Vashon is fortunate to have a local history museum. The building itself is an artifact. For 109 years the iconic church building and adjacent residence have stood side-by-side, reminders of our community heritage and pride.

Under the floorboards, the old rubble and stone foundation has settled over time. A modern foundation is required to support this handmade building and stabilize it for the next century. Imagine those Norwegian immigrants positioning the foundation stones and troweling on hand- mixed mortar by the shovel-full. The boulders had to be lined up and leveled with wedges so the long central girder could support the joists under the wide church floor.

Creating a museum is what goes on above the floorboards at the old church building on Bank Road. Museums engage the senses, memories and imagination in an experience that makes a personal difference. For children it starts with curiosity. “What’s that thing?” is answered with, “That’s a dial telephone. Can you figure out how someone used it? Your great-grandfather had one on his office desk.” Curiosity connects a child to his or her own family story. Visiting a small museum can lead to a lifelong appetite for museums. It’s as pleasant as being immersed in a good read. Through your own memories, you relate to the story and absorb it. You make your own meaning of the experience by imagining yourself participating in the exhibit story.

Museums can change people. Empathy for others and appreciation for cultural diversity increases when you learn about such things as the internment of Vashon’s Native People or the Japanese Americans. Maybe you relate to the crosscut saw as the descendant of a logger. Maybe your ancestor was a teacher, a shipwright, a farmer. We all are descendants of immigrants, and our diversity is what we have in common. Our children carry this legacy forward.

Each spring, Chautauqua students visit the museum and participate in hands-on projects. This year, 74 second-graders will visit the museum to study native people of Vashon. In July, our Vashon Kids program offers a Coast Salish art activity. Caitlin Gable, a Portland school, visits annually in May with 40 fourth-graders to learn about Japanese immigration and internment. In June, 130 McMurray students return to the museum as a part of a week of Vashon history studies. Every July, 250 guests enjoy the annual Miss Lucy’s Dinner in the museum’s backyard.

Visit the museum often to see our permanent display and take in our rotating special exhibits. Last year, “Vashon Island’s Native Peoples” won county, state and national awards. It was followed by the exceptional “Point Robinson Lighthouse: 100 Years on Watch.” This year opened with an exhibit honoring noted island artist and history buff Marshall Sohl. Our current exhibit, “Schools: Through the Windows of History,” is a retrospective of Vashon schools and their impact on the island community.

This iconic building is important to our community. The stones underneath have held her up for over a century. Now it’s time to give the museum a new lease on life, literally supporting the building with a new foundation this summer. The Vashon Maury Island Heritage Association (VMIHA) trustees have taken action. Engineering plans and King County permit are in hand. Because this work must be done in the dry season, the contractor will start work in July. Fundraising has proceeded well, beginning last August. Since then, VMIHA has received a $20,000 grant from 4Culture, $5,000 from the Puget Sound Energy Foundation and generous private grants and donations for this work.

Now, with the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG day and a dollar-for-dollar matching fund, the goal is only $20,000 away. Reconstructing the foundation will ensure that the Heritage Museum has a long life ahead, a life of educating kids and enriching the community by telling our story in ways that engage us all in island life. This is not just about old rocks and mortar. It’s about envisioning what a museum can do for the future of a healthy community.

The Heritage Museum on Bank Road, the only Vashon museum, tells intriguing stories about the American past and orients visitors to the future by shining a light on the meaning of history in our lives. It’s a community treasure built and staffed by volunteers. Our island museum is a legacy that absolutely must be preserved.

— Deb Phillimore Dammann is president of the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association.