October 30, 2025 Seward Folly by Colleen Kelly

The recent “Share Our History” event hosted by the Resurrection Bay Historical Society drew a large turnout of people who went home with objects and photos no longer part of the RBHS collection.

“The response from the community was amazing. People were smiling as they selected items to take home with them, and we heard over and over again how much they appreciated the fact that we chose to share our history with them. We were overwhelmed to learn they filled the donation box with $550,” RBHS said in a press release.

The items were either duplicates from the collection or objects that don’t meet the organization’s mission.

Historical society members voted unanimously to send the donation money to the village corporation in Quinhagak, which was hit by Typhoon Halong. Since that storm, Quinhagak community members have been working with archaeologist Rick Knecht to retrieve precious artifacts before they wash away from an eroding shoreline.

In recent years, Knecht has been leading a team at an archaelogical dig to uncover precontact Yupik artifacts dating from the 1600s. Recovered items are kept at the Nunalleq Museum in the village. The Quinhagak tribal office was happy to learn of the donation, which will be used for storing the recovered objects.

RBHS knows firsthand how financial donations can greatly benefit an organization. The historical society wants to acknowledge its gratitude for a substantial donation from the estate of Dan Seavey, who for decades was a vital member of RBHS. Dan was part of the group that essentially built the original volunteer-run Seward museum from the ground up. From the museum’s start in 1966 in the basement of city hall, Dan worked on everything from exhibit construction to helping move the museum to serving as a board member. His sage advice for things large and small is greatly missed.

PO Box 55 • Seward AK 99664
rbhs1903@gmail.com • http://www.resbayhistorical.org