Exhibits

The Kittitas County Historical Museum features many exhibits for the public to enjoy, spanning the history of Kittitas County from the distant past to the modern day.

There are six exhibit galleries, with different offerings in each one. Exhibits include early settler life, World War II, local businesses, farming, geological specimens, and much more.

New & Ongoing Exhibits

The "Highlights from the Hat Collection" temporary exhibit is currently on display, and showcases various hat styles through the mid 20th century.

A 1903 Columbia Electric Victoria Phaeton car is currently on display for a limited time.

The Military History Exhibit has underwent a few changes. The museum has made the exhibit space more cohesive, added new content and materials from its collections, increased the number of interpretive labels and personal narratives, and completely reworked the aircraft display. There is also a new Wall of Memory where the public can post information, photos and memorials for deceased Kittitas County servicemen and women.

Other ongoing exhibits include the Rollinger Rock and Mineral Collection, the Sorensen Antique Automobile Collection, the Cheska Doll Collection, early 20th Century medical care, and telephones through time.

Object of the Month

Every four weeks, a different object or group of objects in the museum are featured as Object of the Month. Interpretive text accompanying the object provides details on its history and use.

The Object of the Month is:

Object to be announced soon. Please check back.

Previous Objects of the Month have included a unique horn and fur chair, painted panels by local artist Zetzsche, and two special quilts. Many of the previous Objects of the Month are still on display.

*Commemorative Quilt* Made & donated by Geraldine Cameron (2009:018:001). Commemorative quilts are created to memorialize specific people, places, or events that hold meaning for their makers. Commemorative quilts are a common and popular art form in the United States, and there are examples dating back to the colonial period. This quilt commemorates the role of the donor’s family as participants in the Centennial Wagon Train, a part of Washington’s Centennial celebration of 1989. It incorporates photographic images from the wagon train, bandanas from the trip, and images of news stories about the event. This quilt is noteworthy because it is a functional object (quilt for bedcovering and warmth), a work of art, and a documentary artifact all in one.
*Railway Express Cart* The Railway Express cart used for delivering materials and express packages to and from Ellensburg’s Milwaukee Depot for local individuals and businesses. Railway express services were similar to today’s UPS and FedEx services. Items commonly shipped out were local products such as chickens and dressed meat. Deliveries to Ellensburg included personal luggage, goods ordered from J.C. Penney, cream and other products.
*A Selection of Hats from the Museum's Collection* It is said that a woman’s hat reflects not only the mood of its wearer, but the spirit of the time. Hats make individual fashion statements at the time they are worn, but within the context of a museum collection, they show a wide variety of styles and materials through time. Hat styles change from season to season, and year to year. Hats themselves, as fashion accessories, fall in and out of favor throughout time, depending on social conditions and lifestyles. Their appearance, size and shape are greatly influenced by the predominant clothing and hairstyle fashions of the times. While a woman in the 1930s would not dream of going out in public without a hat, women nowadays do not tend to wear fashion hats except on special occasions.
*Cattle Horn Chair with Ocelot Seat* Attributed to Friedrich Wenzel, ca. 1889 Horn and antler furniture was popular in Europe and North America throughout much of the 19th century. Capitalizing on the widespread availability of longhorn cattle in Texas and Mexico, Friedrich Wenzel of San Antonio, Texas started a horn furniture business in the early 1880s. Wenzel’s clients were said to include Kaiser Wilhelm I of Bismarck, Queen Victoria of England and the President of France. This chair belonged to John A. Shoudy (1842-1901), one of the original Kittitas County pioneers and founding father of Ellensburg. In an 1889 Ellensburg newspaper story, a reporter declared the chair “the oddest & most costly chair in the territory.”
*Kittitas* *County* *Fair Ribbon Quilt* Machine-stitched quilt made from poultry ribbons won by the Munz family at regional county fairs during the 1920s. The face of the quilt is constructed of rows of blocks. Each block contains 5 ribbons, sewn together on their long sides. A majority of the ribbons in the quilt are from the Kittitas County Fair, but there are also ribbons from Yakima and Tacoma.
*Painted Panels* Fred Zetzsche, 1948. These panels were painted by W. Frederick Zetzsche, a professional sign painter, artist, and amateur photographer. The panels hung in the lobby of the National Bank of Washington for a number of years and are fondly remembered by many local families. Fred, along with Will L. and Edmond A. Zetzsche, ran Zetzsche Signs, an Ellensburg business that began in the 1930s.