The Southwest Seattle Historical Society (SWSHS) was founded in 1984 by West Seattle resident and White Center real-estate broker Elliott Couden. Founding members chose to dedicate this organization to historic preservation, heritage education, and community service for the Duwamish Peninsula, including West Seattle and White Center. The Log House Museum is located in a renovated turn-of-the-century log structure which once served as a carriage house, or stable, to the Fir Lodge. The Fir Lodge was one of the first year-round homes built on Alki Beach and was owned by prominent Seattleites, William and Gladys Bernard. Long-known as the Alki Homestead Restaurant, the fire-damaged and endangered landmark is currently being restored and refurbished. SWSHS cares for artifacts and archives that help tell the stories of the people and communities of the Duwamish Peninsula. Because these are items held in the public trust in perpetuity, the goal is to carefully curate objects within the limits of resources of space, time, and staffing. The Society houses artifacts (three-dimensional objects), archives (original paper documents), a research library, oral histories, and 7,000 photographic prints and negatives – 1,500 of which are in a searchable database. The core collection is housed at South Seattle College, but curator Lissa Kramer will share a sampling of their holdings at the museum.
Registration: $10 members; $15 general public