The Kitsap History Museum is amidst our summer fundraiser

In the letter we share the story of Captain Marjorie Johnson. A Bremerton native who earned a Bronze Star and Commendation Medal for commanding a Women’s Army Corp unit in 1967. Johnson went on to become a public educator. Marjorie Johnson’s remarkable story was nowhere to be found on the internet. Every day the museum works to share and preserve these quiet but significant stories of Kitsap history.

We cannot do it without you! Community support enables us to do this work!

Kitsap Sun shares the stories of two Black pioneers that settled in the area in the 1890’s:

A Tahuya slough, once named for the N-word, was farmed by Black pioneer born into slavery

Josh Farley Kitsap Sun

Published 6:00 AM PDT Aug. 4, 2022 Updated 11:34 AM PDT Aug. 5, 2022

Editor’s note: This story deals with past racism and contains a quote that includes a racist term. The term is obscured in the sentence but retained within a quote to directly acknowledge the historical context surrounding the location and the speaker’s intentional use of the term to illustrate a piece of Kitsap’s past and why the word is avoided today. 

TAHUYA — Wind gusts whipped up saltwater whitecaps as night fell over the great bend of the Hood Canal on Sept. 2, 1890. The steamer Delta, capping a long arch of a voyage from Seattle to Union, dispatched a skiff to ferry six Black men toward the canal’s north shore where they’d hoped to homestead.  

“… Between nine and ten o’clock, the boat upset because the sea was quite rough,” a small article in the weekly Mason County Journal on Sept. 5 stated flatly. “… And two of the party … were drowned.” 

OLALLA COMMUNITY HALL & WINERY

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 1:00PM

$40 PER PERSON

       ($35 KHM MEMBERS)

*PRICE INCLUDES MEAL

We’ll travel south on a fall afternoon to Olalla, where we’ll begin at the Community Hall, built in 1904 by the Modern Woodsmen of America for their lodge functions, the building was deeded to the people of Olalla in 1937 for use as the Olalla Community Club and has been the social heart and center of community spirit ever since. A few minutes down the road, we’ll be treated to a visit to the Olalla Winery, where the founder will tell us about his Croatian heritage and the vineyard he and his wife started. The current owners will our hosts while we enjoy tasty finger foods and a glass of wine as we look out at the vineyard toward Olalla Bay.

SPONSORED BY: BILL & CHRIS SLACH

Did you see us at the County Fair?

We had so much fun showing folks all of our farming and rural heritage artifacts. Special thanks to all our dedicated volunteers who helped staff the barn! We also loved sharing old photos of the fair all month long on our social media pages. 

Anyone remember Festus & Doc at the 1965 Kitsap County Fair??

From the community:

“Milbourne Stone was a natural on that show, hard to tell he was acting…”

“Wish I did.. I was 9. Got to meet Dobs and duffy from f troop down at the pat Boone celebrity gold tournament in ocean shores in the mid 60’s.”

“I shook hands with Festus!”

Spotlight on Angie Tomisser

I am currently the president of the Board of Trustees and have been with the board since 2019. I began practicing at Rice Fergus Miller Architects going on five years ago. As an Associate Principal there, my work focuses on using design and architecture to support and build communities. 

My love for history likely stems from my love of old buildings and homes. I could spend hours exploring historic structures and learning about the people who occupied them. To me, digging into the history of a place or a person is my way of showing respect and acknowledging the contributions of those who came before me.

My favorite artifact(s) are the collection of men’s navy jackets. Sailors were not allowed to add anything to the outside of their uniform to personalize the garment, so some added hidden patches, décor, and fabric swatches inside the jackets to express themselves artistically or to differentiate themselves from their peers. A small rebellion that is an absolute treasure.