Closed for Renovation!

Can’t wait to see you when we reopen July 2024!

In the meantime, browse our website to find the many ways you can interact and learn about Vashon History.

Land Acknowledgement

The Vashon Heritage Museum stands on the ancestral lands of the sx̌ʷəbabš or Swift Water People, who inhabited Vashon-Maury Island for millennia. The Donation Land Claim Act encouraged large numbers of settlers to claim land, even before the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 extinguished Native claims to it. The sx̌ʷəbabš were imprisoned on Fox Island during the Puget Sound Treaty Wars by the territorial government and later relocated onto the Puyallup Reservation. We acknowledge the people of the Puyallup Tribe whose stewardship of and relationship with Vashon-Maury Island continues today. We commit to amplify the voices of indigenous people, making space for them to tell their own story, both past and present, in our exhibits and programs.

Our Museum

Originally built in 1907 by Norwegian immigrants, Vashon Heritage Museum served as a Lutheran church and a children's center before it became our home.

It has been lovingly preserved by the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association and now houses historical, cultural, and environmental images and artifacts documenting the history of Vashon Island.

Exhibits

Permanent Collection

Exhibitions and collections are the heartbeats of a museum. They tell stories of the past that help us understand the present and engage fully in the future. The best museums do more than tell stories, however – they engage the visitor in experiencing stories. We have a vision of an updated Permanent Exhibit that informs civic-minded decisions and displays that are dynamic, interactive, and sustainable.

We are committed to sharing the stories of all the people who have called Vashon home and of the Island itself. The geological history of the Island provides the background for all the stories that follow. From the stories of the sx̌ʷəbabs Native People of Vashon Island and the Puyallup Tribe to the gentrification that characterizes the Island today, the Vashon Heritage Museum provides a place for these stories. The Museum seeks to further the understanding of our past in order to help inform decisions about the future of our community.

Past Exhibits

What our visitors are saying...

In the news

Thank you to our sustaining sponsor!

Copyright © 2021, Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association.
Photos on this site belong to the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association unless otherwise noted.
Site Design: Strata Associates