With ‘Histories and Mysteries,’ Museum Looks to Its Future

An upcoming free Zoom event promises to unlock interactive intrigue and fun, all aimed at raising awareness about the ongoing work of the Vashon Heritage Museum.

The one-hour event, at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 22, is dubbed “Vashon Histories and Mysteries: Preserving Our Past, Funding Our Future” and will be emceed by the local dynamic duo of Kevin Joyce and Martha Enson, of EnJoy Productions.

Sue Hardy, the Heritage Museum board member who came up with the theme, said she envisioned the evening as a way to tap into a wealth of information and lore gleaned by local historians and preserved by the museum.

“We have so much history on this island a lot of people might not know about,” she said.

Some of the secrets of being unearthed during the evening will include an explanation of a flying saucer located at Vashon’s Airport and the retelling of the perplexing tale of an unmarked grave, unearthed during the construction of the Gold Beach neighborhood.

But the evening is more than just a chance to find out interesting new tidbits and local legends, said Elsa Croonquist, the museum’s executive director. Through pre-recorded interviews, attendees will also meet some of the museum’s most valued collaborators as it looks to the future.

“Vashonites attending the event should feel very proud and a little surprised by the accomplishments of our gem of a local heritage museum,” Croonquist said. “We are so fortunate to have such a wealth of community partners and experts dedicated to preserving our history and continuing to tell Vashon’s stories.”

In introducing these collaborators, the museum will spotlight recent exhibits that have amplified the history of diverse local communities, including Vashon’s LGBTQ+, Japanese-American, and Vietnam War veteran communities.

These partnerships, according to organizers, continue to point to the path forward for the museum.

“Museums cannot step back and say we are not involved in the world,” says Bruce Haulman, president of the museum’s board. “We cannot just tell the story of only the Norwegian settlers on Vashon. We need to pay attention to everyone, the ethnic, economic, social, and all of the minorities that are overridden by the dominant voice of the island. Part of the role of the museum is to make sure all those stories and voices are heard and accessible to everyone.”

The Zoom event will be the primary fundraiser for the museum as it looks forward, after a long pandemic year, to welcoming the community back through its doors.

Currently, the museum is in the midst of planning a new exhibit called “Natural Wonder: An Island Shaped by Water,” created in partnership with the Vashon Nature Center, which will include multiple outdoor installations and other educational content.

The museum has also recently hired a new guest curator, who will help guide the renovation of the permanent exhibit, to be completed over the next few years.

Haulman said that mission of the Heritage Museum is to be a fully engaging, dynamic destination, filled with content that is relevant to all who live here and that contributes, day by day, to history in the making on Vashon.

“We are the storehouse of knowledge for Vashon’s past and present, and this event helps keep our island’s archives alive, growing, and accessible for everyone,” said Haulman. “Our mission is dedicated to telling everyone’s stories and ensuring those stories are accessible for everyone. We don’t simply want to be a bunch of photos locked away in a vault.”