The Edmonds Historical Museum is ready to begin recording wartime memories of both military veterans and civilians.

“We are particularly reaching out to any service members in Edmonds and South Snohomish County, as well as any civilians who have memories of what the area was like during wartime,” said Sara Jane Ruggles, who is coordinating the museum project. “This includes all wartime conflicts from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, all the way up to the War on Terror.”=

Museum interviewers have gone through formal training with Library of Congress historians and have been specifically instructed on the practice and ethics of oral history, Ruggles said.
All interviews will be submitted to professional historical repositories for permanent preservation.

In addition, interviews with veterans or current service members will be sent to the Veterans History Project to be housed at the Library of Congress, while all interviews with civilians will be sent to the University of Washington’s Special Collections department.

“Our objective is to gather the history of Edmonds and its residents by speaking to them directly and unfolding our collective identity and memory as a community,” Ruggles said. “Who better to tell our story than our own community members.”

Anyone is interested in sharing their oral history can call the Edmonds Historical Museum at 425-774-0900 or email Ruggles directly at edmondsoralhistory@gmail.com.

And, Ruggles is also encouraging anyone with general memories of Edmonds or South Snohomish county to contact her as well. After November 2017, the museum will be expanding its focus from wartime memories into general Edmonds history.

Each participant will receive a copy of their oral history interview  for their records or to pass down to their family members if they choose, Ruggles said.