussion and Q&A with filmmaker, Vaun Raymond.

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

The July meeting will be held on WEDNESDAY, July 10th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our July meeting is My Name is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd.

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Venus Black is a straitlaced A student fascinated by the study of astronomy—until the night she commits a shocking crime that tears her family apart and ignites a media firestorm. Venus refuses to talk about what happened or why, except to blame her mother. Adding to the mystery, Venus’s developmentally challenged younger brother, Leo, goes missing.
 
More than five years later, Venus is released from prison with a suitcase of used clothes, a fake identity, and a determination to escape her painful past. Estranged from her mother, and with her beloved brother still missing, she sets out to make a fresh start in Seattle, skittish and alone. But as new people enter her orbit—including a romantic interest and a young girl who seems like a mirror image of her former lost self—old wounds resurface, and Venus realizes that she can’t find a future while she’s running from her past.
 
In this gripping story, debut novelist Heather Lloyd brilliantly captures ordinary lives thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Told through a constellation of captivating voices, My Name Is Venus Black explores the fluidity of right and wrong, the pain of betrayal, and the meaning of love and family.

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To view the Literary Society Spring/Summer Lineup, please click HERE.

Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

Humanities in the Harbor, a monthly series that explores unique and engaging topics for the Gig Harbor community, will continue in June as we welcome back author, historian, and documentarian David J. Jepsen.

On Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m., Jepsen will screen his recently released documentary film on the labor history of the Pacific Northwest, Labor Wars of the Northwest.  The documentary debuted February 2nd at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) as part of the city’s week-long commemoration of the Seattle Generation Strike centennial.

Labor Wars of the Northwest chronicles the cauldron of discontent, radicalism and violence that permeated the region in the early decades of the twentieth century. Following the arrival of the railroads in the 1880s, tens of thousands of workers migrated to the Northwest for jobs in logging, mining and fishing. But instead of steady work, they found poverty-level wages, crushing hours and dreadful conditions. By examining this conflict in the context of a decades-long struggle, Labor Wars of the Northwest shines new light on tragedies like the Everett Massacre (1916), the Seattle General Strike (1919) and the Centralia Massacre (1919).

The one-hour film will be followed by a 30-minute discussion and Q&A.

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

The June meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our June meeting is City of Ash by Megan Chance.

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When the great Seattle fire of 1889 leaves them with nothing to lose, two very different women discover a mutual passion for revenge.
 
Chicago socialite and art patron Geneva Langley has brought scandal to her family for the last time. Her latest and boldest act of immodesty is too much for her father to bear, and he banishes her to Seattle, along with her scheming, ambitious husband, Nathan. Seattle is a far cry from Chicago—the streets are muddy, the society backward, and Ginny feels stifled and alone.
 
Despite her considerable talent, Beatrice Wilkes is an actress whose dream of being a leading lady is fading rapidly. She can’t believe her luck when a new production gives her a chance at stardom, but Geneva Langley seizes the opportunity for her own and unwittingly crushes Bea’s last dream.
 
The two women engage in a fierce battle for center stage, but the great Seattle fire, which ravages the city, changes their fates and plans. In its aftermath, Ginny and Bea see an opportunity to change their lives: but it would mean banding together to enact a truly wicked plan. Their dark and perilous alliance will set them on the path to either redemption or damnation.

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To view the Literary Society Spring/Summer Lineup, please click HERE.

Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

As a complement to the “Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front” exhibit currently on display, we are excited to welcome back audio historian and broadcaster, John Jensen for another Humanities in the Harbor presentation on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

During World War II, the War Department realized very quickly the need for keeping the morale up of America’s fighting forces abroad. One of the most effective and beneficial ways was through the launch on May 26, 1942 of a world-wide radio network called the Armed Forces Radio Service that would beam not only the popular programs of the day heard stateside, but specially made programming aimed at appealing to our servicemen and women. Stepping forward to contribute their time and talent during that period were many of Hollywood’s biggest motion picture and radio stars such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, Dorothy Lamour, Lucille Ball and a host of others.

See and hear once again through original audio and rarely seen film clips the still powerful messaging that emerged from that dramatic time in American history. John Jensen shares rarely heard stories and anecdotes from Hollywood’s war effort, and shows examples of one of the most effective and successful forms of communications that was used to entertain, educate and inform our men and women in uniform during the war.

A former San Francisco broadcaster, John Jensen has been an avid collector of music, movies, and radio broadcasts of the 1930s and 40s. Early fascination led to employment as general manager of KMPX, a radio station devoted to playing the music and radio broadcasts of those years. He produced a world-wide radio broadcast honoring the US Navy 200th Anniversary, starring Bing Crosby, Mel Blanc, and other radio stars from the 1940s. In 1992, he directed the 50th Anniversary Salute to Armed Forces Radio broadcast, heard world-wide. As an audio historian, he has provided research and assorted media to filmmakers, such as Jack Haley, Jr., Frances Ford Coppola, and George Lucas. He recently retired as senior director of public relations for World Vision. Since then he has been lecturing at various venues throughout the Puget Sound area on the Great Depression era and World War II.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332.

Admission is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. RSVPs are encouraged as seating is limited. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

The May meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our May meeting is Rowing the Northwest Passage by Kevin Vallely.

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In this gripping first-hand account, four seasoned adventurers navigate a sophisticated, high-tech rowboat across the Northwest Passage. One of the "last firsts" remaining in the adventure world, this journey is only possible because of the dramatic impacts of global warming in the high Arctic, which provide an ironic opportunity to draw attention to the growing urgency of climate change.

Along the way, the team repeatedly face life-threatening danger from storms unparalleled in their ferocity and unpredictability and bears witness to unprecedented changes in the Arctic habitat and inhabitants, while weathering gale-force vitriol from climate change deniers who have taken to social media to attack them and undermine their efforts.

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To view the Literary Society Spring/Summer Lineup, please click HERE.

Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

As a complement to our “Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front” exhibit, Harbor History Museum has partnered with the Gig Harbor Film Festival to present a screening of the 1970 film, Catch-22.

April 24, 2019 | 6:30PM | Catch-22 (1970) Film Screening | at Galaxy Theatre

A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way to cope with a crazy situation. Catch-22 is a parody of a "military mentality," and of a bureaucratic society in general. Catch-22 is a 1970 American dark comedy adapted from the novel of the same name by Joseph Heller. In creating a dark comedy revolving around the "lunatic characters" of Heller's satirical anti-war novel set at a fictional World War II Mediterranean base, director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Buck Henry (also in the cast) worked on the film script for two years, converting Heller's complex novel to the medium of film. The film will be shown at Galaxy Theatre, located at 4649 Point Fosdick Dr NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335.

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April 11, 2019 | 6PM | "The Real Men of Catch-22" | at Harbor History Museum
As a precursor to the film screening, Museum Director Stephanie Lile will offer a look inside the real world of famed novel and movie Catch-22, the very bomb wing our exhibit "Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front" is based upon. These men flew B-25 bombers throughout the Mediterranean theater, risking life and limb in strategic bombing efforts that helped bring the war to an end. The presentation will include the backstory of the Bomber Boys exhibit and serves as a great intro to the special showing of the 1970 Catch-22 movie being shown at the Galaxy Theatre on April 24th in partnership with the Gig Harbor Film Festival.
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Lile’s presentation of “The Real Men of Catch-22” as well as the screening of Catch-22 at Galaxy Theatre are FREE to both Harbor History Museum members and Gig Harbor Film Festival members. RSVPs are requested as seating is limited. RSVPs can be made online or directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Admission to “The Real Men of Catch-22” is $5.00 for non-members and may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Admission to Catch-22 at Galaxy Theatre is $10.00 for non-members and can be paid at the door.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332.

Humanities in the Harbor, a monthly lecture series that explores unique and engaging topics for the greater Gig Harbor community, will continue in April with another presentation complementing our “Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front” exhibit.

Join Museum Director Stephanie Lile for a look inside the real world of famed novel and movie Catch-22, the very bomb wing our exhibit "Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front" is based upon. These men flew B-25 bombers throughout the Mediterranean theater, risking life and limb in strategic bombing efforts that helped bring the war to an end. The presentation will include the backstory of the Bomber Boys exhibit and serves as a great intro to the special showing of the 1970 Catch-22 movie being shown at the Galaxy Theatre on April 24th in partnership with the Gig Harbor Film Festival.

Lile’s presentation of “The Real Men of Catch-22” as well as the screening of Catch-22 at Galaxy Theatre are FREE to both Harbor History Museum members and Gig Harbor Film Festival members. RSVPs are requested as seating is limited. RSVPs can be made online or directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Admission to “The Real Men of Catch-22” is $5.00 for non-members and may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Admission to Catch-22 at Galaxy Theatre is $10.00 for non-members and can be paid at the door.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. The Galaxy Theatre is located at 4649 Point Fosdick Dr NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335.

McInnis' "Intimate Forest" series is a selection of oil paintings that depict scenes of hiking trails and light-filled woods of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. McInnis' oil technique grew out of her work with pastels where she would use the side of the pastel stick to put chunks of color on paper. Her paintings allow the viewer to imagine they are walking down one of her trails or into the forest.

Harbor History Museum members and Sip & Stroll participants are invited to join Mary McInnis on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. for an artist reception. Enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks while losing yourself down one of McInnis' intimate forest trails. 

The "Intimate Forest" series will be on view through June 2, 2019. 

The April meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our April meeting is Mink River by Brian Doyle.
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Like Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, Brian Doyle's stunning fiction debut brings a town to life through the jumbled lives and braided stories of its people.

In a small fictional town on the Oregon coast there are love affairs and almost-love-affairs, mystery and hilarity, bears and tears, brawls and boats, a garrulous logger and a silent doctor, rain and pain, Irish immigrants and Salish stories, mud and laughter. There's a Department of Public Works that gives haircuts and counts insects, a policeman addicted to Puccini, a philosophizing crow, beer and berries. An expedition is mounted, a crime committed, and there's an unbelievably huge picnic on the football field. Babies are born. A car is cut in half with a saw. A river confesses what it's thinking. . .
It's the tale of a town, written in a distinct and lyrical voice, and readers will close the book more than a little sad to leave the village of Neawanaka, on the wet coast of Oregon, beneath the hills that used to boast the biggest trees in the history of the world.
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To view the Literary Society Spring/Summer Lineup, please click HERE.

Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

As the debut of "The Lost Footage" on February 26th and the two subsequently added presentations on March 6th and 19th have sold out, Harbor History Museum is excited to announce two more presentations of the newly discovered footage documenting the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on November 7, 1940. Both presentations will be on Tuesday, March 26th, 2019; the first at 4:00 p.m. and the second at 7:00 p.m.

Taken by Arthur T. Leach ­-- a toll booth operator at the time -- "The Lost Footage" is the only known video of the collapse as seen from the West side, or Gig Harbor side, of the Tacoma Narrows. Hosted by Museum Director Stephanie Lile, those in attendance will be among the first to glimpse the unseen 7:30 minute video of Galloping Gertie's collapse and learn more about Arthur Leach, the research to verify the footage, and what happened that fateful November day.

"As a historian, I am naturally skeptical until I am able to confirm details. I am excited to say that documentation verifies that Mr. Leach was noted as a toll collector at the time and that this footage is a rare find," says Harbor History Museum Director Stephanie Lile. "One of the things that makes this footage so special is that this was the personal view of somebody who worked on the bridge everyday. The clip we always see is shot from the Tacoma side, so this is a whole different view."

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. 

Member RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

As the debut of "The Lost Footage" on February 26th and the two subsequently added presentations on March 6th and 19th have sold out, Harbor History Museum is excited to announce two more presentations of the newly discovered footage documenting the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on November 7, 1940. Both presentations will be on Tuesday, March 26th, 2019; the first at 4:00 p.m. and the second at 7:00 p.m.

Taken by Arthur T. Leach ­-- a toll booth operator at the time -- "The Lost Footage" is the only known video of the collapse as seen from the West side, or Gig Harbor side, of the Tacoma Narrows. Hosted by Museum Director Stephanie Lile, those in attendance will be among the first to glimpse the unseen 7:30 minute video of Galloping Gertie's collapse and learn more about Arthur Leach, the research to verify the footage, and what happened that fateful November day.

"As a historian, I am naturally skeptical until I am able to confirm details. I am excited to say that documentation verifies that Mr. Leach was noted as a toll collector at the time and that this footage is a rare find," says Harbor History Museum Director Stephanie Lile. "One of the things that makes this footage so special is that this was the personal view of somebody who worked on the bridge everyday. The clip we always see is shot from the Tacoma side, so this is a whole different view."

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. 

Member RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

As both the debut of "The Lost Footage" on February 26th and the second presentation on March 6th have sold out, Harbor History Museum is excited to announce a third showing of the newly discovered footage documenting the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on November 7, 1940 will be shown on Tuesday, March 19th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. 

Taken by Arthur T. Leach ­-- a toll both operator at the time -- "The Lost Footage" is the only known video of the collapse as seen from the West side, or Gig Harbor side, of the Tacoma Narrows. Hosted by Museum Director Stephanie Lile, those in attendance will be among the first to glimpse the unseen 7:30 minute video of Galloping Gertie's collapse and learn more about Arthur Leach, the research to verify the footage, and what happened that fateful November day.

"As a historian, I am naturally skeptical until I am able to confirm details. I am excited to say that documentation verifies that Mr. Leach was noted as a toll collector at the time and that this footage is a rare find," says Harbor History Museum Director Stephanie Lile. "One of the things that makes this footage so special is that this was the personal view of somebody who worked on the bridge everyday. The clip we always see is shot from the Tacoma side, so this is a whole different view."

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. 

Member RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

As a complement to the “Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front” exhibit currently on display, we are excited to welcome back audio historian and broadcaster, John Jensen for another Humanities in the Harbor presentation on Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Although Washington numbered only 1.7 million at the War's outset, it supplied crucial resources in millions of tons of food and raw materials, thousands of airplanes and tanks and hundreds of ships. No state was more profoundly affected economically by the introduction and expansion of war industries. Through seldom-seen film clips, radio broadcast excerpts and rarely viewed photographs, those early days of the war are vividly captured in detail. Join us as John Jensen shares rarely heard stories and anecdotes about a nation at the start of an all-encompassing conflagration and the exploits of a state that contributed more per capita to the war effort than any other.

A former San Francisco broadcaster, John Jensen has been an avid collector of music, movies, and radio broadcasts of the 1930s and 40s. Early fascination led to employment as general manager of KMPX, a radio station devoted to playing the music and radio broadcasts of those years. He produced a world-wide radio broadcast honoring the US Navy 200th Anniversary, starring Bing Crosby, Mel Blanc, and other radio stars from the 1940s. In 1992, he directed the 50th Anniversary Salute to Armed Forces Radio broadcast, heard world-wide. As an audio historian, he has provided research and assorted media to filmmakers, such as Jack Haley, Jr., Frances Ford Coppola, and George Lucas. He recently retired as senior director of public relations for World Vision. Since then he has been lecturing at various venues throughout the Puget Sound area on the Great Depression era and World War II.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332.

Admission is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. RSVPs are encouraged as seating is limited. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

Harbor History Museum is excited to announce a second showing of the newly discovered footage documenting the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on November 7, 1940. Taken by Arthur T. Leach ­-- a toll both operator at the time -- "The Lost Footage" is the only known video of the collapse as seen from the West side, or Gig Harbor side, of the Tacoma Narrows.

"As a historian, I am naturally skeptical until I am able to confirm details. I am excited to say that documentation verifies that Mr. Leach was noted as a toll collector at the time and that this footage is a rare find," says Harbor History Museum Director Stephanie Lile. "One of the things that makes this footage so special is that this was the personal view of somebody who worked on the bridge everyday. The clip we always see is shot from the Tacoma side, so this is a whole different view."

As the debut of "The Lost Footage" on February 26th  has sold out, the Museum will be offering a second showing on Wednesday, March 6th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Hosted by Museum Director Stephanie Lile, those in attendance will be among the first to glimpse the unseen 7:30 minute video of Galloping Gertie's collapse and learn more about Arthur Leach, the research to verify the footage, and what happened that fateful November day.

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. 

RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor branch of the Pierce County Library invite you to join the Gig Harbor Literary Society, dedicated to exploring the literary world of historical fiction, nonfiction, and other works of interest. 

Our March meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 5th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our March meeting is Bone River by Megan Chance.

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In the mid-19th century, Leonie Monroe Russell works alongside her husband, Junius, an oysterman in Shoalwater Bay in the Pacific Northwest. At night she continues her father's lifelong obsession: collecting artifacts and studying the native culture that once thrived in the Washington Territory.

On her 37th birthday, Leonie discovers a mummy protruding from the riverbank bordering her property--a mummy that by all evidence shouldn't exist. As Leonie searches for answers to the mummy's origins, she begins to feel a mystical connection to it that defies all logic. Leonie's sense that otherworldly forces are at work only grows when news of the incredible discovery brings Junius's long lost son, Daniel, to her doorstep. Upon his unexpected arrival, a native elder insists that Leonie wear a special shell bracelet for protection. But protection from whom? The mummy? Or perhaps Daniel?

Leonie has always been a good daughter and good wife, but for the first time, these roles do not seem to be enough. Finding the mummy has changed everything, and now Leonie must decide if she has the courage to put aside the expectations of others to be the woman she was meant to be.
From award-winning author Megan Chance, Bone River is a haunting, lyrical tale of passion and identity.

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Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

Humanities in the Harbor, a monthly series that explores unique and engaging topics for the Gig Harbor community, will continue in February with a truly special presentation.

Harbor History Museum is eager to share newly discovered footage documenting the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on November 7, 1940. Taken by Arthur T. Leach ­-- a toll both operator at the time -- "The Lost Footage" is the only known video of the collapse as seen from the West side, or Gig Harbor side, of the Tacoma Narrows.

"As a historian, I am naturally skeptical until I am able to confirm details. I am excited to say that documentation verifies that Mr. Leach was noted as a toll collector at the time and that this footage is a rare find," says Harbor History Museum Director Stephanie Lile. "One of the things that makes this footage so special is that this was the personal view of somebody who worked on the bridge everyday. The clip we always see is shot from the Tacoma side, so this is a whole different view."

Due to inclement weather, "The Lost Footage" will now debut on February 26th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. as part of the Museum's Humanities in the Harbor series, this time hosted by our Director. Those in attendance will be the first to glimpse the unseen 7:30 minute video of Galloping Gertie's collapse and learn more about Arthur Leach, the research to verify the footage, and what happened that fateful November day.

Admission to Humanities in the Harbor is $5, but FREE for Harbor History Museum members. Tickets may be Purchased Online or at the front desk of the Museum. Members are encouraged to RSVP as seating is limited. 

RSVPS can be made by emailing Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Development, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 5.

Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor branch of the Pierce County Library invite you to join the Gig Harbor Literary Society, dedicated to exploring the literary world of historical fiction, nonfiction, and other works of interest. 

Due to inclement weather, the February meeting will now be held on Tuesday, February 19th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our February meeting is The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery.

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In this astonishing book from the author of the bestselling memoir, The Good Good Pig, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus—a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature—and the remarkable connections it makes with humans.

Sy Montgomery’s popular 2011 ORION magazine piece, “Deep Intellect,” about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and grief at her death, went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then she has practiced true immersion journalism, from New England aquarium tanks to Mexico and French Polynesia, pursuing these solitary shape-shifters. With a central brain the size of that of an African grey parrot and neural matter in each of its eight arms, octopuses have varied personalities and intelligence they show in myriad ways: endless trickery to get food and escape enclosures; jetting water playfully to bounce objects like balls; and evading their caretakers by using a scoop net as a trampoline and running around the floor on eight arms. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know anything? And what sort of thoughts could it think?

The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their color-changing camouflage techniques. Montgomery chronicles this growing scientific appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus ultimately reveals what octopuses can teach us about the nature and consciousness of the mind.
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Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library and Museum staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

Grab your teacher friends and join us on Friday, January 25th, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. for a fun evening, especially for educators!

Discover the educational program offerings of the Harbor History Museum and learn how to get your class involved. Enjoy complimentary refreshments courtesy of the Museum!

If you have any questions, you can reach Timothy Young, Education Coordinator by phone at 253.858.6722 ext. 6 or by email at education@harborhistorymuseum.org. Harbor History Museum’s Teacher Happy Hour is FREE and is located at 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA, 98332.

Interested in volunteering at the Harbor History Museum?

Join us Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. to learn about the various ways in which you can get involved. For questions or to RSVP, e-mail Timothy Young, Volunteer Coordinator at education@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Brought to you by Humanities Washington, Harbor History Museum is lucky enough to host a second Humanities in the Harbor lecture in December as we are joined by writer and curator Mayumi Tsutakawa.

In the lead-up to World War II, Japantown in Seattle featured grocery stores, cafes, and native-language services, as well as labor and music clubs. Trading companies imported Japanese goods, and restaurants served the familiar sukiyaki, tofu, and miso soup. In Eastern Washington, Japanese farmers prospered.

Then came Executive Order 9066. Those born in Japan, as well as their American-citizen offspring, were sent, without due process, to concentration camps in windswept deserts. Throughout the West Coast, 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced from their homes. Most Seattle Japanese spent the war years at Camp Minidoka in Idaho, and when they returned, most had lost everything and could not find jobs.

How did they face this injustice and rebuild their lives? How does a lively immigrant community face racist or religious hatred? The 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 is in 2017, and Mayumi Tsutakawa, whose father was renowned sculptor George Tsutakawa, will reveal her family’s 100-year history against the backdrop of this dramatic American story.

Mayumi Tsutakawa is an independent writer and curator who has focused on Asian/Pacific American history. She co-edited The Forbidden Stitch: Asian American Women’s Literary Anthology which received the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award. She also edited two books on pioneer Asian American artists: They Painted from their Hearts and Turning Shadows into Light. Tsutakawa received her master’s degree in communications and her bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies at the University of Washington. Her graduate thesis is one of the few documents to research pre-war Japanese American newspapers. Tsutakawa also was manager of grants for the Washington State Arts Commission and previously directed King County’s arts and historic preservation programs.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. Admission is FREE thanks to Humanities Washington! Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.

Admission is free, but seats are limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Celebrate Gig Harbor’s Scandinavian heritage at Harbor History Museum’s 5th Annual Light Up the Night: St. Lucia Festival on Friday, December 14th from 5:00-7:00pm. Crafts, games, and traditional Scandinavian snacks are the star at this family-friendly event. $3 admission for all ages. Harbor History Museum members and their families get in FREE.

Tickets can be purchased online at the Harbor History Museum's Buy Tickets page beginning December 1st, or at the front desk. For more information contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing and Events Coordinator at 253.858.6722 ext. 5 or marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org. 

Following John Jensen's presentation of Hollywood and the Homefront, Harbor History Museum members and lecture attendees are invited to stick around for a preview of our newest exhibit, "Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front" and a special lobby installation featuring our "Local Heroes."

Enjoy complimentary refreshments and an opportunity to get the first look at this amazing exhibit which highlights the little-known story of the combat, captains, crew, and camp life of the 445th bomb squadron of the 12th Army Air Corps stationed on Corsica and in Italy.

Brought to you by Humanities Washington, Humanities in the Harbor will continue in December as John Jensen joins the Harbor History Museum for a special presentation as part of the “Bomber Boys: Portraits from the Front” Exhibit Opening. 

During World War II, the War Department realized the importance of not only keeping up the morale of America’s fighting forces abroad, but the morale of those at home. The result was an unprecedented push by Hollywood to contribute morale-building war dramas, troop entertainment, and training films to the war effort. Special radio programs, documentary films, and live performances told Americans at home that they too could serve in the defense of their country by purchasing war bonds, participating in scrap drives, planting Victory Gardens, and volunteering.

Experience the still-powerful images, radio, and film that emerged from this dramatic time in American history. Audio historian and former broadcaster John Jensen shares rarely known stories and anecdotes from Hollywood’s war effort, and shows examples of wartime propaganda through various media that was used to educate, inform, and sway American public opinion.

A former San Francisco broadcaster, John Jensen has been an avid collector of music, movies, and radio broadcasts of the 1930s and 40s. Early fascination led to employment as general manager of KMPX, a radio station devoted to playing the music and radio broadcasts of those years. He produced a world-wide radio broadcast honoring the US Navy 200th Anniversary, starring Bing Crosby, Mel Blanc, and other radio stars from the 1940s. In 1992, he directed the 50th Anniversary Salute to Armed Forces Radio broadcast, heard world-wide. As an audio historian, he has provided research and assorted media to filmmakers, such as Jack Haley, Jr., Frances Ford Coppola, and George Lucas. He recently retired as senior director of public relations for World Vision. Since then he has been lecturing at various venues throughout the Puget Sound area on the Great Depression era and World War II.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. Admission is FREE thanks to Humanities Washington! Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.

Admission is free, but seats are limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor branch of the Pierce County Library invite you to join the Gig Harbor Literary Society, dedicated to exploring the literary world of historical fiction, nonfiction, and other works of interest. 

The December meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 4th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our December meeting is Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

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From the New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah's magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn't know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she'll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she'll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it's the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget . . . one you'll want to pass on to your best friend.
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Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library and Museum staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

Brought to you by Humanities Washington, Humanities in the Harbor will continue in November as we welcome Don Glickstein to the Harbor History Museum. Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.

Discover the American Revolution you never learned about in school. Why did Native Americans and African Americans support the British? How did a Muslim general come to fight the British with a French ally named Admiral “Satan”? Why did the fighting spread around the world, from Hudson Bay to South America, India to Africa, Arkansas to Gibraltar?

Author Don Glickstein explores rarely heard perspectives on the war in his illustrated talk, and links aspects of the war to our home state of Washington. Hear stories from the war, discover the reasons the Revolution matters to us today, and learn why the study of history can help us understand the 21st century’s war on terrorism.

Born in upstate New York, Don Glickstein was raised with the American Revolution around him. He visited places like the Saratoga battlefield and Fort Johnson, watched “Johnny Tremain” on television, read James Fenimore Cooper, and spent summers in Boston surrounded by history. He attended the University of Massachusetts and spent a decade as a journalist in Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, and finally at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and won awards for consumer and investigative reporting. He was campaign press secretary for Governor Booth Gardner, then communications manager for Group Health. He has written history articles for many online and print publications. His first book, After Yorktown, describes how fighting during Revolution spread worldwide, from India to South America.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. Admission is FREE thanks to Humanities Washington!

Admission is free, but seats are limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor branch of the Pierce County Library invite you to join the Gig Harbor Literary Society, dedicated to exploring the literary world of historical fiction, nonfiction, and other works of interest. 

The November meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 6th at 6:00 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our November meeting is The Living by Annie Dillard.

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Ninety miles north of Seattle on the Washington coast lies Bellingham Bay, where a rough settlement founded in the 1850s would become the town of Whatcom. Here, the Lummi and Nooksack Indian people fish and farm, hermits pay their debts in sockeye salmon, and miners track gold-bearing streams.

Here, too, is the intimate, murderous tale of three men. Clare Fishburn believes that greatness lies in store for him. John Ireland Sharp, an educated orphan, abandons hope when he sees socialists expel the Chinese workers from the region. Beal Obenchain, who lives in a cedar stump, threatens Clare Fishburn's life.

A killer lashes a Chinese worker to a wharf piling at low tide. Settlers pour in to catch the boom the railroads bring. People give birth, drown, burn, inherit rich legacies, and commit expensive larcenies. All this takes place a hundred years ago, when these vital, ruddy men and women were ''the living.''
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Attendees are welcome to bring an appetizer or dish to share with fellow bibliophiles. The Museum will provide complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy a drink while you talk books? You are welcome to BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine). Library and Museum staff will lead the discussion. Materials will be available for checkout at the Gig Harbor Library, as well as for purchase online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

For those looking ahead... In December we will be discussing Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Seats are limited; RSVPs are encouraged. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator, at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org or 253-858-6722.

Brought to you by Humanities Washington, Humanities in the Harbor will continue in October with a fun presentation courtesy of Harriet Baskas. Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state.

This talk is not about the old leftovers in the fridge. It is about food that is so old, so unusual, or so meaningful, that no one dares throw it away. Discover the foods archeologists have found buried with mummies, the petrified banana so appealing it sparked a Banana Museum, the 350-year-old fruitcake handed down through generations, 2000-year-old bog butter; and the pickle that has been in a jar since the 1860s. During this “chew and chat,” author and broadcaster Harriet Baskas explores how and why these and other formerly fresh foods may have been forgotten, intentionally tucked away, or preserved due to unusual or peculiar circumstances.

And, more importantly, we’ll talk about how these and other vintage vittles can and do hold memories, tell stories, and connect us with family, culture, and history.

Harriet Baskas has a Masters in Communications from the University of Washington, and has served as the general manager for three community radio stations in Oregon and Washington. She is the author of seven books, including Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You, and has created award-winning radio programs on topics as varied as cowgirls, unusual museums, aging boomers, and the Seattle World’s Fair for National Public Radio and regional public radio stations. Seattle based, she currently writes about airports, air travel, museums, and other topics for NBC News, CNBC, USA Today, and other outlets.

Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. Admission is FREE thanks to Humanities Washington!

Admission is free, but seats are limited. RSVPs and questions may be directed to Zachary Sokolik, Marketing & Events Coordinator at Harbor History Museum at marketing@harborhistorymuseum.org.

More Information: www.gigharborhistory.org