Your newsletter, Out of the Archives

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Photo Challenge

June Solution

Last month's challenge was a tough one, but a few readers immediately recognized this 1963 photo of Friday Harbor. The first correct submission came from Milene Henley, who knows the harbor well! Milene is the County Auditor in San Juan where Friday Harbor is located.

Now for July!

by Benjamin Helle, Olympia Branch Archivist

Here is the July challenge, and n o hints this month! Click on the photo to enlarge, and tell us where this photo was taken. Check out the August newsletter for the answer.

Cracking the Archives

Accessibility via Technology - The Holy Grail of Audio Recognition

by Larry Cebula, Assistant Digital Archivist

The State Archives is home to millions of records, most of which were created before we had internet or any concept of digital searching. That is why it is important we utilize technology to make it possible to go back and make all that data searchable. While we have an amazing team of volunteers working on written documents (click here to become a Scribe volunteer), we also have a mountain of audio records in need of transcription. Enter, audio recognition technology! Read more

Are You Looking for the Right Marriage Record?

by Dr. Jewell Lorenz Dunn, Olympia Branch Researcher

The most sought after documentation in the Archives is probably the marriage record. Researching your family's past nuptials can be an incredible insight into your ancestry, and lead to myriad genealogical discoveries. You can broaden your search by learning the many forms in which marriage documents come. Click here to learn more about the types of marriage records!

4th of July in Washington

Saluting Our Brave - A Veteran's Tale

July: what better time to kick off a segment dedicated to veterans? "Saluting Washington's Brave" is here to inspire you to thank and appreciate the veterans in your life. Every month we will share a veteran's tale as told by a family member, friend, or a veteran him or herself. The first installment recounts a story of a World War II veteran from Auburn, Washington.

John Q. Murphy

as told by Jamison Murphy

His garage smelled of age-old lumber scraps, even older tobacco, and the tall pines lining his Innis Arden yard in Shoreline. Everything was organized to his liking, and you'd better not change a thing. His garage housed tools, sports equipment, storage boxes, and everything else you would expect to find in a garage, including - novel idea - a car. But, to me, Grandpa John's garage wasn't full of those things. It was filled with stories. World War II stories... Read more

July 4, 1889 - Framing the State Constitution

from Legacy Washington

The Fourth of July comes with additional significance in this state, beyond the celebration of American independence. On July 4, 1889, 75 elected delegates convened in Olympia to begin working on the official Washington State Constitution.

from Legacy Washington to find out how statehood was delayed, and why the constitution had to be completely rewritten even though nothing about it was changed.

Employee Spotlight

Meet Terry Badger

This month's Employee Spotlight takes a look at Deputy State Archivist, Terence S. Badger. We just call him Terry.

In his interview, Terry shares about his role at the Archives and the vision he has for its future. Read more to get a couple pro tips for searching the Archives, and find out which cartoon character with whom Terry would most like to switch lives.