The topic was Waterway: The Story of Seattle’s Locks and Ship Canal, and patrons began arriving 30 minutes before the program started. Firm handshakes and smiles lit up the room as friends greeted friends and introduced themselves to those they hadn’t met. The Seattle history-book display table drew out personal histories and forged new connections, such as, “My grandfather worked at Boeing in the same department, I’ll bet they knew each other.”
Programs like Waterway, and others in KCLS’ Know Your History series, are more meaningful than just the information conveyed. History provides a context for the world we live in today, and provides a deeper connection to our past. Anyone who attended the program will never look at the Montlake Cut or Ballard Locks the same way again.
Their newfound knowledge of the underlying political, social and environmental impact behind their design deepens understanding of the city of Seattle and region. History programs at your library and partnerships with local historical societies, like the Newcastle Historical Society, are ways we can all play a role as cultural caretakers of our past. Attend an upcoming Know Your History program and shift your perspective.
