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Hosted by South Sound Surfrider
Join us for a special screening of Echos of the Sound, an award-winning documentary by sister filmmakers Emma & Annie Stafki of Two Girls Take on the World. Plus a live reading by children’s author Sharon Mentyka, featuring her orca-themed novel Chasing at the Surface.
Until the 1970s, women on board fishing boats were virtually unheard of. Superstitions held that women brought bad luck, caused unrest among the crew, and were generally not capable of working the long days on board. A handful of young Gig Harbor women changed all that. Some worked their fathers’ boats, others worked alongside their husbands. Still others broke the mold and ran their own boats. The Shenandoah at the Harbor History Museum was one boat where women defied superstition and worked on board, but it wasn’t always easy.
Join us for a lively discussion with three Gig Harbor women fishers who were the ground breakers of their time. Bunky Janovich crewed on board the Shenandoah. Laurie Dahl Isacson worked as cook and crew on the Pacific Maid, and Debbi Ross worked on both a purse seiner and a halibut long liner. Their stories of life on board will surprise and amaze!
Admission is FREE for Members and $5 Non-Members. This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Amy Crews at finance@harborhistorymuseum.org
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 3rd from 6pm-7:30pm at the Harbor History Museum.
The book for June is North Woods by Daniel Mason
When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.
This magisterial and highly inventive novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brims with love and madness, humor and hope. Following the cycles of history, nature, and even language, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment, to history, and to one another. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we’re gone?
You can get a copy of the book in one of several ways:
1. Call us (253) 858-6722 at the museum and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you. Copies will be available starting May 6th.
2. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your mobile device.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us. This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Brought to you by Humanities Washington. Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome David George Gordon, author and journalist.
David George Gordon (he/him) is the principle author of Heaven on the Half Shell: The Story of the Oyster in the Pacific Northwest, recently revised and updated by University Press. A former science writer for Washington Sea Grant, Gordon has written 22 books on topics ranging from slugs and snails to sharks, gray whales, and Sasquatch.
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. This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Amy Crews at finance@harborhistorymuseum.org
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 1st from 6pm-7:30pm at the Harbor History Museum.
The book for July is Educated by Tara Westover.
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
“Beautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Westover’s] childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?”—Vogue
You can get a copy of the book in one of several ways:
1. Call us (253) 858-6722 at the museum and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you. Copies available starting June 3.
2. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your mobile device.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us. This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
The Dorotich, Skansie, Kazulin, Gilich, Bez, and Janovich families all came from Croatia, and more specifically the Dalmatian coast and the island of Brac. All were connected to the FV Shenandoah. But how did they find their way to America, and how were they related? Join director Stephanie Lile for a journey to and from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to America and discover the complex ties to each other and the Shenandoah. Learn more about our Croatian sister city, cross-continental boat building projects, and the invention that changed the face of commercial fishing forever.
Admission is FREE for Members (with membership card) and $5 for Non-members.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Amy Crews at finance@harborhistorymuseum.org
Brought to you by Humanities Washington. Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome Brad Holden. When not out searching for local historical artifacts, Brad Holden enjoys writing about the more illicit side of Seattle’s past. He is a contributing writer for HistoryLink.org (an online encyclopedia of Washington state history) and his work has also appeared in Seattle Magazine and several newspapers. Holden has been profiled on KIRO and KOMO news, Seattle Refined, NPR, King 5 Evening! and various publications. His trilogy of books related to the Prohibition era are available online and at bookstores everywhere. He lives in Edmonds, WA.
For those interested in the darker corners of local history, please visit Brad's site which chronicles all the "Delinquency, Devilry & Dirty Deeds in the Pacific Northwest" - Brad Holden's Vice Files
Admission is $5 for Members and $10 for Non-members. This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Amy Crews at finance@harborhistorymuseum.org
Here is a recap of our Float Find, thank you to all who participated! Stay tuned for updates on an upcoming float auction to benefit Harbor History Museum. A very limited number of medallions are available in the Harbor History Museum Mercantile.
The Harbor History Museum has partnered with Hilltop Artists to create a set of unique Shenandoah glass floats. From now until the end of April, just one Shenandoah float will be hidden each week until the Grand Opening of the Maritime Gallery on April 26.
WEEK 1 - Ancich Dock: For many years during the Shenandoah's fishing days, she was moored at Ancich Dock, often alongside Andrew Gilich’s boat St. Mary. From 1967 to 2000, Shenandoah was owned and run by the Tony Janovich family. They primarily fished in the San Juans during the summer and various locations around the Sound in the fall.
WEEK 2 – Location: End of Dorotich Street on Dock: Pasco and Matija Dorotich and their two children, John and Lena, came to Gig Harbor from Port Guchion in British Columbia around 1910. Both had been born in Sumartin, Croatia (then Austria). The family lived in the house at 3400 Harborview until John's death in 1966. Pasco was the first skipper of the Shenandoah, then passed that job on to his son in 1943. Note: Gig Harbor actually had two Dorotich families; the Pasco and Matija (Gilich) family and the Joseph and Caroline (Jerisich) family. Both families had a son named John. Both Johns were boat captains—one of a fishing boat, the other of a ferry. Joseph Dorotich also had roots in Sumartin (St. Martin).
WEEK 3 - County boat ramp: In 2003, Shenandoah was hauled out at the county boat ramp and paraded through town. Even though her mast had been removed, telephone and electrical wires had to be moved in order for her to pass. The boat made her way to the property above Donkey Creek Park then owned by the Historical Society/Museum. It was in this location that Shenandoah was documented for the Historic Architectural and Engineering Record by the National Park Service. Her plans and images can be found online at the Library of Congress.
WEEK 4 - Gig Harbor BoatShop Brick House, with a view of the outside ways: In 1949, Shenandoah had a makeover. She was hauled out on the ways to have her original small cabin rebuilt at the then Glein Boatyard by talented shipwrights Nels Stokke and Hugh Denny. A new deckhouse was a new life, and skipper John Dorotich loved his boat. The deckhouse gave him and his crew a new galley and a place to gather. It gave him a cozy bunk and pilot house with windows that could be opened on warm days and closed against angry weather.
WEEK 5 - Gig Harbor Marina – Formerly Skansie’s Ship Yard: Float #5 was placed overlooking the birthplace of the FV Shenandoah. Constructed here in 1925 under the boat building prowess of Mitchell Skansie and shop foreman Sam Kazulin, the Shenandoah was built for Pasco Dorotich and his son John. Born with fishing in their blood, Pasco skippered the boat until 1943, and John until 1966. Pasco and his wife Matija Gilich Dorotich were originally from the Island of Brac in what is now Croatia.
WEEK 6 - Crescent Creek Park – Among the salmon: Catching and hauling salmon was the Shenandoah’s job. Abundant salmon runs have been central to the success of Gig Harbor’s fishing fleet for generations. This week’s float was hidden amidst the abundant Northwest underwater world of carver Jeff Samudosky’s incredible carving at Crescent Creek Park. It reminds us how important the care of the ocean and management of the fisheries are to the life cycle of the salmon.
Gig Harbor has two salmon creeks; Crescent Creek and the other known as Donkey Creek or North Creek. Shenandoah was built to catch and carry salmon, but every fisherman knows it’s essential for salmon to return to their rivers and creeks to spawn. Without safe and unpolluted spawning grounds, Northwest salmon will disappear forever. The biggest haul Shenandoah ever made in the Janovich years was 8600 Sockeye caught off the shores of San Juan island!
Week 7 - Gilich – Richardson Building: This week’s float was hidden in front of the 1924-25 Gilich-Richardson Building, pride and joy of our little bitty Boom Town! Andria Gilich had a dream to build a hotel, café, and office space, so he partnered with Richardson, and build it they did. The building was bustling with the new Peninsula Hotel, the Peninsula Café where Mrs. Theil served her famous pie, and even baths could be had for a mere 25 cents.
You might be wondering what the Shenandoah connection is. Well, it turns out that Matjia Dorotich’s maiden name was “Gilich” and Andria (Anglified as “Andrew”) Gilich was her half-brother. They both immigrated to Vancouver B.C. in their teens where Andria became a fishing boat skipper at 17. He immigrated to America/Gig Harbor in 1905. Matija married Pasco Dorotich while in Canada, and the couple later followed Andrew to Gig Harbor. Gilich’s fishing boat St. Mary fished with and was often moored next to Shenandoah at the nearby Union Oil dock. Find out more in our new exhibit, “Little Bitty Boom Town: Gig Harbor in the 1920s.”
WEEK 8 – Maritime Pier: In the 1920s, this spot was known as People’s Wharf. Ferries came and went. West Coast Grocery occupied the building we know today as the Tides. The new Washington Egg & Poultry Co-op warehouse was right next door. Here, wives watched for their husbands to return from fishing. Neighbors stopped to chat and shop for groceries. Many families shared a common language, having come from the Dalmatian Coast in what is now Croatia. Pasco and Matija learned early on that they were the second Dorotich Family in Gig Harbor. The first was Joseph and Caroline (Jerisich) Dorotich who had eight children, including a son named John. (Yes, there were TWO John Dorotichs in town, one skippered the Shenandoah, the other was a skipper on the Skansonia ferry). The Shenandoah was moored here, in this general location, in the 1950s-60s (possibly earlier), when it was Union Dock.
These two images give a good sense of what Gig Harbor looked like in the 1920s: West Side Grocery with the steamer FLORENCE moored at the dock; and a wider view of fishing boats moored in Gig Harbor in 1926. There is a fishing boat at the dock right near this location. Could it be Shenandoah? Or was she one of the boats moored beyond the low-tide line? We may never know. A big thanks to the Northwest Room at Tacoma Public Library for preserving these rarely seen views.
WEEK 9 - Janovich house on Rosedale Street: One of the classic historic houses in Gig Harbor, the Janovich House was built in 1927. It was home to the Spiro Janovich Family until 2015. Like Pasco Dorotich, Spiro had immigrated to America from the island of Brac along the Dalmatian Coast. He had served in the Austrian navy and readily took to the local commercial fishing trade. He married Katherine Parcich in 1925 and they settled in Gig Harbor. Spiro and Katherine had two sons, Anthony (Tony) and George. The boys grew up in this house, running down the hill to the dock until they were old enough to go fishing on the first family boat, the Monitor. Tony was just 22 when he took over as skipper on the Monitor.
Tony inherited the house after his parents passed, raising his own family there. When asked about buying the Shenandoah in 1967, he said, “The timing was perfect, and I was very proud to be the owner of a boat that I had known so well since I was just a kid. The Shenandoah and I were both born the same year in the same town.”
Tony Janovich donated the Shenandoah to the Harbor History Museum in 2000. He passed later that year at the age of 74. He’d lived his whole life in this house.
WEEK 10 – Soundview Forest: You might wonder what a forest and the Shenandoah have in common? If you guessed local wood, you’re right. The Shenandoah was built primarily with Douglas fir. Fir was used for planking, longitudinal stringers, decking and more. Other woods used in her original construction and restoration include white oak for frames, yellow cedar for the deckhouse framing, plywood for deckhouse facing, and ironwood/ipe for bulwark caps.
The big stump where the float was hidden is the remainder of a nearly 200-year-old fir. Trees like this were harvested extensively throughout the area, milled in local sawmills, and used for building boats, homes, and even local roads
WEEK 11 – Shenandoah at the Kids Gig Playground: The Kid’s Gig has been a longtime favorite spot for kids to climb and play. Built through a community fundraising and construction effort led by Kathy Hall and Laura Meacham, the Kids’ Gig has stood the test of time, and for many, is the first introduction to local history. There’s the Roxy Theater (featured in our current special exhibition Little Bitty Boom Town), a Gig (as in the one used by the Wilkes Expedition to chart Gig Harbor), and yes, a fishing boat called Shenandoah (after our very own). The Kids Gig is located behind Discovery Elementary School and is open to the public during non-school hours.
We want to pause here to extend a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has been dedicated to the Shenandoah Float Find. It’s been an extraordinary experience to see so many involved in the “hunt.” In honor of those efforts, we have a surprise coming next week, so follow us on FaceBook and Instagram to get the news of the last float find and Grand Opening of the Maritime Gallery.
WEEK 12 – The Old Ferry Landing: The last Shenandoah float was hidden at a unique vantage point of Gig Harbor. Known as “the old ferry landing,” this week’s float find is dedicated to Mattie Dorotich, one of the many women who stood watch at the mouth of the harbor waiting for their husbands’ boats to arrive back in the harbor from fishing. She was originally from Sumartin (often called St. Martin) on the isle of Brac, but immigrated to the Vancouver, B.C. area as a teen, along with her 17-year-old half brother Andrew Gilich. She eventually married Pasco Dorotich while still in Canada and they moved to Gig Harbor just before 1910.
On the bluff above this site was once the home of Peter Skansi, the oldest of the four Skansie brothers. He was instrumental in bringing his younger brothers to Gig Harbor from their hometown in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Medallions were hidden at the shoreline of Bogue park, at the Fishermen’s Memorial, in the Little Midway Library, near the Shenandoah paver at Ancich Park, and in Austin Park. A big thanks to all float seekers and finders for an amazing 12 weeks of celebrating the Shenandoah’s deep roots in Gig Harbor’s history.
Float Seeker’s Guidelines:
Each location is a public spot, so there’s no need to rummage through people’s yards, cross into dangerous territory, or trespass.
Each location has something to do with the Shenandoah’s story. These tidbits will be shared once the float in that location has been found.
If you are lucky enough to find a float, make sure to let us know by posting a picture of the float where you found it on our Facebook page or tagging Harbor History Museum on Instagram. And yes, it is yours to keep or share as you wish.
There are just 12 floats, one for each week leading up to the grand opening of the new Maritime Gallery. If you are lucky enough to find more than one during the float hunt, please consider leaving it for someone else to find since there are so few.
Be kind to other float seekers. Be careful and respectful of other people’s property. Have fun and join the journey of revealing the Shenandoah story. We’ll post more info each week, so everyone can join the fun!
Join us for our annual fundraising event: History Rocks 2025: The Boom Town Twenties
Don't miss the party of the decade! Slip into your finest glad rags and step back in time to the roaring 1920s—surrounded by authentic era planes and the vibrant spirit of the Jazz Age. Enjoy both a silent and a lively in-person auction led by the incomparable Jim Borgen, savor a decadent buffet provided by Snuffin’s Catering, and raise a glass of complimentary wine, beer, or a Boom Town Old Fashioned. Bring plenty of dough for our auctions, win prizes for the best 1920s costume, and be among the first to celebrate the Harbor History Museum’s first local history hero. It’ll be the bee’s knees!
Tickets are $100 until July 1st. After July 1st tickets will go up to $125. Attendees will be automatically registered for the event's Silent and In-Person Auctions. Purchase your tickets here!
Become a Sponsor! Your generous support will be highlighted in both our print and digital media, helping bring history to life for our entire community.
Why Your Support Matters
History Rocks isn’t just a great party—it’s a vital event that helps sustain the Harbor History Museum throughout the year. As a local non-profit museum, we rely on the generosity of friends and neighbors like you to maintain our exhibits, protect local artifacts, run educational programs, and care for our community-serving facilities. Your ticket, your bid, and your sponsorship all make a real difference in ensuring this museum remains a vibrant place of learning, discovery, and connection for generations to come.
Thank you for being part of our story.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 6th from 6pm-7:30pm at the Harbor History Museum.
The book for May is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.
In this magical debut, a couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep.
Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart - he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone - but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.
This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.
You can get a copy of the book in one of several ways:
1. Call us (253) 858-6722 at the museum and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your mobile device.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us. This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Join us for the grand opening of Harbor History Museum’s Maritime Gallery! Celebrate 100 years of the Shenandoah; our 65’ purse seiner fishing vessel, and the completion of its remarkable restoration. See Thunderbird #1, the inspiration for an international fleet and racing class, and numerous small craft that represent Gig Harbor’s boat building heritage. Enjoy local food vendors, lively maritime music, insider history scoop talks, blacksmith demonstration, ribbon cutting ceremony, boat tours, and fun activities for all ages. Don’t miss this exciting day of community and celebration as we honor Gig Harbor’s maritime heritage together. Admission is free.
A special thanks to our wonderful donors and sponsors who have believed in this project over the years. It’s nearly done, thanks to you!
Still interested in supporting this project or the community opening through a donation or sponsorship? Donate Today
The Harbor History Museum is excited to announce a special presentation from our very own Shipwright, Riley Hall, on the restoration of the Shenandoah as a part of our Humanities in the Harbor Series.
Admission is FREE.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Stephanie Lile at director@harborhistorymuseum.org
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 4th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our March meeting is The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.
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On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
But then ... six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.
You can get a copy of the book in one of several ways:
1. Call us (253) 858-6722 at the museum and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your mobile device.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Brought to you by Humanities Washington. Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome author Kristen Millares Young to our museum for workshop on how to write a family portrait.
Tell the stories that have preoccupied, amused, and defined your family for generations.
In this hour-long generative writing workshop, essayist Kristen Millares Young will use guided prompts and discussions to help you plan, write, and revise your family stories. By reflecting on intimate truths, we can redefine how we think about ourselves and our kin, contribute to our communities, and spark vital conversations.
This workshop is offered in both English and Spanish. Participants will leave with new pages.
Cuente las historias que han preocupado, divertido y definido a su familia por generaciones.
En este taller de escritura generativa de una hora de duración, la ensayista Kristen Millares Young utilizará sugerencias guiadas y discusiones para ayudarle a planificar, escribir y revisar sus historias familiares. Al reflexionar sobre algunas verdades íntimas, podemos redefinir como pensamos acerca de nosotros mismos y nuestros familiares, contribuir a nuestras comunidades y generar conversaciones vitales.
Este taller será ofrecido en inglés y en español. Los participantes saldrán con una nueva perspectiva.
Kristen Millares Young is a journalist, essayist, and author. Her novel Subduction was a winner of the Nautilus and IPPY awards, as well as a finalist for two International Latino Book Awards and Foreword Indies Book of the Year. She is also the editor of Seismic. Millares Young was the researcher for the New York Times team behind “Snow Fall,” which won a Pulitzer. Her essays, reviews, and investigations appear in the Washington Post, the Guardian, and anthologies such as Alone Together.
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.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Amy Crews at Harbor History Museum at finance@harborhistorymuseum.org
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 4th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. For our February meeting all attending are asked to bring a book they have enjoyed and do a short talk including a summary and why you would recommend it. We challenge our participants to find a book that relates to the PNW connected by author, theme, setting, character etc. but is not a requirement.
Newcomers are always welcome as well as people who haven’t had a chance to read something they would like to share.
This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Join us for our Annual Member Meeting January 23rd 2025 from 6pm to 8pm at Galaxy Theatres in Uptown Gig Harbor. The meeting will include a special screening of the recent documentary, Fish War.
About Fish War: When the state of Washington made it illegal for tribes to fish for salmon in their usual and accustomed places, it was a declaration of war. Fish War follows the tribes' fight to exercise their treaty-reserved fishing rights. A landmark court case in 1974 would affirm the tribes’ treaty rights and establish them as co-managers of the resource, but the fate of salmon in the Pacific Northwest still hangs in the balance.
Limited spots available. Please RSVP to Amy at finance@harborhistorymuseum.org to secure your seat.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 7th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our January meeting is Stick Figures: A Memoir by local author DJ Quinn.
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“Spend a couple hours a week with a kid, that’s all it takes.” How hard could that be? ‘Big Brother’ DJ Quinn would soon find out. His new ‘Little Brother’ Mike, an energetic seven-year-old burdened with disabilities, was yearning for adventure. A unique friendship evolved, crafted by shared time and talks about Santa, God, showgirls and speech therapy.
In his debut memoir Stick Figures: A Big Brother Remembers, Quinn takes you along to share an intimate view of an epic thirteen-year journey. A true story told with compassion and humor, Stick Figures tugs at readers’ hearts as they experience the joys, courage, hopes, and heartbreaks the two Brothers encounter.
From the beginning of their match, the Brothers used stick figure drawings on a calendar to record what happened on their adventures. The simple times they shared are the foundation for this compelling story of love, tenacity, and commitment that impacts both Brothers. The memoir illustrates how foster care, a loving adoptive parent, and adoption support from a volunteer can help adopted children. Stick Figures: A Big Brother Remembers will warm the soul of every reader whose life has been touched by a mentoring situation.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Come and shop at our first annual Holiday Market! The market will be open on Saturday from 10-5pm and on Sunday from 11-3pm. Each vendor booth is thoughtfully curated, featuring a wide range of unique, artisanal products. You can find handcrafted goods such as beeswax products, holiday greens, beautiful beaded jewelry, artwork, and more! Local artisans, small businesses, and independent creators will showcase their wares. There will also be several photo ops throughout the museum for fun family holiday pictures.
Admission is $5 for non-members and free for members.
Celebrate Gig Harbor’s Scandinavian heritage at Harbor History Museum’s 9th Annual Light Up the Night: St. Lucia Festival on Saturday, December 7th from 6:00-8:00 pm. Crafts, games, and traditional Scandinavian snacks are the star at this family-friendly event. $5 admission per person, age 3 years and up. Harbor History Museum members get in FREE.
Tickets can be purchased at the front desk that evening. For more information contact Kate, Education Manager at 253.858.6722 ext. 203 or education@harborhistorymuseum.org.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 3rd at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our December meeting is Before the Wind by Jim Lynch.
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Joshua Johannssen has spent all of his life surrounded by sailboats. His grandfather designed them, his father built and raced them, his Einstein-obsessed mother knows why and how they work (or not). For Josh and his two siblings, their backyard was the Puget Sound and sailing their DNA. But both his sister and brother fled many years ago: Ruby to Africa and elsewhere to do good works on land, and Bernard to god-knows-where at sea, a fugitive and pirate. Suddenly thirty-one, Josh—who repairs boats of all kinds in a Steinbeckian marina south of Seattle—is pained and confused by whatever the hell went wrong with his volatile family. His parents are barely speaking, his mystified grandfather is drinking harder, and he himself—despite an endless and comic flurry of online dates—hasn’t even come close to finding a girlfriend.
But when the Johannssens unexpectedly reunite for the most important race in these waters—all of them together on a classic vessel they made decades ago—they will be carried to destinies both individual and collective, and to a heart-shattering revelation. Past and present merge seamlessly and collide surprisingly as Jim Lynch reveals a family unlike any other, with the grace and humor and magic of a master storyteller.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Every year, the greater Gig Harbor community celebrates the return of salmon to our local waters. Hosted by the Harbor History Museum and Harbor WildWatch, Donkey Creek Chum Walk serves to remind us that the quality of our water, and the habitat it supports, connects us all.
Held on Saturday, November 23 from 11-2pm, participants will start their walk at Austin Park along Harborview Drive where they will receive a Salmon Passport. They will visit booths with activities and information for kids and adults along the trail through txʷaalqəł Estuary, behind the Harbor History Museum, and ending in Donkey Creek Park. Completed passports should be turned in to the front desk at the Harbor History Museum by 2pm on the day of the event to be entered into a drawing for a salmon-themed prize.
The goal of this event is to bring people together to promote sustainability, sound environmental stewardship, preservation of our maritime history and culture, responsible recreation, habitat preservation, and shoreline restoration — one salmon at a time. Join us on November 23 as we recognize new ways to improve and protect our waterways!
This event is free and open to people of all ages and abilities. The trail is less than 0.25 in length on a gravel packed pathway. Free public parking is available at the Museum, along Harborview Drive and Austin Street. If you have any questions, please contact your Festival Chair and Harbor WildWatch Executive Director, Lindsey Stover, at lindsey@harborwildwatch.org.
This November’s blustery Bridge Talk will feature Mark Pagano and Michael Sullivan from University of Washington Tacoma. Together they will share the history of Galloping Gertie’s underwater remains and bridge engineering as manifested in a new exhibit at UWT. Pagano will also share the latest metal testing results of the bridge pieces in the Harbor History Museum collection, while Sullivan will explain how Galloping Gertie’s remains became a protected underwater historic site.
$5 for Museum members with their membership card
$10 for non-members
Please RSVP to Robin at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 6th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our November meeting is Maid: hardwork, low pay and, a mother’s will to survive by Stephanie Land.
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At 28, Stephanie Land's dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer quickly dissolved when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Before long, she found herself a single mother, scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet.
Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie's years spent in service to upper middle class America as a "nameless ghost" who quietly shared in her clients' triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets. Driven to carve out a better life for her family, she cleaned by day and took online classes by night, writing relentlessly as she worked toward earning a college degree. She wrote of the true stories that weren't being told: of living on food stamps and WIC coupons, of government programs that barely provided housing, of aloof government employees who shamed her for receiving what little assistance she did. Above all else, she wrote about pursuing the myth of the American Dream from the poverty line, all the while slashing through deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor.
Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not hers alone. It is an inspiring testament to the courage, determination, and ultimate strength of the human spirit.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Brought to you by Humanities Washington. Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome author Peter Blecha to our museum for a night of rock and roll history.
Northwest Rock & Roll’s historical highpoints are well documented—in the late 20th century, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and other grunge gods took the world by storm. Previously, Seattle’s Queensrÿche and Heart had ruled the heavy metal realm. And prior to that, The Wailers, The Kingsmen, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and The Sonics had all fueled local teen dances with garage-rock versions of the region’s signature song, “Louie Louie.”
Yet these iconic bands are only half the story. In this talk, join author Peter Blecha to discover the lesser-known but vitally important bands and scenes that laid the foundation for what was to come—finally connecting all the dots between the fabled Northwest era of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Jimi Hendrix, and the R&B-spiked roots of a distinct regional art form: the “Original Northwest Sound.”
Peter Blecha is the director of the Northwest Music Archives, an award-winning author, a founding curator at MoPop, and a longtime staff historian at HistoryLink.org. Blecha’s newest book, Stomp and Shout: R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock and Roll, draws on his deep knowledge as a leading expert on Pacific Northwest music history to chronicle both well-known and overlooked icons of the early Northwest Sound.
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.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Robin Harrison, Operations and Marketing Manager at Harbor History Museum at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 1st at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our October meeting is Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake.
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Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood will devour Three Dark Crowns, the first book in a dark and inventive fantasy series about three sisters who must fight to the death to become queen.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.
Brought to you by Humanities Washington. Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome author Trevor Bond — he is traveling all the way from Pullman, WA to give this talk at our museum!
Belongings deeply important to tribal communities are often housed in museums far away from those communities. In this talk, hear the remarkable story of how the Nez Perce Tribe and their allies purchased the largest and oldest collection of Nez Perce material culture—including dresses, shirts, and other regalia—from a museum over 2,000 miles away from their homeland.
In this hopeful story of cultural resiliency and making amends for past injustices, explore issues surrounding collection and curation, and the changing relationships between museums and Native communities. It’s a story that transcends the efforts of one Northwest tribe to show how many indigenous communities are reuniting with their heritage.
Trevor James Bond is the director of the David G. Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities and the associate dean for digital initiatives and special collections at the Washington State University Libraries. He is the author of Coming Home to Nez Perce Country: The Niimiipuu Campaign to Repatriate Their Exploited Heritage, a finalist for the 2022 Washington State Book Award for non-fiction.
Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332 or via Zoom. 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.
This talk is presented in partnership with The Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, which educates citizens across the state about democratic institutions and public affairs, and is based at Washington State University.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Robin Harrison, Operations and Marketing Manager at Harbor History Museum at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 3rd at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our September meeting is Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss.
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Acclaimed author Molly Gloss drew on pioneer diaries and old family stories to write this modern Western classic of a solitary woman’s frontier life. In the 1890s, Lydia Bennett Sanderson, a hardship-honed widow, leaves her old life behind and journey’s to Jump-Off Creek to make her way as a homesteader in the backcountry of Oregon. Her neighbors are few and far between: Tim Whiteaker and Blue Odell are trying to make a go of it on their small hardscrabble ranch, while Evelyn Walker – a young, lonely wife – is rearing her children in daunting isolation. And a trio of rootless cowboys are squatting in the mountains, their only income the bounty from poisoned wolves. While Lydia toils into the summer, building fences, digging ditches, and repairing her homestead cabin, Tim and Blue engage in a deadly spoilers game with the wolvers. As the months pass, there is good and ill fortune, the exchange of fair-and-square favors, and Lydia finds both courage and community in her determination to survive.
An unforgettable tale in which “every gritty line of the story rings true” (Seattle Times), Gloss delivers an authentic and moving portrait of the American West.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 7th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our August meeting is This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.
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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger takes place during the summer of 1932, on and along those mighty midwest rivers the Minnesota and the Mississippi. (The odyssey begins on the imaginary Gilead River.) It covers a lot of territory, literally and figuratively. The blight of Indian Schools, the Great Depression, the fate of orphans, poverty, discrimination and more are front and center but so are family, community, courage, resilience, hope and love. The story is simple and complex, literary and accessible, deflating and inspiring. Here are some perspectives on the author, the story and the history.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Folksinger and activist Woody Guthrie composed 26 songs in 30 days while riding along the Columbia River and touring the Grand Coulee Dam Project in 1941. With his unique, authentic voice, he chronicled both the grandeur and the perils of what he called “The Greatest Thing That Man Has Ever Done” as an employee of the Bonneville Power Administration. His time here in the Pacific Northwest inspired a swell of patriotism that led Guthrie to enlist in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II, after which he returned home to fame and notoriety, but also to tragedy and tremendous personal loss.
Historian, teacher, folksinger, and actor Joel Underwood performs an hour that is part concert, part theatrical drama, and part lecture. Sing along to “Roll on Columbia,” “Pastures of Plenty,” and of course, “This Land is Your Land,” and learn the—sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic—stories behind the songs.
Joel is an actor, teacher, musician, and historian. After 25 years teaching high school history, Underwood got his master’s degree in American History with a focus on folk and protest music. A recipient of the Woody Guthrie Fellowship, Underwood was granted access to the Woody Guthrie Archives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to research Woody’s time in the World War II Merchant Marines. Underwood continues to tour as a musician, both solo and with his daughter.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Robin Harrison, Operations and Marketing Manager at Harbor History Museum at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org .
Members: $5
Non-Members: $10
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 10th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our June meeting is This is Chance! by Jon Mooallem.
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In the spring of 1964, Anchorage, Alaska, was a modern-day frontier town yearning to be a metropolis—the largest, proudest city in a state that was still brand-new. But just before sundown on Good Friday, the community was jolted by the most powerful earthquake in American history, a catastrophic 9.2 on the Richter Scale. For four and a half minutes, the ground lurched and rolled. Streets cracked open and swallowed buildings whole. And once the shaking stopped, night fell and Anchorage went dark. The city was in disarray and sealed off from the outside world.
Slowly, people switched on their transistor radios and heard a familiar woman’s voice explaining what had just happened and what to do next. Genie Chance was a part-time radio reporter and working mother who would play an unlikely role in the wake of the disaster, helping to put her fractured community back together. Her tireless broadcasts over the next three days would transform her into a legendary figure in Alaska and bring her fame worldwide—but only briefly. That Easter weekend in Anchorage, Genie and a cast of endearingly eccentric characters—from a mountaineering psychologist to the local community theater group staging Our Town—were thrown into a jumbled world they could not recognize. Together, they would make a home in it again.
Drawing on thousands of pages of unpublished documents, interviews with survivors, and original broadcast recordings, This Is Chance! is the hopeful, gorgeously told story of a single catastrophic weekend and proof of our collective strength in a turbulent world.
There are moments when reality instantly changes—when the life we assume is stable gets upended by pure chance. This Is Chance! is an electrifying and lavishly empathetic portrayal of one community rising above the randomness, a real-life fable of human connection withstanding chaos.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our June meeting is The Boy With a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund.
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Though Owen Tanner has never met anyone else who has a chatty bird in their chest, medical forums would call him a Terror. From the moment Gail emerged between Owen’s ribs, his mother knew that she had to hide him away from the world. After a decade spent in isolation, Owen takes a brazen trip outdoors and his life is upended forever.
Suddenly, he is forced to flee the home that had once felt so confining and hide in plain sight with his uncle and cousin in Washington. There, he feels the joy of finding a family among friends; of sharing the bird in his chest and being embraced fully; of falling in love and feeling the devastating heartbreak of rejection before finding a spark of happiness in the most unexpected place; of living his truth regardless of how hard the thieves of joy may try to tear him down. But the threat of the Army of Acronyms is a constant, looming presence, making Owen wonder if he’ll ever find a way out of the cycle of fear.
“An honest celebration of life and everything we need right now in a book” (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning author), The Boy with a Bird in His Chest grapples with the fear, depression, and feelings of isolation that come with believing that we will never be loved for who we truly are and learning to live fully and openly regardless.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
The experts say it isn’t “IF a disaster happens” but “WHEN a disaster happens.” A disaster can strike at a moment's notice — are you and your household prepared?
Join Katie Arthur of the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management as she shows us how to develop a communication plan to stay connected with loved ones during a crisis, an evacuation plan to ensure swift and safe relocation, and a shelter-in-place strategy for situations that require staying indoors. Furthermore, we will share practical tips on gradually building an emergency kit over the course of a year, highlighting that it can be done at little or no cost. Lastly, she will provide examples of the what looking out for your neighbors and family looks like on a approachable and relevant scale.
Get to know Pierce County's Hazards — earthquake, lahars, wildfire, etc.
Make Plans — a communication plan, an evacuation plan and a reunification plan.
Build-a-Kit —a Go-kit vs. a Shelter-in-Place kit
Help Each Other — neighborhood and community teams
Sign-up for Emergency Alerts free of charge
Learn about real hazards in Pierce Country and the best planning practices to help mitigate the effects of a disaster. Getting prepared for disasters and emergencies is a lot easier than we think! Everyone can do something to get prepared that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time.
Please RSVP to Robin at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our May meeting is What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins.
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After the shocking death of two teenage boys tears apart a community in the Pacific Northwest, a mysterious pregnant girl emerges out of the woods and into the lives of those same boys’ families—a moving and hopeful novel about forgiveness and human connection.
In misty, coastal Washington State, Isaac lives alone with his dog, grieving the recent death of his teenage son, Daniel. Next door, Lorrie, a working single mother, struggles with a heinous act committed by her own teenage son. Separated by only a silvery stretch of trees, the two parents are emotionally stranded, isolated by their great losses—until an unfamiliar sixteen-year-old girl shows up, bridges the gap, and changes everything.
Evangeline’s arrival at first feels like a blessing, but she is also clearly hiding something. When Isaac, who has retreated into his Quaker faith, isn’t equipped to handle her alone, Lorrie forges her own relationship with the girl. Soon all three characters are forced to examine what really happened in their overlapping pasts, and what it all possibly means for a shared future.
With a propulsive mystery at its core, What Comes After offers an unforgettable story of loss and anger, but also of kindness and hope, courage and forgiveness. It is a deeply moving account of strangers and friends not only helping each other forward after tragedy but inspiring a new kind of family.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Harriett Baskas
The Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome Harriet Baskas to our program series. Harriet is the author of nine books, including 111 Places in Seattle That You Must Not Miss and Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You. She writes about airports, museums, travel, and a variety of other topics for outlets such as NBC News, ABC News, MSN, USA Today, CNBC, The Points Guy, and her own site, StuckatTheAirport.com. She produced a radio series on hidden museum artifacts that aired on National Public Radio. Baskas has a master’s in communications from the University of Washington.
Baskas will be giving a talk on hidden museum treasures and collections and how most museums display no more than 10 percent of their holdings, often citing “not enough space” as the reason. But there are also a wide range of cultural, philosophical, political, environmental, historic, and even superstitious reasons why museums keep some objects from public view.
In this talk, explore a wide range of hidden objects found in the back rooms of museums in our state and around the country. Examples include a Spokane institution that holds Bing Crosby’s toupées and a museum in Lynden that’s home to a 150-year-old pickle.
We’ll have our own collection manager, Jean, on hand to unbox a few hidden treasures in our own Harbor History Museum collection and discuss what they are and where they came from. You don’t want to miss this talk!
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. To save your space, please RSVP to Robin Harrison, Operations and Marketing Manager at Harbor History Museum at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org .
Members: $5
Non-Members: $10
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 2nd at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our April meeting is Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Zhang.
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A dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West
Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been―including the ones she most wants to leave behind―in order to finally claim her own name and story.
At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
Brought to you by Humanities Washington. Harbor History Museum is excited to welcome back author Steve Edmiston. Last year we all enjoyed his talk on Whiskey and Wiretaps and can’t wait to hear what he has in store this time around!
On August 1, 1947, the tragic crash of a B-25 bomber in Washington State triggered an FBI investigation of “The Maury Island Incident”—an infamous Northwest UFO sighting, and history’s first alleged encounter with the so-called “Men in Black.”
The FBI’s records from 1947, which were sealed for decades, reveal Cold War fears, jurisdictional disputes, cover-ups, false confessions, a courageous FBI Special Agent, and the hands-on involvement of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.
Relying on the FBI records, this talk exposes a Washington story that shapes our current UFO narratives, from 1950’s pulp magazines to the ubiquitous X-Files and Men in Black film franchises. Also examined: how the Northwest’s unique position in UFO history is challenged by others that assert contradictory narratives.
Steve Edmiston is a business and entertainment lawyer with Bracepoint Law, and an indie film screenwriter and producer. Edmiston has keynoted for the Pacific Northwest History Conference, Washington State Historical Museum, McMenamins History Pubs, film festivals, conferences, and business groups. He was the screenwriter and co-producer of “The Maury Island Incident,” a short film chronicling the true story of Harold Dahl and his alleged 1947 sighting of a UFO over Puget Sound. Edmiston lives in Des Moines.
Humanities in the Harbor is held at Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98332 or via Zoom. 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.
This talk will be IN PERSON at the museum. We expect it to fill-up very quickly. To save your space, please RSVP to Robin Harrison, Operations and Marketing Manager at Harbor History Museum at operations@harborhistorymuseum.org .
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 5th at 6:00 pm at the Harbor History Museum. The book for our March meeting is A Fever In the Heartland by Tim Egan.
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A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan's rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them.
The Roaring Twenties--the Jazz Age--has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson.
Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows – their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman – Madge Oberholtzer – who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees.
A FEVER IN THE HEARTLAND marries a propulsive drama to a powerful and page-turning reckoning with one of the darkest threads in American history.
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com
