Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
Established in 1833 as an outpost for fur trading, Fort Nisqually is now a living history museum based in Tacoma, Washington. It was the very first European settlement on the Puget Sound that was later occupied by Americans and British. When you visit the museum, you will find volunteers dressed in period clothing and engaged in old 19th-century social practices, work, and crafts.
The museum is open year-round, which means you can visit it whenever you are in Tacoma. Located in Point Defiance Park, the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum features a total of seven historically equipped buildings. This includes two National Historic benchmarks, a Museum Store and a Visitor Center. If you are visiting in a large group, you can also rent the multi-purpose room.
Efforts to conserve the remnants of the dilapidated and long-abandoned fortress from the 1800s were made in 1933. The primary focus lay in the two remaining structures of the fortress, the Granary, and the Factor’s House. Both structures were then moved to the Point Defiance Park, and the remaining outpost turned into a Living Museum.
Present-day, the Granary still stands as Washington’s oldest wood-framed edifice. Currently, there are no tangible remains of the Nisqually Fort in Dupont. But the area is a secure site for archaeological activities. A route along the Sequalitchew Creek’s south bank leads to a pointer for the Fort that tells the location and describes the post. During the 1930s, the Fort was rebuilt at its present location in Point Defiance Park as a way to bring the country out of the Great Depression.
The Fort is adorned with various exquisite exhibits as well as many other original objects. Informative events are also hosted by volunteers that truly revive life as it was in 1855. All exhibits include practical activities designed for all age groups. You can search and select artifacts from Fort Nisqually Living History Museum’s permanent collection from the mid-1800s.
The museum’s library is also available if you wish to do more research about a certain topic or artifact. The non-circulating materials comprise recorded copies pertaining to primary materials of Fort Nisqually, the Puget Sound Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Visitors should definitely stop by the Museum Store in the Visitor Center. You can freely browse the fascinating selection of Pacific Northwest history books and also take home locally made jewelry and gifts. The store is also a great place to find some hidden historical gems like Green River knives and wooden toys. The Heritage Gardens are also something you must see as they represent the much more profound historic garden that used to be located in the Fort’s original site. The gardens replicate agricultural practices from the 19th century and are quite intriguing to uncover.
To visit the museum, you have to pay a $9 admission fee. Special exhibits and events can go all the way up to $16. You will need to purchase the tickets online to avoid any last-minute entry issues because of full quotas.
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