INTRODUCING THE MARITIME RESOURCE SURVEY FOR WASHINGTON

Washington State – Washington Dept. of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) received a Preserve America Grant to fund a comprehensive survey and inventory of historic maritime resources along the Washington coast from Grays Harbor to Blaine. DAHP selected Artifacts Consulting, Inc. of Tacoma to undertake the project. The foremost goal of the survey and inventory effort is to document and build public understanding of our regional maritime history. A selection of at least 500 historic vessels, sites, buildings, and structures will be photographed and recorded. Public outreach with communities in the project area will help inform survey efforts. To that end, public meetings will be held in Gig Harbor, Port Townsend and Bellingham to kick-off the field work. The intent of the outreach is to provide opportunity for the public to share their knowledge of maritime history and to suggest buildings, piers, sites, etc. for inclusion in the survey process. A weekly blog has now begun providing sneak peeks at the stories and project updates (you can find the posts by searching under Maritime Resource Series).  Meetings upon completion of the project will present findings (tentatively for spring 2011, locations to be announced). To guide survey work, Artifacts will prepare a historic context report. This report will explore the various themes of Washington’s maritime history, from the long-standing Native American use of the waterways to working waterfronts, from boat building to communities shaped by the sea. Local museums, planning offices and historical societies will be able to tap into the finished product for their own purposes (e.g., planning policies or interpretation materials for tourism). All final products will be available online through DAHP’s website (/).