The Bothell Historical Museum is hosting a celebration event for the 98th anniversary of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 26 with suffragette marches, games and a voter registration table.
History enthusiasts came together to organize the event — specifically, museum staff and several women who often recognize the ratification of the 19th Amendment by dressing up as suffragettes from the early 1900s at the Bothell 4th of July parade.
The museum is only open on Sundays from 1-4 p.m., which lines up with the 19th Amendment’s anniversary this year. This is the first time the museum will host this event and Sharron Dimmitt, vice president of the museum, is excited for the celebration.
“I hope attendees take away an appreciation for the history,” she said.
The museum organizers said they hope to bring history to life and encourage people to honor the 19th Amendment and the right to vote.
Local kids will be able to play historical games that children of the 1920s would have played, such as hoops, hopscotch and jacks.
“We wanted to bring history into everyday life,” Dimmitt said. “We don’t want history to be this dusty old thing people had to study in school. We want to show how it’s relevant.”
The museum is in the middle of the Park at Bothell Landing and consists of multiple buildings, including an old house that was built in 1893, a schoolhouse and a cabin from the same era.
Typically, the museum offers tours of the buildings and shows how people from that time would live and learn.
“We’re a museum,” Dimmitt said. “We feel it’s really important to celebrate not only the events and the items, but the traditions.”
The event will also allow locals to test their knowledge with 15 questions that aspiring U.S. citizens must answer as part of their citizenship test. The tests is for fun and will let locals see how much they know about U.S. history.
Additionally, organizers have worked with local politicians and officials to create posters honoring Washington’s first female U.S. Senator, Patty Murray, Bothell Police Chief Carol Cummings, Bothell City Manager Jennifer Phillips and other local women in executive positions.
“Patty Murray grew up in Bothell right on Main Street,” Dimmitt said “That’s the kind of thing we want to bring to people. If you don’t have any way of knowing, you won’t know.”
The display will honor local women who have been elected to positions of power and Dimmitt added the Murray sent signed tennis shoes to include with the posters.
The celebration’s focus is on the right to vote and will include a voter registration table where locals can register for the general election in November.
“I think (voting is) a right that people really don’t quite understand,” said Sue Kienast, who will organize the children’s games at the event. “I get tired of people complaining about one thing or another…all you have to do is, vote. It gives you the chance to say what you believe in.”
Kienast was president of the museum for 40 years and has volunteered extensively in recent years.
“I hope there are some kids there,” Kienast said. “They’re fascinated by the typewriter we have in the schoolhouse. Kids are very curious about things like that.”
The celebration will take place during normal museum operation hours, from 1-4 p.m. at 9919 N.E. 180th St. in the Park at Bothell Landing.
Margaret Carroll (left) and JoAnne Hunt hold signs that advocate for women’s rights, based on the suffragettes from 1920. Courtesy of the Bothell Historical Museum
Margaret Carroll (left) and Nancy Velando hold signs that advocate for women’s rights, based on the suffragettes from 1920. Courtesy of the Bothell Historical Museum
