Description
The Jefferson County Historical Society is thrilled to host this Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau presentation by Harriet Baskas: "Weird, Wonderful, and Worrisome Objects in Washington State's Museums."
- Saturday, October 18th from 7pm to 8:30pm
- Northwest Maritime Center (Oliver & Morris Room)
- This program is pay-as-you wish. Donations are appreciated in order to cover overhead for this event; however, all are welcome to attend for free.
- Pre-registration recommended.
ABOUT THE TALK:
Most museums display no more than 10 percent of their holdings, often citing “not enough space” as the reason. But there are also a wide range of cultural, philosophical, political, environmental, historic, and even superstitious reasons why museums keep some objects from public view.
In this talk, author and journalist Harriet Baskas explores a wide range of hidden objects found in the back rooms of museums in our state and around the country. Examples include a Spokane institution that holds Bing Crosby’s toupées and a museum in Lynden that’s home to a 150-year-old pickle. When possible, Baskas invites local museum curators to answer questions, participate in discussions, and unbox a few hidden treasures. For this event, the JCHS research team will be on hand to discuss some weird, wonderful, and/or worrisome objects from the JCHS collections.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Harriet Baskas (she/her) is the author of nine books, including 111 Places in Seattle That You Must Not Miss and Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can’t or Won’t Show You. She writes about airports, museums, travel, and a variety of other topics for outlets such as NBC News, The Points Guy, and her own site, StuckatTheAirport.com. She produced a radio series on hidden museum artifacts that aired on National Public Radio. Baskas has a master’s in communications from the University of Washington.
Baskas lives in Seattle.
MORE INFO:
- For more information on the Jefferson County Historical Society's upcoming programs, click here.
- Upon registration, you will receive an automatic confirmation email from SimpleTix. Don't see it? Please check your spam.
- Questions on this event or other JCHS programs? Contact programs@jchsmuseum.com.
This presentation is part of Humanities Washington's Speakers Bureau program, in which cultural experts discuss history, politics, music, philosophy, and everything in between at venues around the state.
Humanities Washington opens minds and bridges divides by creating spaces to explore different perspectives. It is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.
Date & Time
Sat, Oct 18, 2025 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue Details
Northwest Maritime Center
431 Water StreetPort Townsend, Washington 98368
