Working Waterfront Maritime Museum facts for kids
The Working Waterfront Maritime Museum is a special place in Tacoma, Washington, USA. It's a Maritime Museum, which means it teaches you all about boats, ships, and the history of the water. This museum is right on the Thea Foss Waterway. It's part of a bigger group called the Foss Waterway Seaport, which is a non-profit organization. This group started in 1996. The museum's main goal is to create a lasting place on the Tacoma waterfront for learning and fun activities. It even has a special area for kids called the Discovery Wharf Children's Activity Area!
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What the Museum Aims to Do
The Working Waterfront Maritime Museum has a clear goal, like a mission statement. It wants to "celebrate Tacoma's rich maritime heritage — past, present, and future." This means it shows how important the water and boats have been to Tacoma, from when the city first began until today. A lot of Tacoma's business has always depended on the sea. The museum also teaches about marine biology (sea life), old maritime cultures, and even fun boating.
The museum also has a big dream for the future. It wants to make the downtown waterfront a lively place for everyone. When it's fully finished, the Seaport plans to be the best maritime history and education center on the US west coast. It will be the only real place in the Pacific Northwest to show the region's water history right where it happened! This dream includes welcoming all kinds of visitors. The Maritime Museum has many exhibits and events just for kids.
Who Runs the Museum?
Like many museums that don't make a profit, the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum is guided by a group of people called a board of trustees. This board has 23 members, including a president and two vice-presidents. They help make important decisions.
The museum also has five full-time staff members. These include an executive director who leads the team, a manager for daily tasks, and a marketing manager. There's also a visual art producer and a facilities manager who takes care of the building. Many amazing volunteers also help the museum run smoothly.
A Look at the Museum's History
The Maritime Museum started in the 1990s. It was first called "Life on the Sound." This project wanted to create more community space. It aimed to celebrate the art, culture, and skills of the Puget Sound's water community. In 1996, it became an official 501(c)(3) organization. Back then, it was known as the Commencement Bay Maritime Association.
In 2005, the project grew bigger than just the museum. So, it was renamed the Foss Waterway Seaport. The museum is located inside the historic Puget Sound Freight Warehouse. The heart of the museum is the old Balfour Dock building. This building was a busy cargo wharf for over 70 years. It closed in the 1970s. The museum has recently fixed up this space. Now it has more room for meetings and new exhibits.
Who Visits the Museum?
The museum's big dream is to welcome "everyone." Many of its programs and exhibits are made for children. This means lots of families visit the museum. Reviews often mention how much kids enjoy their time there. While many museums do this, the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum has content for both kids and adults. So, there's something interesting for everyone!
What You Can See: Exhibitions
The Working Waterfront Maritime Museum has two main exhibitions. These are "Back Yard to Big Time" and the "Balfour Dock Building." The museum also shows off many cool individual items. You can see the James Robert Hanssen rowboat and Andrew Foss rowboats. There are also Willits canoes and a model of the SS Tacoma. You can also view old maritime photos.
The museum often has boat restoration projects happening. You can watch these projects as they work to fix up old boats. Big, beautiful tall ships also visit the museum's dock each year during festivals.
The museum has plans for ten new exhibits. These will cover topics like:
- Early Waterfront Life
- Connecting Waterfront Communities
- The Lumber Capital of the World
- The Foss Story
- Tacoma Ships
- Our World Waterfront Link
- International Shipping and Trade
- Labor and the Working Waterfront
- The Waterfront and the Environment
- Balancing the Uses
- The Recreational Boat Building Business
These new exhibits are still being developed. The museum hasn't announced when they will open yet.
Fun Public Programs
The Working Waterway Maritime Museum hosts one main public program. It's designed to teach people and bring the community together.
During the summer, the museum has a weekly event for children. It's called "Whoopee! It's Wednesday!" Each week has a different educational theme. These themes might be about local history or crafts related to the sea. The cost to get in changes depending on the activities for that day.
Museum Collections
The museum has a number of historic boats. You can see these in the exhibitions. Information about all the museum's collections isn't available on its main website. The museum might not have a full-time collections manager. This could mean it doesn't have a traditional collection of permanent objects. But this doesn't mean it's not a museum! It's more like an ecomuseum. This is different from a classic cabinet of curiosities model, which focuses on collecting many rare items.
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