The Olympia Historical Society
Olympia, Washington
Statement of Purpose
To identify, document, preserve, protect, promote and perpetuate resources associated with, and increase the understanding and appreciation through interpretation of, the history of the City of Olympia and its identified growth areas or the Olympia School District from precontact to the present day.
Scope of Work
The business and purpose of this corporation shall be to bring together those people interested in history, and especially in the history of Olympia. Understanding the history of our community is basic to our democratic way of life, gives us a better understanding of our state and nation, and promotes a better appreciation of our American heritage.
The corporation's major function will be to discover, collect, preserve, and interpret material which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the area: its exploration, settlement, development, and activities in peace and in war; its progress in population, wealth, education, arts, science, agriculture, manufactures, trade, and transportation. It will collect and preserve printed and on-printed material, such as histories, genealogies, biographies, descriptions, gazetteers, directories, newspapers, pamphlets, catalogs, circulars, handbills, programs, and posters; manuscript material such as letters, diaries, journals, memoranda, reminiscences, rosters, service records, account books, charts, surveys, and field books; and museum material such as pictures, photographs, paintings, portraits, scenes, and material objects illustrative of life, conditions, events, and activities of the past and the present. Collection mediums will include, but not be limited to, audio, visual and digital, such as paper, cassette, reel-to-reel, video, film, compact disk, microfilm, etc.
The society will provide for the preservation of such materials and for its accessibility, as far as may be feasible, to all who wish to examine or study it, to cooperate with officials in insuring the preservation and accessibility of the records and archives of the community. The society will identify and interpret material culture, such as the built environment, culturally constructed landscapes, and the manipulation and use of the natural environment. This may include, but not be limited to, documentation of historical structures, significant plants, notable locations, repositories of archeological resources. The society will disseminate historical information and arouse interest in the past by publishing historical material; through interpretive programming such as meetings with addresses, lectures, papers, exhibits, and discussions; by using the media to awaken public interest; and, by serving as a network for history and heritage resources.
Updated 15 February 2007