What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 8pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)

Home
United States
Seattle, WA
Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)

Exploring the past, understanding the present, and inspiring a better future. We are constantly changing, moving as we do, growing as we build. Every word.

The following link includes resources for activism, counseling, and other information to fight against anti-Asian discrimination: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co

Seattle is our place. True, the landscape is dotted with icons of our history; the Rainier R, the original Starbucks sign, the Lincoln Toe truck. But when you think of Seattle’s history, don’t just think about the past. Watc

h our future unfold. You are creating Seattle. Every idea. MOHAI is the epicenter of this growth. It’s the quintessential experience of what was built and where we’re going. MOHAI is a place to explore Seattle. As we grow, with all we create, speak, read, write and learn, history inspires more history. MOHAI is an inspiration of original thought, supported with hundreds of years of practice.

06/03/2026

Registration is now open for June History Café: Shelf Life Community Story Project!

Join The Shelf Life Community Story Project and contributors for a talk about their new book, Limitless: Stories from the Neighborhood that Shaped Seattle, the culmination of a multi-year oral history project in Seattle’s historically redlined Central District neighborhood. Stories of innovation, interdependence, self-determination, creativity, and resistance are illustrated by seven artists with roots in the CD.
Learn more and get tickets ➞ https://bit.ly/4s7Pkzg

History Café is produced as a partnership between HistoryLink.org, Pacific Northwest Historians Guild, and MOHAI.

06/01/2026

📣Calling all MOHAI members!

Tickets are now available for Freedom Plane: Documents That Forged a Nation. Experience one of the nation's most unique traveling history exhibits on display July 30—August 16. This is the final tour stop before the documents return to the National Archives vaults.

Become a member today➞ https://bit.ly/4e4eSZl

05/31/2026

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Paul Dorpat, a beloved Seattle historian and dear friend of MOHAI. Paul died peacefully May 27 at the age of 87.

For 37 years and more than 1,800 columns, Paul paired historic photographs with modern-day Seattle scenes in The Seattle Times’ “Now & Then” column, helping generations understand Seattle’s transformation through time. His work made history feel alive, personal and accessible to everyone.

Paul was also a longtime supporter and collaborator with MOHAI, contributing to exhibits, walking tours and public programs that brought Seattle’s stories directly to the community.

“Without story,” he once said, “history is a recluse refusing to invite you in.”
Paul’s love for Seattle shaped how this city remembers itself. His legacy lives on in every image, story, and reader he inspired to look a little closer.

Our hearts are with his wife, Genevieve McCoy, and all who knew and loved him.

📷: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.153.38.01, photo by Dave Potts, MOHAI, MP20110408.2

05/30/2026

Mark your calendars! 📅

On July 3, MOHAI debuts the exhibit, For Which it Stands: The Many Threads of the American Flag. The American flag is a dynamic and evolving symbol inviting belonging, inspiring sacrifice, and projecting power. Explore the many meanings and contradictions embodied in the flag. Through historical flags and imagery from MOHAI Collections, alongside contributions from community partners, this exhibit traces how the flag appears in moments of unity, protest, conflict, and change. Learn more ➞ https://bit.ly/4uRmzZA

05/29/2026

During the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, between 1897 and September 1903, deposits at the Scandinavian American Bank grew from $170,594.08 to nearly $2.7 million.

In July 1897, the steamship Portland arrived in Seattle with 68 miners and two tons of gold from the banks of the Klondike River. The city woke up to a special edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer boasting the headline, "GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! / Sixty-eight Rich Men on the Steamer Portland / STACKS OF YELLOW METAL! / Some Have $5,000, Many Have More / A Few Bring Out $100,000 Each / THE STEAMER CARRIES $700,000." By 9:30 that morning, the streets were buzzing with excitement as reporters, longshoremen, and even Seattle mayor William D. Wood, quit their jobs and looked for passage to Alaska.

While the majority of Klondike miners returned to Seattle empty handed, a few adventurers brought back fortunes in gold. This photo, taken in 1901, shows Seattle's Scandanavian American Bank president Andrew Chilberg (right, behind counter) and a group of bankers standing at a counter loaded with gold from Alaska.

Learn more about the Klondike Gold Rush, courtesy of HistoryLink.org ➞ https://bit.ly/4cW9chP

📷: MOHAI, shs404

05/28/2026

Class alert! 🖌️

Join MOHAI and the Gage Academy of Art on Saturday, May 30 at 1 pm for Drawing from History: Ripples of time. Lake Union is haunted by ghosts of the past, echoing through time. In this class, participants will explore past, present, and future of the Lake Union Watershed by creating quick layered gesture drawings in charcoal, based off photos and ephemera from MOHAI’s collections. The class will culminate at the water’s edge, creating a drawing representing visions for the future. Learn more and get tickets ➞ https://bit.ly/48ylayt

All art materials will be provided.

05/27/2026

One of the summer's most anticipated exhibits is landing soon at MOHAI.

Become a MOHAI member today to receive early access to free timed entry tickets for Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation, featuring several of our country's rare founding-era documents from the vaults of the National Archives.

📅 July 30-Aug. 16
🎟️ Member early access begins June 1
🎟️Public tickets release June 15

Join or renew your membership today ➞ https://bit.ly/4bxlsHT

📷: Courtesy of National WWI Museum & Memorial

05/26/2026

Put on your walking shoes! 👟

Join MOHAI and Invisible Histories on a 1-mile immersive guided walking tour of the cityscape you pass daily but never truly see. Storytelling, history and theatrical elements will enliven these spaces known as S**O. Guests will uniquely experience the past, from the untold stories of Seattle’s evolving landscapes and industries, to the hidden histories of the depression era Hooverville, all the way to the energetic underground club scene of the 1990s. Explore the layers beneath the pavement while we bring history to life like never before!
Learn more ➞ https://bit.ly/4uq64UA

05/25/2026

On Memorial Day 1961, Seattle's Chinese community held a ceremony at Chong Wa Playfield at Eighth Avenue South and South Weller Street in the Chinatown International District. In this image, members of the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team are in the process of doing "gin-lai" as a wreath is placed at the base of a memorial.

📷: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 2000.107.176.19.03, photo by Tom Brownell

05/23/2026

Weekend GOOALS! ⚽ The Beautiful Game: How Soccer Connects Us All opens is now on display!

Featuring powerful photography from Magnum Photos alongside highlights from MOHAI’s collection, this immersive exhibition explores how soccer sparks joy, builds community, and connects people across cultures. Discover the stories of Seattle’s vibrant soccer scene and the local clubs that keep the city’s passion for the game alive—just in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Learn more and plan your trip➞ https://bit.ly/43berap

Address

860 Terry Avenue N
Seattle, WA
98109

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 8pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

(206) 324-1126

Website

http://www.mohai.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI):

Shortcuts

Address
Telephone
Opening Hours
Alerts
Contact The Museum
Claim ownership or report listing

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Seattle?