The museum offers 7,000 square feet of permanent galleries showcasing the rich, unique heritage of the Gig Harbor Peninsula. Unique artifacts, video kiosks, hands-on exhibits, computer interactives, and a small theater bring Peninsula history to life in our permanent galleries.

Little Bitty Boom Town
For many big cities, the 1920s were truly “roaring,” but in Gig Harbor the “roar” was the sound of lumber mills and hammer strikes. Prohibition may have limited bars and distilling, but that didn’t stop this little town from seeing growth in every corner. From ship building to egg & poultry production, local industry grew at surprising rates, fueled by the arrival of electricity. Power came in partnership with Tacoma City Light, coursing from Cushman Dam to West Tacoma by way of Gig Harbor. This engineering feat gave rise to our own Peninsula Light Company in July of 1925. That “light” changed everything.

“Little Bitty Boom Town” is a special exhibition that touches on the many firsts Gig Harbor experienced during the 1920s. Produced with large format historical images, the exhibit invites visitors to the town’s first theater, Skansie’s Ship Building company, the Washington Egg and Poultry Cooperative’s new waterfront warehouse, and so much more. In the “portrait gallery” section of the exhibit, meet some of the people you may have seen on the street such as Anna Jerisch, Teresa Sweeney, Mitchell Skansie, Andrew Gilich, and even the wedding party of Lena Dorotich and Nick Bez.

“The 1920s were an incredible time of growth and industry here in Gig Harbor,” says Stephanie Lile, museum director and exhibit curator. “Even though there were just 800 people here at the time, new buildings and businesses were all the rage.” The exhibit also highlights an extraordinary new acquisition for the museum--the Snyder Model-T egg truck. Donated by the Snyder family, the truck is one of the earliest used by the egg co-op to move eggs from farm to warehouse. JL Snyder drove trucks for the co-op, and his son Smith went to Midway School and later worked for the co-op as well.

Not far from the co-op building, Skansie’s Ship Building Company was in full swing. The museum’s fishing boat, Shenandoah, slid down their ways in April 1925, hence the intended tie to the Maritime Gallery Grand Opening on April 26 celebrating the 100th anniversary of Shenandoah’s launch.

The exhibit will run through September 2025. Museum hours are 11am-4pm Wednesday through Saturday.

Bella Yongok Kim
Transformations in Green
July 2, 2025 - September 27, 2025

Inspired by the women in her family who sewed with care and creativity, our featured artist developed a passion for machine sewing at an early age. Growing up with limited resources, she learned to work with recyclable materials—an approach that continues to shape her art today.

With over 50 years of experience, she now focuses on minimizing resource consumption in the face of global warming. Her materials of choice include discarded fabric scraps and plastic packaging, appreciated for their unique colors and textures. Each day, she collects, washes, sorts, and prepares these materials for transformation into art.

Drawing inspiration from the Korean tradition of Jogakbo—a patchwork form rooted in sustainability and resourcefulness—her work blends cultural heritage with a contemporary eco-conscious vision. As a Korean American artist and designer, she brings together elements of traditional Korean aesthetics with influences from diverse cultures.

Her art is a joyful act of transformation, turning everyday waste into something meaningful. Through her work, she invites us to see the beauty in what we discard—and to imagine a more sustainable, creative world.

Bella was the 2024 winner of the Peninsula Art League’s “Best in Show” award.

Please see our School Resources page for classroom lesson plans and historical content to support your investigations of Washington State history.

All of our school programs are fully facilitated experiences led by a team of trained staff and volunteers. We work hard to make sure that your students are engaged and enthralled with their venture back in time!

For all field trips, our maximum group size per day is 60 students. We are happy to welcome homeschoolers with a group of at least 10 students. For any questions about field trips, please contact the Education Manager at education@harborhistorymuseum.org.

Midway School Experience

The award-winning Midway School Experience, in the restored Midway Schoolhouse and museum galleries, is an opportunity for school groups to step back in time, learn local history, and relive schoolhouse life at the turn of the century.  Participants are immersed in four hours of continuous programming with curriculum designed to meet several Washington State Education Standards. In this program, students visit our permanent galleries, special exhibition gallery, and participate in a lesson circa 1915. This program is for 3rd - 6th grade students, minimum of 8 students.
Price: $10 per student
Program Available W-F (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 pm; program is 4 hours)

“My students definitely loved their time in the Midway schoolhouse! I don't think they will ever forget their experience!”

“Our students LOVED the Midway experience. It is a memory of a lifetime.”

“It's PERFECT for 4th grade standards in Washington State History!”

Primary Museum Experience

During the Primary Museum Experience students in grades K-2 enjoy a fast-paced introduction to the museum. With an interpreter guide they explore the museum galleries and visit the Midway Schoolhouse and Shenandoah. They get hands-on experience with artifacts and begin to learn what museums are and how they tell stories of people in the past.
Price: $6 per student
Program Available: W-F (Available during museum hours; 1.5 hour program)

“I will recommend this field trip to other kindergarten classes.”

“The kids loved it and had a wonderful time!”

General Museum Visit

Ideal for middle and high school-aged students working on a special project, students explore our galleries and investigate artifacts through docent, teacher, and self-guided experiences. Learn Washington State, local, and maritime history, as well as how to uncover stories of the past. We are happy to work with teachers to customize the field trip to your specific needs. Best for 6th grade and higher.
Price: $5-7 per student
Program Available W-F (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

“Thank you! Our students were guided, directed, and entertained at a very high level. We are very pleased. Your staff exceeded our expectations!”

“The docents were lovely, informed, and patient. You put on an amazing, welcoming program.”

“We really enjoyed the exhibits and appreciated the knowledgeable guides.”

If you would like more information or to schedule a field trip please fill out our Field Trip Form.

We have compiled some helpful pre-visit information and a pre-visit activity for your to complete with your class. Download them here:

Field Trip Overview and Pre-Visit Information

Pre-Visit Slideshow and Sensory Guide

Pre-Visit Activity (hands-on activity) — 3rd grade and up

Pre-Visit Activity Slideshow — 3rd grade and up

Clothing and Lunch Suggestions

Post-Schoolhouse Experience Reflection

Can’t come to the schoolhouse? Check out these sampler videos of Miss Bennett’s lessons with your class!

Opening Exercises: Welcome to Midway School https://www.harbormysterymuseum.org/post/visit-to-midway-schoolhouse-lesson-1-with-miss-bennett

Lesson 2: History and Reading https://www.harbormysterymuseum.org/post/visit-to-midway-schoolhouse-lesson-2-with-miss-bennett

Lesson 3: Penmanship, Arithmetic, and Music https://www.harbormysterymuseum.org/post/visit-to-midway-schoolhouse-lesson-3-with-miss-bennett

Virtual Learning Options

Please contact education@harborhistorymuseum.org to arrange your session or with any questions. We look forward to meeting your students!

Virtual Midway School Experience

Experience a virtual version of our popular immersive field trip to school in 1915! While your students sit in their regular classroom, our schoolmarm will teach them directly from our 1893 Midway Schoolhouse. Over the course of an hour your students will engage in lessons and activities that take them back in time – learning through living history! At the end they will have the opportunity to ask questions about their experience and schooling of the past. For 3rd – 6th grades.

Virtual Artifact Exploration

Explore artifacts from daily life in the late 1800s and early 1900s – what clues will you find to help you uncover the story of the object? Our educator will guide your class to understand what artifacts are and how to examine them while showing students items from our collection. Students will learn how to look carefully at artifacts using good questions and critical thinking skills. They will learn about daily life in the past as well as how and why we preserve artifacts. Our virtual artifact exploration sessions are for 3rd – 12th grades and last 45 minutes.

Museum Expert Chats

Would a chat with an expert on local history enhance your social studies curriculum and engage your students? HHM is here for you! We are pleased to offer our staff for virtual classroom visits to share knowledge and answer questions on a variety of topics. See those below, but don’t hesitate to ask about others; we may be able to accommodate you.

Virtual visits are 30 minutes long and dependent on museum staff schedules. All grade levels welcome. (Bonus: for a career-focused chat we are happy to talk about our jobs!)

Topics

• The sx̌ʷəbabš, the Swift Water People, and
txʷaalqəł, the Place Where Game Exists – the
original residents of Gig Harbor and the HHM
site
• Peninsula settlers
• Settler life in the Pacific Northwest
• Education in the late 1800s and early 1900s
• Peninsula fishing industry
• Boat building
• Types of boats
• Local ferries
• Galloping Gertie
• Peninsula farming
• The HHM site: Donkey Creek, Peninsula
Light Co., Austin Mill
• Midway Schoolhouse
• Local crime history
• Local plants
• Artifact illustration
• Artifact collections and care
• Nonprofit management
• Nonprofit accounting
• Nonprofit marketing
• Museum education

Our special “Harbor Mystery Museum” site is where you can find fun stories and history mysteries for kids and families.

https://www.harbormysterymuseum.org/

Thank you to the following organizations for support of our School Programs:
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Gig Harbor Garden Tour
The Baker Foundation
The DV and Ida McEachern Foundation

Estate of Joan Bassett
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The 65-foot purse seiner, built in 1925, Shenandoah, was donated to the Museum in 2000. The fishing vessel was owned by Tony Janovich, who donated it to the Museum shortly after his retirement. Currently, we are in the process of restoring the vessel. To follow the progress of the restoration click here. 

Thanks to the following for support of the Shenandoah Project:
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Washington State Heritage Capital Project Fund
Pierce County Historic Preservation Fund
Port of Tacoma
Individual Donors
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