Upcoming in the month of June 2016 are events and activities which will enhance your understanding of Seattle history and the history of one of Seattle’s iconic neighborhoods, Ballard.

Green Lake Beach, June 25, 1936, photo from the Seattle Municipal Archives.

The Seattle Municipal Archives in City Hall is the repository of both paper and digital records of Seattle.  On Tuesday, June 21, 2016 from 1 to 2 PM Scott Cline, City Archivist, will show some of his favorite items from the collection and will explain how photos, documents, tapes, film, etc. help us understand the City of Seattle.  The program will be held in the main-floor meeting room at City Hall, immediately to your left when entering from Fifth Avenue.

In addition to the photos and files of the Seattle Municipal Archives, the Seattle Public Library has maps and on-line resources for research into Seattle neighborhoods.  New ways to research neighborhood history includes on-line search of newspapers and the library’s photo collection, plus links to other resources.

The historic Ballard neighborhood

Ballard Historical Society has just finished a massive undertaking, a survey of all of the residential housing in that neighborhood.  Volunteers walked past every house and entered info into a database.  Some of the info is available on-line from their webpage, and other aspects will continue to be developed, such as individual house histories.

Ballard historic home

The next upcoming event in Ballard is the Classic Homes Tour on Sunday, June 26, 2016 from 10 AM to 4 PM.  The house tour is a fundraiser for Ballard Historical Society; see the webpage for where to purchase tickets.

This year, the tour features eight vintage houses that were built between 1892 to 1934. These well-maintained homes will draw you back to an era of solid craftsmanship, beauty, and style.  See for yourself how an older home can thoughtfully integrate necessary updates while still embracing the scale and period in which it was built.