Once a hidden gem for local history buffs, the Lacey Museum is now firmly on the beaten path in the Bell Towne Center and welcoming visitors.
The museum launched a soft reopening in January after a year-long move from the historic Russell House on Lacey Street Southeast, where the museum was founded in 1981.
Built in 1928, the house was a residence before becoming the city’s combined city hall, police department and fire department after Lacey incorporated in 1966. The community organized to preserve it as a museum when Lacey built a new city hall in 1979.
“The building itself was a historic place to visit … Which is really cool, but obviously does bring some limitations when it comes to using that space,” said Adjunct Curator Olivia Moore.
The small building with its large windows meant that few artifacts could actually be out on display for visitors, and the house’s small doorways and a lack of ramps made the Russell House difficult for visitors with wheelchairs or other mobility aids to access — if visitors could even find the museum tucked away in a residential neighborhood.
“There are many reasons coming into how we moved here, but that part of it, having the accessibility aspect, was really important for us,” Moore said.
To Moore and other museum staff, accessibility meant not just making it so differently abled patrons can safely maneuver in and out of the building, but also updating panels and exhibits to be more user friendly.
“It was really good being able to just refresh everything, modernize everything,” Moore said.
The Lacey Museum still uses the Russell House as a by-appointment research center, but the museum proper is now located in Suite 101 at 4160 Sixth Avenue Southeast.
With a sign facing a major roadway and a front access along a popular walking path, the Lacey Museum has seen a dramatic increase in visitors since its reopening.
The museum had 57 visitors in the last two weeks of January and 89 visitors in February, compared to just 12 visitors the last month it was in the Russell House.
“And usually January, February are slow, so knowing that we had gone way above what we had previously done was great,” said Associate Curator Felicia Rova-Chamroeun. “I think that being in this space, we are much more visible to the public, and it’s bringing people in.”
Visitors range from out-of-state travelers to local families learning more about their hometown and longtime Lacey residents with their own stories to tell about the city’s history.
“That’s been really fun too, to just have people in our space and be reminiscing and, honestly, having sometimes an emotional response to what we’ve created here. And that’s so powerful to know that people are feeling that way about the space that we’ve created,” Moore said. “We love learning from the community and we hope that more and more will come over time.”
An official grand reopening is planned for sometime in May.
Current hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There is a parking lot behind the building and a bus stop directly in front of the museum.
The museum offers free Lacey history tours for visitors. The typical tour runs about 45 minutes, but can be adapted for different groups. Visitors are welcome to walk-in and request a tour, or email ahead to reserve a specific time. Tour size is limited to eight people at a time.
“They’re quite informal, where we invite folks to ask any questions or share their thoughts and memories if they have them,” Moore said.
The museum also runs a craft table in its Creativity Corner, with a new free craft every month. March’s craft is a bee and April’s is painting wooden Easter eggs. The activities are open to all ages.
In addition, the museum hosts free monthly History Talks, typically off-site and after-hours, from September through May. This month's event takes place at Lacey City Hall Council Chambers from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, and will feature Drew Cooks speaking about the Medicine Creek Council and the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854.
April’s event will feature author Janine Gates to talk about her book, “Saving the Nisqually Delta.”
Virtual attendance options are available for both events.
For more information on the museum and upcoming events, visit https://laceyparks.org/lacey-museum/
