Seattle Room Collections
The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room, located on Level 10 of the Central Library, houses thousands of items from Seattle’s culture and local history. The collections include over 50,000 items that provide a window into everyday life in Seattle throughout the city’s diverse and complex history.
Explore the Seattle Room Collections
Over 50,000 items documenting and exploring the culture and history of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest are collected in the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room. Visitors can get a glimpse into everyday life throughout the region’s history through books both unique and familiar, archival collections, articles, news clippings, photographs, postcards, city documents, maps, atlases and illustrations. The collections also include oral histories, restaurant menus, yearbooks from Seattle Public high schools, and many works by local artists.
These collections are non-circulating (meaning they must be used in the Library and cannot be checked out) and can be accessed by appointment through the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room, located at the Central Library on Level 10. Appointments are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. You may book 30 minutes to 2 hours of time.
Seattle Room Digital Collections
Many items from the Seattle Room are available online, which makes it even easier to explore Seattle’s rich history. Search digitized items by type, decade and subject. Or explore focused collections to learn about Seattle’s Black history and culture, 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, or the development and growth of the Pike Place Market.
Use the search box to search across all collections or browse materials by decade, type, subject or collection. Our Neighborhood History Project also allows you to find digitized materials from neighborhoods across Seattle.
Explore Seattle Room Digital Collections
Preview the Collection
Using the catalog’s advanced search, you can explore the Seattle Room Collections by using the Collection drop down menu and selecting any of the collections listed as “REF - Seattle Room”.
About the Collections
The Seattle Public Library has collected resources documenting the history of the City of Seattle, the Pacific Northwest region, and the people who have called these lands their home, since the library’s establishment in 1891.
The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Seattle Room opened as part of the new Central Library in 2004. With its opening, select local history and culture resources were brought together to better highlight the Library’s commitment to supporting research in the multi-faceted story of Seattle.
Seattle Culture and History Research
In addition to our Seattle Room Digital Collections, we recommend these databases and websites for local history research. All resources are freely accessible to the public, except where noted.
Archival Collections
- Archives West: This database provides access to finding aids for archival collections in Pacific Northwest repositories. It offers descriptions of primary sources including correspondence, diaries and photographs.
City Directories
- Seattle Room Digital Collections – City Directories: The Seattle City Directory collection contains a selection of early Seattle, Puget Sound, Washington State and Pacific Coast directories, 1867-1940. In these directories you can find historical information about Seattle and the surrounding area; addresses and occupations of residents; business listings; advertisements; and information about schools, churches and social organizations. The collection also includes the 1928 Seattle House and Street Directory, the earliest reverse directory for Seattle that lists households and businesses by address.
- HeritageQuest Online: This database, powered by Ancestry, includes directories from Seattle and other locations up to circa 1960. Library card required to log in.
Maps
- Seattle Room Digital Collections - Historic Map Resources: This interactive map links to historic property resources arranged by Section, Township, and Range for the Seattle area. Click on a section of the interactive map to find maps, aerial photographs and survey information.
- Sanborn Maps, Library of Congress: A digital collection that includes color scans of fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company. These cover historical building details such as construction materials, size and shape. The Library of Congress also has a helpful resource guide for interpreting Sanborn Maps.
- Sanborn Maps, ProQuest Database: This database includes black and white scans of Sanborn Maps. Library card required to log in.
Newspapers
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1876-1914): Early issues are digitized and available by accessing Chronicling America, Library of Congress' Historic American Newspapers. Find issues of The Daily Intelligencer (1876-1881); Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer (1882-1889); and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1888-1900).
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1901-2022): Search fully digitized editions of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and download and print full-text articles. Depending on the issue date, different formats of articles may be available. Library card required to log in.
- Seattle Times (1895-Current): Search fully digitized editions of the Seattle Times and download and print full-text articles. Depending on the issue date, different formats of articles may be available. Library card required to log in; no Library required for in-Library use.
- Washington State Digital Newspapers: This database from the Washington State Library brings together over 600,000 pages from Washington’s earliest Territorial newspapers to the present day.
Other Digital Collections
- Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections: The Municipal Archives documents the history, development and activities of the agencies, departments, and elected officials of the City of Seattle. Materials include digitized and born-digital images, audio, moving images, maps and paper records selected for digitization.
- University of Washington Digital Collections: This collection of digitized materials includes photographs, maps, newspapers, posters, reports and other media from the University of Washington Libraries (including Special Collections) and the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) with an emphasis on rare and unique materials.
Property Research
- Seattle Room Property Research Guide: This guide, compiled by our Special Collections Department in collaboration with the King County Archives, details property history in Seattle and King County. Find information on which institutions in the area hold certain property information and resources.
- King County Parcel Viewer: Enter an address to find property information including sales history, parcel data, land data, photographs and more.
- Washington State Archives - Property Record Cards: Created from a 1937-1940 survey, these records include early details and possibly a photo in PDF format. Search by street name without the house number for a list of all properties recorded on a specific street.