How to Donate Items to the Fife History Museum
Thinking of donating items or photos to the museum? We would be honored to receive them! Our most important goal is to preserve the history of the Fife area. To do that successfully, we need to collect enough information about the artifacts and photos so we can build historical context and effectively tell the story of Fife to newcomers and younger generations.
Here is some information on how to best hand off your family heirlooms so their history stays intact and is not lost to the ages.
For Donating Physical Items
Each item should be clearly labeled with the following information:
- The name of the person it belonged to: Include first name, middle initial, and last name.
- Location and Date of Use: Where the person lived or used the item, and the approximate date (or date range) when this person possessed and used it.
- Fife Connection: The family’s connection to Fife, WA.
- Contextual Background: Any family background or story that would give the item context for a larger audience.
For Donating Photographs
If you are donating photos, please write the following information on the back in legible print:
- Names: The names of the people in the photo.
- Location: Where the photo was taken.
- Occasion: The occasion for which the photo was taken.
- Date: The date the photo was taken—preferably day, month, and year, but at least month and year.
Again, please include information explaining how the photo pertains to Fife and its history.
Note on Copies:
We will gladly accept original photos, but if you prefer to keep the originals and donate copies, please ensure the copies are as clear as possible. Photos of photos taken through album cellophane often show glare or shadows, and photos of non-rigid pages can result in distorted perspective.
A great alternative is to bring your originals to the museum. We would be happy to safely scan them on a flatbed scanner and then label the digital file with your information.
For Sharing Oral Histories
If you have stories, timelines, or anecdotes that you want to share, but do not have the time or desire to write them down, please schedule a time to sit with us! We will record the conversation and transcribe the information for our archives. We would only share the actual audio recordings with your explicit permission.
Don’t Have Any of this Information?
Don’t worry! Many times we inherit items from family with no information attached to it. Please just bring us what information you DO have and we will work with you to fill in the blanks through ancestral and historical research. As long as the items can be tied to the history of Fife or a Fife family, we would love to have your items.
As always, we are happy to answer any questions you might have. Please give us a call at the museum: 253-896-4710, or email us at fifehistorymuseum1957@gmail.com and let’s discuss!