User:Sustainablejackie/Eastside Heritage Center

Eastside Heritage Center a 501(c)(3) heritage museum based in Bellevue, Washington, USA.

History
In 2001 the Bellevue Historical Society (founded in 1986) and the Marymoor Museum of Eastside History (founded in 1965) joined together to form the Eastside Heritage Center. Together the organizations hoped to fundraise for the building of a new museum that would house both collections, as well as exhibitions. The merger arose out of informal discussions among local heritage organizations, with the intent of establishing a hub for heritage work in the area. Unfortunately, the Marymoor Museum was forced to leave its home in Clise Mansion in Redmond’s Marymoor Park after 35 years of operation, the result of a $52 million budget shortfall in King County. Since the official closure in December 2002, the Marymoor Museum’s collection has been in storage.

Today the Eastside Heritage Center operates out of two historic houses in the City of Bellevue, the McDowell House and the Winters House.

Mission
The Eastside Heritage Center’s mission is: “To steward Eastside history by actively collecting, preserving, and interpreting documents and artifacts, and by promoting public involvement in and appreciation of this heritage through educational programming and community outreach.”

Despite the loss of the Marymoor Museum of Eastside History venue in Redmond, the center’s vision has remained the same: “Our vision is to have a destination heritage museum and research facility, where we can display the collection and serve the public. In the meantime, we continue to provide educational services, public programs and temporary exhibits throughout eastside communities, and we are striving to build our institution into an indispensable community asset.”

Organizational values include public service, building awareness and appreciation for history, and education through work with local schools, public interpretation, and ongoing research.

Center materials feature two taglines, which represent these goals: “Discover. Share. Participate.” “Connections for yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”

Organizational structure
The Eastside Heritage Center operates under the direction of a 22 member board of trustees. Heather Trescases became the Executive Director in 2005, after several years of volunteer work with the organization. Center staffing includes an archivist and education coordinator, accompanied by numerous volunteer positions.

Audience
The Eastside Heritage Center serves a broad audience, with primary emphasis on Eastside area residents. The center maintains long-term partnerships with the Bellevue School District, the City of Bellevue, and other local community groups. Outreach programs regularly serve families, scout groups, seniors, and area newcomers.

Exhibitions
The Eastside Heritage Center produces a regular rotating exhibit in the Winters House in Bellevue, Washington.

Due to lack of physical space for exhibitions since the close of the Marymoor Museum of Eastside History in 2002, the Eastside Heritage Center operates with a satellite display concept, forming community partnerships to create displays in vacant spaces. The center also organizes mini-museum exhibitions, including an annual presentation at the Strawberry Festival.

The Eastside Heritage Center has contributed materials and research involved in the creation of a number of public resources, including books, videos, blogs, and displays.

Public Programs
Perhaps the most recognized program, the Eastside Heritage Center organizes the annual Strawberry Festival, a “celebration of strawberries and community” held on the fourth weekend of June. The festival was first organized in 1925 as a community celebration, and was inspired by Bellevue’s strawberry farms. In 1942 the festival was canceled, as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II brought the majority of strawberry farms in Bellevue to a halt. In 1987 the Bellevue Historical Society revived the festival, and the Eastside Heritage Center continues the tradition today as a signature event to raise awareness of the center and the farm history of the region. In 2010 the festival includes a student Haiku poem contest to honor Japanese farm workers.

Based out of two historic houses in Bellevue, the Eastside Heritage Center offers a number of interpretive programs for the general public. Recently the center partnered with Bellevue Parks and Community Services to present a heritage lecture series at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. They also support area events such as the Crossroads Farmers Market, host various walking tours, and offer regular hands-on workshops at the Fraser Cabin at Kelsey Creek Park in Bellevue that overview settler life in the 1880s.

The center has developed a number of themed “Treasure Boxes” of materials that align with Washington State’s Social Studies curriculum standards, and are available for rent to local schools and community groups. Visual presentations are also available by reservation.

Additionally, the center provides a number of services, including research and acting as a repository for organization archives.3 The center also operates a bookstore for the public, selling books featuring information on East King County history.

Collections
Since 2002, the vast majority of the Eastside Heritage Center’s collections have been in storage, due to the loss of a permanent public exhibition space.2 This includes more than 30,000 artifacts that represent the lifestyle of East King County residents. Textiles make up about half of the collection, and include clothing, household linens, and quilts, with an emphasis on women and children’s clothing. The domestic goods collection features more than 200 pieces of furniture, as well as toys and music. Agricultural and industrial pieces primarily focus on traditional occupations – farming, logging, and mining.

The center also houses archival and media pieces, including published newspapers, school annuals, and written histories of the region, as well as unpublished journals, correspondence, and administrative records. The collection includes more than 200 oral histories (some transcribed), as well as historical photos dating back to the 1880s. 800 photos from the collection are available online through the University of Washington’s King County Snapshots.

The collections continue to grow through donations, recording of oral histories, and ongoing research.

Collections are available to the public for research during scheduled hours and by appointment.