Yesterday and Tomorrow

I was invited along with some other members of our local media to a preview presentation at the San Juan Historical Society last week. There, we got to meet with Kevin Loftus, Don Nixon, Fred Yockers, Mary Jean Cahail and Romona Jones. They are in the process of putting together a Museum of History and Industry of Friday Harbor and San Juan Island, and it looks like it is going to be really cool. I think you’ll want to keep your eyes on this one.

Don Nixon shares design ideas for the Fishing section of the new museum.

The museum will be housed in the big barn at the back of the property which in itself is an example of how many buildings around here have evolved – the original, central part of the barn was built in 1985 to replace the original barn which burned down in the 1930’s; the south wing was added in 2005; and the north wing on the right, was added last year. The finished museum will be comprised of four main sections devoted to spotlighting four industries that have shaped the island:

• Fishing
• Farming
• Logging
• Lime

plus an Atrium area in the front for welcoming visitors and offering key artifacts and a summary of what’s in the rest of the building. This section is already nearly complete.

The Fishing section will be completed next, scheduled for late Spring of 2014 with Farming following in the Fall of 2014. Logging will come after that in the Spring of 2015 with Lime as the final phase in Fall of 2015.

One of the guiding principles in the creation of this museum is to showcase the history of these 4 core industries from their earliest recorded records, all the way through their development over the years and into the future. Hence the “Yesterday and Tomorrow” theme. As can be expected, funding for a project like this is very limited and as such they are working very hard to make sure they get the most mileage possible out of every dollar – I think there will be lots of opportunities for volunteerism and donation from community members.

But even before the new exhibit is completed, there is a lot to see right now at the museum and I’m sure they would love for you to stop by. One of the things director Kevin Loftus mentioned during the presentation was that it is amazing, how many people have lived here for years and years, and are either unaware of the museum, or simply have never been there. I had to sheepishly admit that I’m one of them, but I plan to go back – they have somewhere around 3,000 historical photos I’d like to see and that Mary Jean says she would be happy to share.

Their open hours for Fall & Winter are now limited, so give them a call first if your interested, 378-3949 or check out their website at www.sjmuseum.org. I’m sure they would love to hear from you.

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