Artifacts Collection

The artifact collection reflects the social and political history of the State of Washington. It includes artifacts made and used in Washington State, along with a selection of artifacts from the Pacific Northwest region and other parts of the world.

The collection was formed by the merger of the Ferry Museum and the Washington State Historical Society in the 1930s. The Washington State Capital Museum collection was combined with WSHS in the 1990s. Clinton P. Ferry collected primarily European art while the Historical Society and the State Capital Museum collections include Washington and Northwest history.

The collections are diverse, including clothing and textiles, tools and equipment, furniture and household goods, Native American artifacts, and art.

Additional Information:

National Museum of History - The primary aim of the National Historical and Cultural Artifacts Digital Collection Project is to establish a complete and multimedia database for digitalized historical and cultural artifacts, preserving the collection and research in digitalized format, and incorporating all data and knowledge into the database for immediate management and use. The digital collection is still small, but beautifully presented.

Memorial Hall - The Memorial Hall Digital Collection is made up of over 2,000 items from Memorial Hall Museum.

Museum Collections Online - Written by Bernard Reilly of the Chicago Historical Society, this article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of digitizing museum collections for online access.