07/21/08

nordic history headquarters!

by gakester8

We went to visit after visiting The Locks since it is just up the street. There is room after room filled with specific nordic groups' heritage information and large dioramas. There is also a huge exhibit explaining why each group came to the US and their adventures getting settled. From what i had read about this museum, I expected it to be small, but it was actually fairly large. There is also a small gift shop.

• Pros: lots of nordic heritage information
• Cons: rooms can get crowded

Does the Nordic Heritage Museum have lots to offer curious Seattle citizens? Ya sure, ya betcha!

by Contributor

The Experience
The museum is housed in a 1907 red-brick schoolhouse, and its centerpiece is a narrative exhibit of the westward journey of pioneer Scandinavians. The museum has a great collection of artifacts and historical recreations, ranging from the troubles immigrants faced at Ellis Island to exploring the drama of life in the early West. The museum is also currently featuring an interesting exhibit of Norse mythology. As many of Seattle's immigrant communities disappear to the forces of homogenization, the Nordic Heritage Museum and the Ballard neighborhood remain quirky reminders of the city's diversity.

In the Know
At the turn of the century, tens of thousands of Swedes, Norwegians, and Finns came to the Seattle community of Ballard to work in the fishing industry. And some historians say that Seattle inherited its laid-back style from those early Scandinavian immigrants. Today, descendants joke that their ancestors managed to pick the one place as dark and dreary as their homeland. It's fitting, then, that the only museum in the country that focuses solely on Nordic immigrants should be in the Ballard neighborhood.