A special exhibit to the National Nordic Museum is highlighting a bit of local history: A Ballard Story: Pacific Fishermen looks back at maritime culture in our neighborhood.
The exhibit, on now through Feb. 28, tells the story of Pacific Fishermen (5351 24th Ave NW), one of Ballard’s last working shipyards.
Pacific Fishermen was founded in 1946 by 400 Norwegian heritage fishermen as a co‐op style shipyard on the site of the Ballard Marine Railway Co., a shipyard founded in the 1890s. Pacific Fishermen still a full-service shipyard, where they provide haul-outs, maintenance, and a supply store.
“For more than 150 years, the Pacific Fishermen site has connected generations of shipbuilders, fishermen, maritime workers, and families whose livelihoods have been tied to the waters of Salmon Bay. As Ballard has transformed around it, Pacific Fishermen has remained a powerful example of continuity, adaptation, and community,” the exhibit details explain.
A Ballard Story is a multimedia experience with historic photography, oral histories, interactive elements, and artifacts. According to the museum, visitors will get to see the changing landscape of Ballard before and after it was settled, and the history of shipbuilding and fishing on Salmon Bay. The exhibit also takes people through the history of immigration and multigenerational fishing families, the dangers and realities of maritime work, and highlights Pacific Fishermen’s former general manager Doug Dixon’s role in preserving the history and culture of Ballard.
“Ballard’s maritime history is not simply a story of the past, it’s a story still being written,” the exhibit info reads. “As the neighborhood continues to evolve, A Ballard Story: Pacific Fishermen preserves the voices, skills, traditions, and places that have defined Ballard for generations while exploring what comes next for Seattle’s working waterfront.”
Access to the exhibition is included with a general admission ticket. On Free First Thursdays, admission is free and special exhibition entry is available for $5 at the door.
Featured photo: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, PI26054