Kitsap County Historical Society

TO OPERATE A HISTORICAL MUSEUM AND TO COLLECT, PRESERVE, AND EXHIBIT THE DIVERSE CULTURE, HERITAGE, AND HISTORY OF KITSAP COUNTY THE EDUCATION AND ENJOYMENT OF THE PUBLIC.

EXHIBITS AND COLLECTIONS: THE MUSEUM MAINTAINS OVER 100,000 PHOTOGRAPHS, 40,000 ARTIFACTS AND TEXTILES, AND EXTENSIVE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS OF DOCUMENTS, BOOKS, RECORDS, MAPS, AND ORAL HISTORIES. THIS YEAR WE FINISHED A MAJOR UPGRADE OF OUR KITSAP COUNTY TIMELINE THAT FEATURES NEW INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS, ENGAGING THEMATIC PORTALS, AND MODERN READER PANELS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE DIVERSE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTY. WE JUST REFRESHED OUR CURRENT ROTATING EXHIBIT, "THE STATE OF THE UNION IN BLACK AND WHITE: THE ROOSEVELT SMITH COLLECTION OF BLACK AMERICANA.", ONE OF SEVERAL IN A SERIES IN COLLABORATION WITH HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED KITSAP COMMUNITIES AS WE CONTINUALLY WORK TO BOLSTER HISTORICALLY UNHEARD VOICES. OVER THE PAST YEAR, EACH MONTH WE HAVE HAD A NEW MINI-EXHIBIT IN OUR FRONT LOBBY CORRESPONDING TO THAT MONTH'S HERITAGE CELEBRATION OR MAJOR LOCAL EVENT, E.G., JUST RECENTLY A JAPANESE HISTORY OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND FOR MAY, THE HISTORY OF KITSAP PRIDE FOR JUNE, AND A KITSAP FARMING AND COUNTY FAIR EXHIBIT FOR AUGUST. THIS YEAR WE STARTED CREATING AND HOSTING DIGITAL EXHIBITS ON OUR WEBSITE, SUCH AS AN EXHIBIT OF THE CHARLESTON NEIGHBORHOOD IN BREMERTON BASED ON A 1908 POEM, AND AN IN-DEPTH HISTORY OF THE WORLD WAR II SEGREGATED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OF SINCLAIR HEIGHTS. WE ALSO HAVE EXHIBITS ON FARMING, FISHING, AND LOGGING IN OUR RURAL HERITAGE BUILDING AT THE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS THAT WE OPEN AT FAIRGROUND EVENTS, INCLUDING THE COUNTY FAIR EACH YEAR.ANNUAL ATTENDANCE IN 2021 WAS 3,781 PEOPLE.

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS: WE WERE HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS YEAR'S BRIDGING BREMERTON EVENT BY SUPPORTING SEVERAL STOPS, INCLUDING DISPLAYING OUR 1931 RESTORED KITSAP MAIL TRUCK AT THE DOWNTOWN BREMERTON POST OFFICE. WE RAN A POPULAR SUMMER PROGRAM, "EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH KITSAP COUNTY", WHERE WE HAD GROUP OUTINGS TO HISTORIC SITES IN KITSAP COUNTY AND THEN TO A LOCAL RESTAURANT FOR A MEAL. WE LAUNCHED A NEW PROGRAM THIS YEAR CALLED "HISTORY UNCORKED", WHERE WE PROVIDED FREE REFRESHMENTS AND A SPEAKER ON A LOCAL TOPIC, E.G., THE HISTORY OF TYPEWRITERS GIVEN BY THE OWNER OF THE LAST TYPEWRITER REPAIR SHOP IN PUGET SOUND, LOCATED IN BREMERTON. WE PARTNERED WITH THE PUGET SOUND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY FOR THE ANNUAL KITSAP ANTIQUE SHOW, A TWO-DAY EVENT THAT DRAWS ABOUT 2,000 VENDORS AND VISITORS FROM WASHINGTON, OREGON, AND CALIFORNIA TO THE KITSAP FAIRGROUNDS. WE REGULARLY PARTICIPATED IN FIRST FRIDAY ART WALKS, JUNETEENTH, WINTERFEST, SAFE TRICK-OR-TREAT, ARMED FORCES DAY PARADE, KITSAP FAIR AND RODEO/STAMPEDE, AND OTHER LOCAL EVENTS. AROUND 10% OFF THOSE SURVEYED AT THESE EVENTS ARE STAYING AT LOCAL HOTELS. IN GENERAL, OUR METRICS INDICATE THAT ABOUT 3,500 OF OUR YEARLY VISITORS STAYED OVERNIGHT LOCALLY.

COLLABORATION AND MARKETING: WE REGULARLY PARTNER WITH OTHER MUSEUMS, ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS, AND PRIVATE BUSINESSES ACROSS KITSAP COUNTY TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION AND CROSS-PROMOTE TOURISM. AS WE RENT SPACE TO THE AURORA VALENTINETTI PUPPET MUSEUM, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM TO OPERATE UNDER A TOURISM MODEL OF "TWO MUSEUMS UNDER ONE ROOF". WE PARTNER WITH THE ROXY THEATRE, EXHIBITING ITEMS FROM OUR COLLECTION IN THEIR DISPLAY AREA TO CORRESPOND WITH THE MOVIES THEY ARE SHOWING, E.G., WE CONTRIBUTED RESEARCH TO THE FILM "HONOR THY MOTHER", SHOWN AT THE WEST SOUND FILM FESTIVAL, WHICH DREW NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL AND OVERNIGHT VISITORS, DURING WHICH WE DISPLAYED OUR TRAVELING EXHIBIT, "BEYOND BORDERS: THE INDIPINO COMMUNITY OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND". WE ARE WORKING WITH OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES TO LOAN OUT AND EXHIBIT ITEMS FROM OUR COLLECTION THAT CORRESPOND TO THEIR MOTIF TO ENCOURAGE CROSS-BUSINESS TOURISM AND WE ARE WORKING ON A "SELFIE WALL" FOR TOURISTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES AS PART OF A GRASSROOTS BREMERTON MARKETING CAMPAIGN. WE PARTNER WITH SOUND WEST GROUP TO DISPLAY A PIANO IN OUR LOBBY THAT IS THE ONE HIGHLY LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN PLAYED BY QUINCY JONES AS A CHILD WHILE HE WAS IN BREMERTON. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING INVOLVED IN THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR QUINCY SQUARE CITY RENOVATION PROJECT, SLATED FOR CONSTRUCTION IN 2023 AND DESIGNED TO ATTRACT MORE LOCALS AND VISITORS TO DOWNTOWN BREMERTON. WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE NEWLY FORMED KITSAP CHILDREN'S MUSEUM TO GIVE THEM SPACE FOR ACTIVITIES, AS THEY DO NOT YET HAVE A PHYSICAL LOCATION.