Oral Histories

Oral History at CWB - what it is and why it's important to us.

"Oral history gives history back to the people in their own words. And in giving a past, it also helps them towards a future of their own making." Paul Thompson

Oral history is defined in many ways and is at its roots an age-old tradition of passing cultural and familial information from one generation to the next through storytelling and/or song. At CWB, oral history is professionally recorded as a dialog with our community about a topic related to our mission. The stories are used in programs and are placed in our archive for public access now and in the future.

For museums like CWB with the aim of engaging communities, oral history is an ideal medium to explore, present, and preserve local stories. Oral history has been used as primary source material for research, as a key component of exhibitions, as an interpretive tool for onsite public interaction with the museum's collection, and as an element in educational outreach both on the web and in the classroom.

Oral History Projects
- History of the Craft: Shipwrights of Lake Union
- CWB Founders Oral History Project
- Interviews About King County Boats

Are you interested in getting involved in CWB oral history or in working with the oral history archives as a volunteer?
Do you have a story to share about being a shipwright, experiences on Lake Union, or about one of the boats on our docks?
Please contact Curatorial Assistant Shelly Leavens at sleavens@cwb.org.