Fox Island Historical Society Museum

05/25/2026

Starting soon! Stop by for a great breakfast and visit with islanders.

05/19/2026

04/19/2026

An anonymous review left at the museum. 😄

04/14/2026

Don't miss the annual plant sale!
Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 11am to 2pm. Select from ample plant donations and yard art at the Historical Museum’s outdoor venue. Garden club members offer plants from their gardens at value prices: bearded evergreen hardy geraniums, Spotty Dotty, black-eyed Susan/ gold Rudbeckia, alliums, coppery Cappuccino, Liatris, Lithodora, Monarda, herbs, heuchera, ornamental grasses, dahlia tubers, fresh cut flowers, and more! Cash (smaller bills please), checks, and credit cards accepted.

02/17/2026

On February 22nd, the Fox Island Historical Society will be celebrating its 130th birthday!

Please stop by the Museum between 1:00 and 3:00, have a piece of cake, and enjoy our new displays.

The Fox Island Historical Society held its first meeting on February 22, 1896, and has held a Washington’s Birthday party every year since. The present Museum building opened in 1980.

01/03/2026

Mark your calendars! RSVP to Gail at 253-549-7400.

12/29/2025

Please note: The Museum will be closed for the month of January.
The Booknook & gift shop will be open every Sat in January from 1-4pm.

12/01/2025

Washington State Official Symbols
Every month in 2025 we have posted information about one of the Washington State Symbols. Our final entry will be our state insect.

Green darner dragonfly (mosquito hawk)
In 1997, the common green darner dragonfly, Anax junius Drury, became Washington's official state insect after a group of students at Crestwood Elementary School in Kent brought the idea to the Legislature. Students from over 100 school districts statewide participated in the selection of the common green darner dragonfly. Also known as the "mosquito hawk," this insect can be found throughout Washington and is a beneficial contributor to the ecosystem because it consumes a large number of insect pests. It is easily recognizable by its bright green head and thorax, it has a four to six-inch wingspan and can fly 25 to 35 miles per hour. There are over 400 different species of dragonflies. Dragonflies existed prior to the dinosaur age and some had up to a three-foot wing span. "Darner" is one family of dragonflies and the common green (Anax junius) was first sighted and recorded by Drury in 1773.

11/04/2025

Every month in 2025 we are posting information about one of the Washington State Symbols. Our entry for November is our State Amphibian.

Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris Regilla)
In 2007, the Pacific chorus frog was designated as the official amphibian of the State of Washington.​

Because Pacific chorus frogs live in every county in the state and on both sides of the Cascades, they are an excellent choice as an emblem for the whole state. The Pacific chorus frog is charming and makes beautiful sounds. Less than two inches long, they swell their throat sacs to three times the size of their heads to send their calls into the night. This amphibian is useful because it eats insects, including mosquitoes. It is recognizable by the black stripe through the eye to the shoulder, and can be brown, tan, grey or green. A native amphibian, it is preyed upon by bullfrogs, snakes, raccoons, shorebirds, hawks and ducks.

​A third grade class at Boston Harbor Grade School in north Olympia, demonstrated excellent knowledge about the political process in making this proposal to the Legislature as the project involved science, research, art, and persuasive writing.

10/31/2025

Anyone wishing to participate in the Gig Harbor Fish Food Bank Annual Toy Drive can drop unwrapped new toys off at the Museum on the following dates from 1 to 4. Nov. 22, 23, 29, 30 and Dec. 6, 7, 13, and 14.