Seattle at 150

On December 2, 1869, Seattle was officially incorporated by the Legislative Assembly of Washington Territory, making 2019 the City of Seattle's sesquicentennial year! 

Seattle at 150 

To celebrate the City's 150th anniversary, Seattle Municipal Archives and the Office of the City Clerk have partnered with HistoryLink to produce a new book exploring the history of the City from 1869 to 2019, told through stories of objects held in the archives. The book is rich with photos, maps, documents, and other unique archival objects, each one telling a small story. Together, they illustrate key themes in Seattle's history through time. 

The book is now available at your favorite bookstore!

Now on display are selected images from the Seattle at 150 book and other highlights from SMA's collections at the Anne Focke Gallery, located on floor L2 at Seattle City Hall. Free and open to the public. And keep an eye out for special Seattle at 150 light pole banners in your neighborhood!

Also, be sure to check out our associated online exhibit, Seattle at 150, featuring images and text from the book.

Download a series of coloring pages (link to pdf) inspired by graphic items featured in the Seattle at 150 book, such as City hatchcover designs from the 1970s, a subway track design from 1920, and a drawing of Seattle's city seal from when it was adopted in 1937. 

Follow us on Instagram for updates and highlights from the book!

Interested in keeping up with what's new at the archives? Sign up to receive our quarterly newsletter, the Archives Gazette.

Questions? Ask an archivist!