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Ditch the heated blankets and revel in the opening of the Museum's outdoor treasures

April plays tricks on everyone as the Museum’s authentic, outdoor Pioneer Village opens with a scavenger hunt that extends into the permanent galleries. “Historically Incorrect” is the name of the game. Entrants go hunt for the incongruous item they can spot in exhibits and turn in their list of found items and locations for a prize. The April Fools Scavenger Hunt goes on all the month of April.

But do not miss the Museum’s Open House on April 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, thanks to Community Bank, which is sponsoring this welcome. It’s a chance to mingle with visiting community vendors and perhaps even dance to live music. What a grand way to launch spring by discovering and mingling where history is our forté!

The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the outdoor Pioneer Village opens up starting in April. Admission to the three exhibit galleries and five exhibit buildings, plus the  entire village  is $12 adults, $10 seniors and students, $5 children ages 6-12, and free for children age 5 and under. Museum members receive free admission all year. Memberships start at $35 for seniors and students, a couple can buy a dual membership for $55, and a whole household can join for $65. Membership entitles people to free admission, email announcements of special events, the meaty quarterly newsletter, “The Dispatch,” and a discount at the Museum store. It is also good for free admission to the Tamástsklit Cultural Institute near Pendleton. Visit our calendar with upcoming events at fwwm.org/all events. For more information call 509-525-7703 or visit fwwm.org. The Museum is in Fort Walla Walla Park at 755 NE Myra Road, Walla Walla, Wash., and is on Facebook and Instagram.

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Valentines from Years Past

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Valentines from Years Past

The museum has many Valentine’s Day cards, postcards, and classroom cards in its archives collected and received by local people.

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Christmas Celebrations at Fort Walla Walla

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Christmas Celebrations at Fort Walla Walla

The Bi-Weekly Eyeglass was a newspaper published for the soldiers of Fort Walla Walla and their families between 1891 and 1896. The paper provided a lot of information about daily happenings at the old fort, including holiday celebrations.

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Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Walla Walla

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Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Walla Walla

For Black History Month, the Museum is looking at the information we have about the Buffalo Soldier groups associated with Fort Walla Walla. In early 2021, the museum acquired a pattern 1884 dress coat and pattern 1881 dress helmet for 24th Infantry. Stationed at Fort Walla Walla in 1899, Troop M of the 24th Infantry was one of the groups of Buffalo Soldiers that served here.

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The Season for Quilts and Coverlets

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The Season for Quilts and Coverlets

Many of the quilts and coverlets in the museum’s collection have recorded histories attached to them, we know who made them and where and when they were constructed. For other examples, their stories have been lost to time, and we may never know how they came to be (though in some cases we can guess the general age or time period of construction). If you have these types of heirlooms, don’t forget to record their history. Use these tips to keep them in good condition for the continued enjoyment by future generations.

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Local Suffrage History

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Local Suffrage History

The women’s road to suffrage in Washington State moved slowly and suffered many setbacks. While the origin of the Women’s Rights movement is attributed to the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York, smaller regional groups championed for women’s rights at the local level. Each state has its own story of the tireless leaders who campaigned to have the voices of women heard in matters outside of the home.

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Stories from the Fort Walla Walla Cemetery

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Stories from the Fort Walla Walla Cemetery

Have you ever wondered about the old graveyard next to Fort Walla Walla Museum? Staff is frequently asked about this old place, how old it is and who is buried there. Many want to know if it’s haunted. While we’ve never seen a ghost, we do have some other information to share.

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Frank Morse's Chocolate Potato Cake

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Frank Morse's Chocolate Potato Cake

Fort Walla Walla Museum staff continues to look to the museum’s archives for baking inspiration. Out of Franklin Boardman Morse’s circa 1912 journal, we’ve identified another recipe for testing: his chocolate potato cake.

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Frank Morse's Coffee Cake

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Frank Morse's Coffee Cake

Everyone is spending a lot more time at home, and cooking and baking are providing sustenance as well as comfort and a way to relieve stress and anxiety. Even museum workers at home are baking for the pleasure of it. But instead of going online to find highly-rated and tested recipes, we decided to look to the museum’s archives for our baking inspiration.

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Remembering the USS Houston, Captain and Crew

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Remembering the USS Houston, Captain and Crew

The USS Houston (CA-30), a 600-foot-long Northampton class heavy cruiser, was commissioned on June 17, 1930. She was President Franklin Roosevelt’s favorite warship, taking him on a 12,000 mile cruise from Annapolis, Maryland, through the Caribbean and Hawaii to Portland, Oregon. She was present during the festivities surrounding the opening of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in May 1937. In August 1941, Eastern Washington native Albert H. Rooks would take command of Houston, the Flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. In six months, both would be lost in one of the most costly battles in U.S. Naval history.

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Comparative Collection: 19th Century Ceramics

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Comparative Collection: 19th Century Ceramics

Fort Walla Walla Museum houses more than six linear feet of books and numerous journal articles that specialize in 19th-century ceramics used in the United States as well as a comparative collection of more than 500 complete pieces. Because most items in an archaeological assemblage represent a relatively small portion of the complete item, it is very helpful to have complete pieces for comparative purposes.

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An Ode To Winters Past

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An Ode To Winters Past

According to the January and February editions of the 1862 Saturday Morning Washington Statesman, this area was receiving the severest weather in recent memory. “We deem it important that the history of the present winter season should be put on the record . . . that they may prepare for its recurrence; and also to give a truthful impression to those who are contemplating removing hither for the purpose of permanent settlement, that they may know what kind of climate they will be liable to find.” 

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Coloring Pages

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Coloring Pages

April 8 is the very unofficial Draw a Bird Day. It doesn’t matter if you can’t achieve the accuracy of Norman Adams—but if you prefer coloring to drawing you can access our free coloring pages featuring Norman Adams’ Eastern birds.

Click the link below to download, print, color, and share!

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Can You Identify these Women?

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Can You Identify these Women?

One of the most memorable photos taken by William “Bill” Mach depicts two female mechanics working on a plane. The photo would have been taken around 1942-44 at the Walla Walla Army Airbase. We are searching for the identities of these women. Do you recognize them?

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Troop Recreation at the Fort

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Troop Recreation at the Fort

While we’re all spending a lot more time at home these days, keeping busy is important. This was also true of the soldiers stationed at Fort Walla Walla in the mid-to-late 1800s. In between all the duties, drills, shooting practice, and inspections, there was a variety of activities to keep the men occupied. Some of this information is documented in the historical record, recorded from oral histories passed down, or uncovered through archaeological excavations undertaken around the old fort.

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