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Tag: Washington State Historical Society

2017 History Day winners are honored in Olympia.
Archives honors Washington History Day winners

Archives honors Washington History Day winners

Five Washington students recently showed they might have the stuff to be the next Ken Burns. The Washington State Historical Society coordinates Washington History Day, which features an annual contest for students in grades 6-12 throughout the state. The Washington State Archives supports History Day by having staff volunteer to serve as contest judges. The contest encourages students to become historians by developing research, analysis, presentation and social skills. Working individually or in groups, students select a topic related to…

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Ancestry Day event draws packed crowds

Ancestry Day event draws packed crowds

Secretary Wyman with Sons of the American Revolution at Ancestry Day Saturday in Tacoma. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives) It takes a special event to keep sun-craving Northwesterners indoors on a nice September weekend, but that was the case Saturday as hundreds packed themselves into a large meeting room at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center for Ancestry Day. The event was co-hosted by Ancestry, the Washington State Historical Society, and the Office of Secretary of State’s Washington…

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Want to dig into your family roots? Go to Ancestry Day Sept. 24

Want to dig into your family roots? Go to Ancestry Day Sept. 24

Interested in learning more about your family’s history? Whether you’re a genealogy expert or just starting to dig into your family’s roots, you’re encouraged to attend Ancestry Day in Tacoma Saturday, Sept. 24. The event is co-hosted by Ancestry, the Washington State Historical Society,  and the Office of Secretary of State’s Washington State Archives, Washington State Library and Legacy Washington . “This will be a great event for many people in Washington and the Northwest who want to learn more…

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Getting a sneak peek at 1889 WA exhibit

Getting a sneak peek at 1889 WA exhibit

Our office’s next great historical exhibit, Washington 1889: Blazes, Rails & the Year of Statehood, should be ready for the public to see on Tuesday, Oct. 21.  Secretary Wyman enjoyed a sneak peak of the exhibit panels. She and our office’s Legacy Washington staff joined Washington State Historical Society Executive Director Jennifer Kilmer (second from right in the photo below)  in checking out the panels shortly after they arrived. The exhibit’s official opening is Nov. 11 at 4 p.m., following…

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Archives honors Washington History Day winners

Archives honors Washington History Day winners

Pleasant Valley Middle School students Nathan Runkle and Stephanie Massart give a performance on their History Day project about Celilo Falls at the State Archives. (Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle.)  One wonders if Ken Burns started out this way. The Washington State Historical Society coordinates Washington History Day, which features an annual contest for students in grades 6-12 throughout the state. The State Archives, State Library and Legacy Project (all part of the Office of the Secretary of State) support…

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Recognizing Washington’s African-American legislators

Recognizing Washington’s African-American legislators

The State Library is featuring the 13 African-Americans who have served in Washington’s Legislature, and their accomplishments. The State Library is a division of the Office of Secretary of State. This feature is found on the State Library’s “Between The Lines” blog. The list starts with William Owen Bush, a Republican state representative from Thurston County who served in the first state Legislature after statehood, in 1889. Bush (whose photo here is courtesy of the Washington State Historical Society) was…

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Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – The Final Chapter

Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – The Final Chapter

In 1910, Emma Smith DeVoe and May Arkwright Hutton led campaigns in Washington supporting the women’s suffrage amendment.  The ballot measure to amend Article VI of the Washington Constitution was on the 1910 General Election ballot and was passed by majority of 22,623, a favorable vote of nearly 2 to 1.  Washington State joined the western states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho, that had already enacted women’s suffrage.  Washington was the first state in the 20th century to pass…

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Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – Part 11

Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – Part 11

Image courtesy of Washington State Archives In 1889, Congress passed the Enabling Act, which “enabled” Washington to draft a state constitution and request admission to the Union.  During the Washington State Constitutional Convention, women petitioned the delegates to include women’s suffrage in the new state constitution.  The issue was presented to the voters as a separate amendment on the ballot.  In the ensuing vote, 16,527 voters voted to include the amendment granting women the right to vote, but 34,613 voted…

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Come party like it’s 1910!

Come party like it’s 1910!

Mark your calendars for November 7 and 8 for two events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the vote to amend the Washington Constitution for women’s right to vote in the state as part of a Day of Jubilation.  The American Association of University Women is sponsoring a Women’s Suffrage Pink Tea at the State Capital Museum in Olympia  on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Visit this website for more details! The Office of the Secretary of State, the WSHS/Women’s…

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Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – Part 10

Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – Part 10

1887 and 1888 proved to be dark years for the women’s suffrage movement in Washington.  In the 1887 case of Harland v. Territory, the Territorial Supreme Court overturned the Women’s Suffrage Act of 1886 because it allowed women to serve on juries.  Justice George Turner (photo on left courtesy of Washington State Archives), who firmly believed that women were incapable of voting intelligently on public matters (tsk-tsk!), ruled that the title of the 1886 election law was defective and the…

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