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Category: Heritage Center

Chronicling Washington: WSL receives additional funding for newspaper digitization project

Chronicling Washington: WSL receives additional funding for newspaper digitization project

(Image courtesy of the Washington State Library.) We are pleased to announce that the State Library has received an extension of funding from the National Digital Newspaper Program to continue digitizing historical newspapers through 2014.  The NDNP is a collaborative grant program between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.  The Chronicling America project covers all newspapers in the public domain in all U.S. states and territories, approximately from 1836-1922.  Select titles are available through the…

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Historical Records Project volunteers honored

Historical Records Project volunteers honored

Volunteers rock! Over 500 volunteers work with the State Library, Legacy Project, State Archives and Historic Records Project to fulfill the Secretary of State’s mission of historical records preservation and public access. Secretary of State Sam Reed honored the army of volunteers at a special appreciation luncheon in Chehalis.  The annual tradition gave the Secretary and project managers a chance to commend the time and talents the volunteers bring to their tasks. The event marks the tenth anniversary of the…

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“Library Jewel” #2: Slide presentation of the 1914 Sedro-Woolley bank robbery

“Library Jewel” #2: Slide presentation of the 1914 Sedro-Woolley bank robbery

Compiled by a Washingtonian with a flair for the dramatic, this collection of glass lantern slides, along with a typewritten narrative script, tells the story of the infamous Sedro-Woolley bank robbery of 1914. Traveling to theaters throughout Western Washington, this spirited presentation was staged with a performer reading the narrative script while the slides were shown on screen. Last year the Sedro-Woolley Museum and Sedro-Woolley Public Library partnered to digitize these slides along with over 300 additional resources through the…

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Launching Saturday: new book about tribal icon Billy Frank Jr.

Launching Saturday: new book about tribal icon Billy Frank Jr.

He’s one of the most famous Native Americans in Washington history, and an instrumental figure in the long and sometimes bitter battle over Indian fishing rights. A new and privately funded book about the life of Nisqually tribal leader Billy Frank Jr. is officially being launched Saturday afternoon in Olympia. The book is entitled “Where the Salmon Runs: The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr.” The book launch is from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at The Evergreen State College…

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Drumming, dancing highlight Native exhibit opening

Drumming, dancing highlight Native exhibit opening

  (Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle, Washington State Archives) They marched up the marble steps in the Capitol Rotunda, rhythmically pounding their drums and chanting a tribal song. As the last of the drumming echoed inside the cavernous Capitol dome, the Chehalis Canoe Family provided a rivetingly perfect welcome to guests and visitors during Tuesday’s launch of a powerful exhibit about Washington’s Native American tribes. The free and privately funded exhibit is called “We’re Still Here. The Survival of Washington…

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Our new Native American exhibit is up!

Our new Native American exhibit is up!

Over the past couple of weeks, some of our staffers have shown off their interior design and home improvement skills as they’ve transformed our office’s front lobby. The sounds of hammers and power drills have been commonplace, as have scenes of co-workers standing high on ladders to remove displays and patch holes in walls. All of this has been done to take down one interesting exhibit and replace it with another that is sure to capture the attention and amazement…

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Slade talks redistricting, 9/11, Senate and more

Slade talks redistricting, 9/11, Senate and more

John C. Hughes and former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton sign copies of the book that Hughes recently wrote about the longtime statesman. Former state Attorney General and U.S. Senator Slade Gorton was the featured guest at a forum and book signing Thursday in the Legislative Building’s State Reception Room. More than 50 attendees heard Gorton speak about his enduring and prominent career in state and national politics.  Gorton is the subject of a recent biography entitled “Slade Gorton A Half-Century…

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3, 2, 1…we have a book launch!

3, 2, 1…we have a book launch!

Our Legacy Project has produced some outstanding biographies and oral histories since it began in 2008, and Thursday night in Seattle saw the official launch of its latest offering. John C. Hughes, chief historian for The Legacy Project, has penned a new book about the long, influential political career of Slade Gorton. Entitled “Slade Gorton: A Half Century In Politics,” Hughes’ book goes back to the start of Gorton’s political career in Washington as a Republican state representative from Seattle…

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WA lawmakers button down hard-times session

WA lawmakers button down hard-times session

Washington lawmakers are heading back to their home districts after completing a brutal recession-era 135-day session.  Budget cutbacks, including salaries of state employees and teachers and budgets of virtually every area of government, were the rule of the day as lawmakers grappled with a budget gap of billions. Cuts and freezes totaling $4.6 billion will affect K-12, higher education, “safety  net” programs, and a variety of state services, from parks to prisons.  The $32 billion two-year budget takes effect July…

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