Orcas History Lives Here!
Orcas Island Historical Museums
Orcas Island Historical Society Annual Reports
Museum Staff & Board
Executive Director: Nancy Stillger
Museum Administrator: Debbie Durand
Collections Specialist: Terri Vinson
Research Assistant: Meryl Roepke
Administrative Assistant: Michelle Hassebrock
President: Bonnie Morris
Vice President: Rachel Riddle
Treasurer: Bruce Culver
Secretary: Carol Kulminski
Trustees: Tony Ayer, Antoinette Botsford, Jesse Fabrikant
MEMBERSHIP
Renew your Membership or join us as a new member to enjoy all the benefits of our Museum and those on neighboring Islands
The Orcas Island Historical Society’s first museum consisted of artifacts displayed on the front porch of a pioneer family’s home. Property for a permanent museum site was eventually obtained in the village of Eastsound, a location the facility continues to occupy today.
In the 1950s and 1960s, various island families donated six original homestead cabins built during the 1870s and the 1890s to the Society. Volunteers disassembled the structures at their original sites, then moved, reconstructed and linked the structures together to create the main museum facility. These cabins are now over a hundred years old, and not only house the collections, but are considered important historical artifacts in themselves. Each cabin serves as a space for interpreting specific aspects of island history as told through the life stories and material culture of the Native American and early European-American settlers of this area.
The Orcas Island Historical Museum is unique in being the only object-based, interpretive heritage facility for the island, with a permanent collection comprised of approximately 6000 objects, paper documents and photographs.
A Quick History of the Society
Volunteering
Where would we be without our Volunteers?
Lost! The Volunteer possibilities are endless. If you are interesting in Volunteering click below to learn more about your options!