PORT TOWNSEND — In celebration of the Jefferson County Historical Society’s 137th anniversary, staff and volunteers will give free behind-the-scenes tours of the Historical Research Center from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The center is located at 13694 Airport Cutoff Road.
The center serves as both the primary research facility and the repository for the historical society’s archival collections, with staff and volunteers on hand to assist researchers.
“The new wing opened in 2012, but many people have never been inside and they wonder what could possibly be in that big red building,” said Bill Tennent, executive director of the historical society.
“We like to think of it as Jefferson County’s treasure chest.”
The center houses more than a half-million historical artifacts and documents related to Jefferson County history, Tennent said.
The $1.6 million expansion in 2012 added new space for archival storage, artifact processing, exhibit preparation, a conservation laboratory and a loading dock.
Mobile shelving with a variety of drawers, cabinets and closets can accommodate items of all sizes, from tiny buttons to large pieces of furniture.
Visitors will get a glimpse of rare documents and unique artifacts ranging from Native American baskets to children’s toys of the 1930s to recent work by local artists, Tennent said.
For more information, visit www.jchsmuseum.org or call 360-385-1003.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
