Working Waterfront Maritime Museum facts for kids
The Working Waterfront Maritime Museum is a cool place in Tacoma, Washington, USA. It's a Maritime Museum, which means it's all about boats, ships, and the history of the water! You can find it right on the Thea Foss Waterway. This museum, along with the Discovery Wharf Children's Activity Area, is part of a group called the Foss Waterway Seaport. This group is a non-profit organization that works to create a fun and educational spot on the Tacoma waterfront for everyone.
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What the Museum is All About
The Working Waterfront Maritime Museum has a special goal: "to celebrate Tacoma's rich maritime heritage — past, present, and future." This means they want to show how important the water and boats have been to Tacoma, from its very beginning until today.
Tacoma has always depended a lot on the maritime industry, which includes everything from fishing to shipping goods. The museum also teaches about marine biology (the science of ocean life), old maritime cultures, and even how people enjoy boating for fun.
The museum also has a big dream: to make the waterfront a lively place for everyone. They hope to become the best maritime history and education center on the US west coast. What makes it special is that it's built right where a lot of this history actually happened! Even though it's for everyone, the museum has many cool exhibits and events just for kids and families.
Who Runs the Museum?
Like many museums that are non-profit, the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum is guided by a group of people called trustees. These trustees help make important decisions for the museum.
The museum also has a small team of full-time staff members who work hard every day. Plus, a big group of amazing volunteers help out a lot! They are super important for making the museum run smoothly.
A Look Back: Museum History
The idea for this museum started in the 1990s. It was first called "Life on the Sound." The goal was to create a community space to celebrate the art, culture, and skills of the Puget Sound's maritime community. In 1996, it became an official non-profit group called the Commencement Bay Maritime Association.
Later, in 2005, the project grew bigger than just the museum. So, it was renamed the Foss Waterway Seaport. The museum itself is located in a historic building called the Puget Sound Freight Warehouse. At its heart is the old Balfour Dock building. This building was used for loading and unloading cargo for over 70 years, until the 1970s. The museum has fixed up this old space to add more room for exhibits and events.
Who Visits the Museum?
The museum wants "everyone" to visit! Many of their programs and exhibits are made especially for children. This means lots of families come to explore and learn. You'll find things that both kids and adults will enjoy.
Cool Things to See: Exhibitions
The Working Waterfront Maritime Museum has two main exhibitions: "Back Yard to Big Time" and the "Balfour Dock Building." They also show off many cool individual items. These include the James Robert Hanssen rowboat, old Andrew Foss rowboats, and Willits canoes. You can also see a model of the SS Tacoma ship and some old maritime photos.
The museum even has projects where they are fixing up old boats right there, so you can watch them work! Big, famous ships called tall ships often visit the museum's dock during yearly festivals, which is a really exciting sight.
The museum is planning even more exhibits for the future. Some ideas include: Early Waterfront Life, The Lumber Capital of the World, The Foss Story, and International Shipping and Trade. These new exhibits are still being developed.
Fun Activities: Public Programs
The museum hosts a major public program to teach people and bring the community together.
In the summer, they have a weekly event for kids called "Whoopee! It's Wednesday!" Each week has a different educational theme. These themes might be about specific crafts or stories related to the local maritime industry. The cost to join depends on the activities planned for that day.
What the Museum Collects
The museum has a number of historic boats that you can see in their exhibits. While they might not have a huge collection of small objects like some museums, the Working Waterfront Museum is more like an ecomuseum. This means it focuses on showing history and culture in the place where it actually happened, rather than just collecting lots of items in a building.
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