Sitka Historical Museum

Victorian Parlor

Sitka's History Unfolds at Sitka Historical Museum

This is a repository of Sitka's rich history. This is where the history of all cultures of Sitka's past approach togetherness in a museum operated by the Sitka Historical Society. Originally called the Isabel Miller Museum, the museum got its name from a longtime Sitkan, Isabel Miller, who helped establish the museum and worked as a volunteer.

The inconspicuous location of the Sitka Historical Museum in Harrigan Centennial Hall might lead a person to believe a visit wouldn't be worthwhile. While, in fact, the eclectic collection of artifacts is sure to have something fascinating for visitors and locals alike from the photographs of early-day Sitkan E.W. Merrill to a Russian rifle, authentic trade beads and hand-woven spruce baskets, the museum is a must for a visit to Sitka.

The Museum not only has many fascinating exhibits in Harrigan Centennial Hall (read the section below for a preview of these exhibits or click on the link for more detailed information and photos). but also one for you to view online, the DAR Exhibit (Daughters of the American Revolution).

Preview Current Exhibits

Find out, in your own self-guided tour, why the Tlingits lived here for thousands of years, what attracted the Russian here from thousands of miles away, and why the U.S. military stationed thousands of soldiers here during World War II.

Some historians trace the Tlingits' history in Sitka back 10,000 plus years. In the museum, trace the rich history of Tlingits' life in Sitka. Sitka was the site of the last official native potlatch in December 1904. Check out their tools and art to learn how this culture thrived here for centuries. In some of the exhibits tracing their more recent history, learn about the Tlingits' boat building talents and how a Tlingit princess was a heroine in the last quarter of the 19th century.

Learn about Sitka under Russian rule, and see a diorama of Russian Sitka in 1867, at the time of the transfer of Alaska from Russian to the United States.

Flight enthusiasts will enjoy viewing an exhibit of the "Great Air Race of 1924" when four U.S. Army Corps biplanes attempted a round-the-world flight and stopped in Sitka for three days. That was three years before Charles Lindbergh's successful flight.

Other exhibits include Sitka’s social, political and religious struggles as it entered the 20th century; fox-farming in Southeast Alaska; and Sitka’s Maritime Heritage.