Bigelow House

Bigelow House Museum

Washington’s History in a House.

Welcome!

Bigelow House Museum & Information Center

The Bigelow House: Witness to History

The Bigelow House Museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the early history of Olympia and Washington Territory. It is the oldest residence in Olympia, Washington, and one of the earliest still standing in the Pacific Northwest.

Pioneer lawyer and Territorial Legislator Daniel R. Bigelow and his schoolteacher wife Ann Elizabeth White built Bigelow House in the 1850s. The Bigelows were pivotal figures in early Washington history and the struggle for women’s rights and public education.

The house is a rare surviving example of the Carpenter Gothic style architecture popular in rural America during the mid-1800s and is still surrounded by more than an acre of the family’s original land claim. The home displays original documents, artifacts, and furnishings representing 150 years of the family’s participation in important causes on the community, state and national levels.

More History of Bigelow House

The Bigelow House Museum

Olympia, Washington

Bigelow House News

· 16 October 2011 DAC - Susan B Anthony Historical Marker Dedication at Bigelow House

· 2010 Dave King Restores Bigelow House Windows

· 16 Dec. 2010 State Budget Hammers Heritage

· 1 Oct. 2010 Visit Our New YouTube Channel

· 27 Jun. 2010 Volunteers Needed Now

· 24 Mar. 2010 Shanna Stevenson– Suffrage Centennial Presentation

· 24 Nov. 2009 Olympia: A People’s History

· 4 Mar. 2009 Shanna Stevenson - Suffrage Exhibit at WSHS

· 19 Jun. 2008 Bigelow House Museum Relives Washington's Past

Directions & Map

918 Glass Ave NE

Olympia, WA 98506

From Interstate 5:

· Take Exit 105 to Plum Street

· Continue approx 1 mile north on Plum which becomes East Bay Drive.

· Right on Glass Avenue.

· Travel up three-quarters of a block. The house is on your left, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence.

· Parking:Parking is available on the street in front of the Museum and along East Bay Drive.

From Capital Campus:

· Travel north on Capital Way

· Right on Fourth Avenue.

· Left on Plum Street (which becomes East Bay Drive).

· Three blocks to Glass Avenue and turn right.

· Travel up three-quarters of a block. The house is on your left, surrounded by a wrought iron fence.

· Parking:Parking is available on the street in front of the Museum and along East Bay Drive.

Bigelow House is ADA accessible. Accessible parking is available – call for directions.

~2011 Annual Fund Drive~

Help us meet our funding needs in 2011!

Click here to make your tax-exempt donation online to Bigelow House!

See our support page for more information and other ways to donate.

State Employees Can Now Support Bigelow House through

the Washington Combined Fund Drive

Also– please visit our volunteer page for more ways

you can become a part of Bigelow House Museum.

Site Updated 21 November 2011

Museum Information

Start your heritage tour of Olympia here!

Our volunteers and staff are active in a number of history organizations including the Washington State Historical Society, Olympia Historical Society and the South Sound Heritage Association. They are happy to offer guidance and answer questions free of charge on the many historical attractions in Olympia and the South Puget Sound area.

Hours

Please check our calendar page for our current schedule

Open for tours by appointment all year. Please call or email for reservations.

Interior tours are guided and take around 45 minutes.

Admission

Our entry hall exhibit and information center are open to visitors free of charge.

Guided interpretive tours of the house interior: $5 suggested donation for adults, $3 students and seniors, $1 for age 12 and under.

Group Tours

Group and School Tours Available - call or email for rates and scheduling.

CONTACT

By Mail:

BHPA