bainbridge island historical museum

The building doesn't look like much from the outside. It use to be a practice room for the local highschool band. It is packed from floor to ceiling with artifacts of the history of Bainbridge Island whose native population dates back quite a few centuries. Through actual historic objects, maps, etchings and writings as wells as sound sketches and narration, you are surrounded by the rich history of the island.

Many Seattle visitors ride the ferry across the sound to Winslow on Bainbridge Island for a half-day visit; and some, like me, find their way into the little history museum on a side street downtown. The museum and a small library are housed in a former schoolhouse. What drew me there in the first place was an indication that the museum was displaying some of the photos that Ansel Adams took at the Manzanar Japanese internment camp during WWII. At that time, Bainbridge had had a long history of Japanese settlement and participation in the local industries. The museum does and nice job of explaining that in tight exhibit space, and it highlights the huge timber milling operation of the early years, too. There's a lot packed into a small space, and that leads me to suggest that sometimes less is more. Almost every inch of wall space is covered, which makes it hard to tell a story most effectively. But, on the whole, this place has spirit and a sense of mission.

My daughter had gone to this museum last year and wanted me to see it. The cost is $4 for adults and $3 for students. There was a gentleman who briefly gave us an overview of the museum and it was interesting to listen to him. We were the only ones in the museum at the time. It is a very small museum but every space is utilized with displays. To truly understand Bainbridge Island, one must go to this museum. He asked us to look at the senior class pictures that hung on the wall during the mid 1940's. One year there were quite a few seniors and the next year it was reduced quite a bit and there were no people of Japanese heritage in the pictures...sad. He had explained that there were some second generation people who were deported as well. It was interesting and very educational.

After a wonderful ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island we stumbled upon the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum. What a rich nugget of Pacific Northwest history it is!Entering a house-like wooden building, we bought our tickets and walked into the museum itself, which has served in the past as both a one-room school house and a band room for a nearby high school.Now this modest old wooden building is packed from floor to ceiling with interactive displays and objects illustrating the history of Bainbridge Island.Maps and photographs track the displacement of the many Indian tribes by woodsmen who cleared the island of it's forests of old growth redwood trees, fostering a lumber industry which gave way to shipping when the trees were all gone. The island was planted and yielded rich crops for several more generations. During WW II, all Japanese American citizens were detained, including the many who had come to Bainbridge Island to help create the farms businesses. In addition to the fate of the many and varied peoples who were part of the previous generations, the museum features the flora and fauna of the island. The experience is fascinating and disturbing at the same time and gives you an excellent orientation to the significance of this beautiful island.

Visited here during a day trip with friends; packed full of local information about the island's & its people's history, with a section on the Japanese-American residents & their treatment during World War II, including a very powerful & moving short film. The staff, whom I think are volunteers, are just delightful & very knowledgeable on their subject - I spent quite a long time chatting to two gentlemen about the museum as well as about the poor spelling, grammar & punctuation that abounds these days! Lots of information in a very small space, & I would suggest something not to be missed if you're visiting the island.

This very small museum on Bainbridge Island specifically limits itself to its own community. There are some general exhibits; some special material and especial attention, actually an enormous amount of material, specific to the Japanese American community on BI. That was worth the visit. The depth of the work on the Japanese American community on the island is very impressive. The building itself is a very nice building that fits in with the NW enviroment though you could wish for a good deal more space for the collection and the research collection.

A small space with artifacts and photos from the history of the island. I was moved by the exhibits documenting Japanese internment during WWII. Excellent way to spend 30 minutes during an afternoon on the island.

Good placed to start your visit when you get off the ferry. Lots of interesting artifacts and information, much of it moving. There's no place to review the experience of walking around Winslow town, but we highly recommend it as an adjunct to a visit to the Seattle area. Take a day, walk around the town, eat at one of the restaurants and feel yourself unwind from the city life.

This museum is a nice overview of Bainbridge only an $8 round trip ferry from Seattle. Its $4 for museum admissions and I spent about an hour there. The Japanese American historic site is over three miles away, I decided to just see the museum as I did not have a car. Uber/lyft or sidecar are not available on Bainbridge.

This is a must visit for anyone visiting the island who has any interest in history. The opening hours are great including Sunday morning. The staff is informative and accessible. I am amazed that so much history can be packed into such a small space. There are exhibits on native americans, fishing, logging, industry, agriculture and the Japanese American heartbreaking history. I have been twice and will be back on my next visit to the PNW.

very informational. the staff was there to answer any questions in a lengthy discussion. very pleasant experience. definitely worth the stop. very well done.

Just a ten minute walk from the ferry terminal and behind all the shops. It's a small museum with the friendliest staff - happy to talk about island history but not pushy. Current exhibit is on the forced relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II, which began on Bainbridge Island.

We found this museum by accident and I'm really glad we did. Although it is small it is packed with interesting displays and information abut the island's history. The docents were knowledgeable and humorous. Currently the museum has a very well curated display about the internment of the Japanese residents in 1942. It leaves you with a strong sense of what it must be like to have your freedom taken away and your life turned upside down.

There was an interesting exhibit on the Japanese internment camps (as some Bainbridge residents had to depart to them). Fun photo opportunities outside museum as well. Good way to kill a little time if you've got an hour til the next ferry back to Seattle.

I stumbled upon this gem of a museum as I was walking around Bainbridge. It is small, but packed with exhibits and interesting exhibits and information, including the removal and internment of Japanese people during WWII, logging and the timber industry, strawberry harvesting, birds, ships... Very friendly and helpful staff!