Telling the Stories of our Lives: Barbara Jones
Funded by a generous grant from the Tacoma Arts Commission in partnership with Puget Sound Book Artists, Anthea Karanasos Hubanks and Tacoma Seniors Write launched a series of creative writing workshops titled “Telling the Stories of Our Lives” at three Tacoma Senior Centers. The workshops consisted of a fun medley of classes for Elders interested in telling their stories through memoir, prose, letters, haiku, work … Continue reading Telling the Stories of our Lives: Barbara Jones
Telling the Stories of our Lives: Myrtle Appling
Funded by a generous grant from the Tacoma Arts Commission in partnership with Puget Sound Book Artists, Anthea Karanasos Hubanks and Tacoma Seniors Write launched a series of creative writing workshops titled “Telling the Stories of Our Lives” at three Tacoma Senior Centers. The workshops consisted of a fun medley of classes for Elders interested in telling their stories through memoir, prose, letters, haiku, work … Continue reading Telling the Stories of our Lives: Myrtle Appling
Telling the Stories of our Lives: Orv Harrelson
Funded by a generous grant from the Tacoma Arts Commission in partnership with Puget Sound Book Artists, Anthea Karanasos Hubanks and Tacoma Seniors Write launched a series of creative writing workshops titled “Telling the Stories of Our Lives” at three Tacoma Senior Centers. The workshops consisted of a fun medley of classes for Elders interested in telling their stories through memoir, prose, letters, haiku, work … Continue reading Telling the Stories of our Lives: Orv Harrelson
Titlow Tales and Galloping Gertie
November 7, 2020 marks the 80th anniversary of the collapse of the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge, also known as “Galloping Gertie.” In honor of that anniversary, Dale Wirsing, a longtime Tacoma Historical Society board member, has been kind enough to share his memories of that day in the account that follows. It was in 1938 or thereabouts that Vern and Hazel Wirsing moved from Tacoma’s … Continue reading Titlow Tales and Galloping Gertie
Save Our Bridge: How One (Large) Piece of Tacoma History Was Protected from Destruction
When construction on the 11th Street Bridge was completed in 1913, 10,000 residents flocked to the site to celebrate its opening. The fanfare was not only proportional to the bridge’s steep $600,000 price tag, but also comparable to its importance in Tacoma. As a port town with numerous waterways crisscrossing its land, Tacoma requires bridges to accommodate land traffic. Thanks to the 11th Street Bridge, … Continue reading Save Our Bridge: How One (Large) Piece of Tacoma History Was Protected from Destruction
Virtual Tour: 1885 Chinese Expulsion
Tacoma Historical Society is honored to contribute to this year’s virtual Tacoma Moon Festival with the release of a new virtual tour of the people and places associated with the 1885 Chinese Expulsion. The tour can be explored online from the comfort of your home, or as a walking or driving tour. Click here to get started! The Tacoma Moon Festival is an annual event … Continue reading Virtual Tour: 1885 Chinese Expulsion
Capturing Your COVID-19 Stories
A frequent challenge for local history researchers is a lack of first-hand accounts of an event from the past. Perhaps people at the time didn’t recognize that they were living through something significant. Or perhaps they did, and their time and energy was taken up with that something significant, so much that they couldn’t pause to document their experience. With this in mind, we are … Continue reading Capturing Your COVID-19 Stories
Ode to Lincoln Hardware
The first people I met when I moved into Tacoma’s Lincoln District in 1999 were the owners of Lincoln Hardware, which I quickly learned was a neighborhood fixture with a long history of serving our community. And why did I meet them, rather than other neighbors, first? Because the lock on the front door of my historic home broke, and needed fixing, quick. I walked … Continue reading Ode to Lincoln Hardware
31 Flavors From Tacoma
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! If you were lucky enough to go to an ice cream shop in the early 1900s, your choices would have been limited to vanilla, chocolate, and Strawberry. But a young man from Tacoma with a passion for ice cream and an inventive flair would soon change all of that. What would arguably became one of the best … Continue reading 31 Flavors From Tacoma
Sweet Candy Coating
Tacoma is known as the City of Destiny as it was the last stop for the Northern Pacific Railroad but, did you know that the railroad also helped Tacoma become the candy capitol of the world during the early 1900s? Tacoma’s mild climate was ideal for chocolate making, not too hot to melt it and not too cold to crack it. The newly opened direct … Continue reading Sweet Candy Coating
Tales of Tacoma 