The following is based on an opinion column from our board president, Walter Neary, printed in the summer 2023 journal for HFSA members: This has been a historic year for Fort Steilacoom, as we make plans for a brighter future. I’m very proud of our current board for recognizing the truth of a famous quote: […]
The board president of Historic Fort Steilacoom recently authored a personal opinion column for The News Tribune. The original draft is reprinted here for convenience, and reflects Walter Neary’s personal opinion. Current ownership of Fort Steilacoom masks the early history of Washington Territory or Hospitals and museums are different things By Walter Neary When […]
Fort Steilacoom Museum in Lakewood is honored to focus on the history of women in the early creation of Washington Territory through a series of three videos found on our YouTube channel. The three videos illuminate the lives and activities of women who lived in Puget Sound in the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s. We hope […]
The Reenactor Swap Meet is back! This will be our first living history swap meet since the pandemic. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 25, 2023. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fort Steilacoom will host a multi-vendor sale of living history supplies. The event is free to shoppers and open to all eras of […]
Like a lot of organizations, Fort Steilacoom was affected by the pandemic. We lost some volunteers, and we were not open to meet people to replace those volunteers. In order to continue our programs as before the pandemic – and even better – we’re recruiting for the following: We’re looking for a tour volunteer coordinator. We […]
Join us at Fort Steilacoom Museum in Lakewood from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, as living historians re-enact the Christmas of 1857 as the holiday season might have been celebrated in these buildings 165 years ago. Re-enactors will gather in candlelight to talk, sing, dance and dine as our predecessors did […]
Looking for a good book to go with your mug of tea and cozy sweater this Fall? Then stop by the Fort Steilacoom Book Sale next Saturday and pick up a familiar favorite or new classic while supporting this historic site! This used book sale includes everything from military history books to pulp sci-fi/fantasy novels […]
Fort Steilacoom Museum in Lakewood will host a talk 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, about the three wives of the man who supervised construction of the first official U.S. Army fort in Puget Sound.. Four of these buildings still stand in Lakewood, some of the oldest surviving structures in Washington. Portland-based public historian Nicole Kindle […]
Rethinking Lakewood’s oldest institution By Walter Neary The following, from our spring 2022 newsletter, comes from two talks Walter gave to Rotary Clubs in Lakewood. In March of 1856, members of a Washington Territory militia massacred non-combatant Indians around the confluence of the Nisqually and Mashel Rivers. How do we know this? It’s not the […]
The following is taken from the Long-Range Interpretive Plan approved by the board in November 2021. The board’s interpretive center committee is continuing to edit aspects of the plan including interpretive key messages and plans for interpretation of all four buildings and the grounds. For a list of author credits and more information, feel free […]