Welcome to the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society
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We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit in Sitka, Alaska dedicated to preserving and sharing our region's rich maritime heritage. We are grateful to be able to share the rich heritage of this land of the Tlingit people since time immemorial.
Our main project is the rehabilitation of the Japonski Island Boathouse, a WWII Navy boat shop and marine railway, as a working maritime heritage center.
We produce a great newsletter full of historical and other articles on our maritime heritage, photographs and articles on Sitka's maritime history, a history blog, oral history programs and videos, activities, classes and other programs on maritime history, heritage and skills.
Join us! Become a member; contribute to our capital campaign; buy a book or hat!
THANK YOU to our members, donors and sponsors!
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit in Sitka, Alaska dedicated to preserving and sharing our region's rich maritime heritage. We are grateful to be able to share the rich heritage of this land of the Tlingit people since time immemorial.
Our main project is the rehabilitation of the Japonski Island Boathouse, a WWII Navy boat shop and marine railway, as a working maritime heritage center.
We produce a great newsletter full of historical and other articles on our maritime heritage, photographs and articles on Sitka's maritime history, a history blog, oral history programs and videos, activities, classes and other programs on maritime history, heritage and skills.
Join us! Become a member; contribute to our capital campaign; buy a book or hat!
THANK YOU to our members, donors and sponsors!
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Please Take Our Survey! What do you like, what do you want to see with the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society?
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Seeking Manager for our Historical Walking Tours
Click Here to go to Description
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Sitka Historical Walking Tours
click here to go to booking site
Selected weekdays 1 - 2:30 pm Summer, email for custom dates
- 1 1/2 hour, easy terrain
- Historic downtown Sitka and waterfront
- Get the real, surprising backstory of Sitka: Tlingit America, Boston Men and sea otter, Russians, the U.S. Army, Missionaries, Fishermen and more
- Knowledgeable local guide, small group
- $49 adult, $39 teens, kids free
- All proceeds support Sitka Maritime Heritage Society
Call or Email for WWII and custom tours, custom date or time
- 1 1/2 hour, easy terrain
- Historic downtown Sitka and waterfront
- Get the real, surprising backstory of Sitka: Tlingit America, Boston Men and sea otter, Russians, the U.S. Army, Missionaries, Fishermen and more
- Knowledgeable local guide, small group
- $49 adult, $39 teens, kids free
- All proceeds support Sitka Maritime Heritage Society
Call or Email for WWII and custom tours, custom date or time
Visit SitkaHistoricWalkingTours.com
"I have lived in Alaska for 45 years and in Sitka for 12. I thought I had a good grasp on the history of the area but in just 1 1/2 hours I learned so much more about the history of Sitka and Alaska. If you enjoy history or just want to learn more about this amazing place I highly recommend taking this tour."
- Review on our booking site, 5/31/2023
- Review on our booking site, 5/31/2023
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New Grant for Digitizing Historic, Professional Photographs and Short Film: Looking for Project Leader
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The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society recently received a federal Maritime Heritage Education grant, through the Alaska State Historic Preservation Office, to digitize photographs and to make a short film about them.
This project, Vanished World - People and Places of Southeastern Alaska in the 1980s, will digitally preserve the extensive collection of Matthew Donohoe's professional photographs, Kodachrome slides, that focused on the people, places, and history of trolling around Sitka and SE Alaska in the latter part of the 20th Century. The slides will be organized and professionally digitized to museum standards. The second part of the project is video recording Matthew Donohoe and others identifying and describing images. A videographer will edit and compile some of the digitized slides, the oral interviews and, where appropriate, some "B-roll" material into a short 15-minute video that will be archived and available for public viewing. The end product will be the preservation and identification of these images, for archiving in a museum or archive down the road, sharing them with the public, and creating a short video with an overview of the meaning of this collection, with people talking about the subjects of the images. We are seeking a project manager to oversee organizing and digitizing the collection, doing research into best practices for keeping the integrity of the collection while making it available to view, and organizing the video interviews for the final film. Click Here for the job description! email [email protected] or call 738-7448. |
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Click Here to See and Comment on 35% Plans for New USCG Fast Response Cutter Dock
The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society is leading the sharing of the 35% construction plans for the new Fast Response Cutter dock on Japonski Island. Click Here to go to complete plans, renderings, and email address for comment.
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Update: We made our goal!
As we transition to operation, programming, and sustainable income, and to keep up the incredible momentum we have had, we needed to raise funds so we can keep our Executive Director, Keith Nyitray.
Completing the fire suppression system cost us more than we had budgeted for, so we had to lose our director at the end of October until we could make up the difference. |
We are launching our Boathouse 2026 Strong campaign with a goal of raising $12,000 by the end of December. If you or your business can pitch in, this would be a great time for it. All donors of $1,000 or more will be permanently named in the building. To contribute, go to our online form here, call us at (907) 623-8054 or email [email protected]. You can also mail your contribution to Sitka Maritime Heritage Society, P. O. Box 2153, Sitka Alaska 99835, or bring to our table at WhaleFest November 7-9, or bring to the Boathouse on Saturday mornings! Thank You! - The Board of the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society |
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Click HERE to download our Fall 2025 Newsletter!
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A Short History of Sitka Alaska is now available online here or at Old Harbor Books and other stores in downtown Sitka.
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Click HERE to download our Fall 2024 Newsletter!
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Click Here For Newsletter Winter 2023-24
Work Party Volunteer Opportunities
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The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society is holding volunteer work parties to restore exterior walls on the Japonski Island Boatshop. They take place Saturdays from 9 am to noon throughout the summer. Volunteers of all skill levels welcome. Volunteers should bring gloves and tools if they have them. Volunteers are welcome to come for part or all the time. Project leaders will provide training in historic preservation principles and methods. Coffee and snacks provided. Call 752-2335 or email [email protected] for more information!
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The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society offered a class, Sitka History for Tour Guides, April 26th 2025 at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
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2024 Sailing Class a Success!
We teamed up with Captain Blain Anderson of Sound Sailing to offer Introduction to Sailing May 3-7th in Sitka.
We are happy to be bringing more on-the-water training and fun boating opportunities to town and plan for this to be just the start! Members g0t $25 off the class and a portion of proceeds from this class go to support the SMHS.
The sailing portion lined up with incredibly beautiful weather on the Sound, complete with breaching whale!
We are happy to be bringing more on-the-water training and fun boating opportunities to town and plan for this to be just the start! Members g0t $25 off the class and a portion of proceeds from this class go to support the SMHS.
The sailing portion lined up with incredibly beautiful weather on the Sound, complete with breaching whale!
2023 Annual Meeting "Scows, Tenders and Fish Buyers" was February 23
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The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society Annual Meeting program “Scows, Tenders, and Fish Buyers: Pughs, Old Milwaukee, Kalinin Bay and Hole In the Wall, Stories of a Half Century on the Grounds” was February 23rd at the ANB Founders Hall.
During the first half of the program, a panel of Sitkans, moderated by Eric Jordan, shared stories of scows and other fish buyers, going back to the 1950s and up to the present. In the second half of the program, audience members shared their own stories and asked questions. A pugh is a spike on a pole, once used to move fish from the fishing boat to the buyer. Beer, ice cream bars, price wars and hand troller camps were other topics that came up in this live oral history event. Attendees also posted their own sites and recollections on a chart of southeast Alaska. The program was filmed and will be made available on this site. |
"1920: Murder in Chatham Strait" Dessert Fundraiser a Success
At our history and dessert fundraiser “1920: Murder in Chatham Strait,” on January 18th, Juneau author Betsy Longenbaugh and Ed Schoenfeld gave a well researched and fascinating presentation on a true historical crime involving floating entertainers. Their presentation shed light on the world, and underworld, of ostensibly "dry" (as in, no alcohol) maritime Alaska in the 1920s.
Along with this exclusive, fascinating presentation, was a delicious slice of cheesecake by Wild Flour bakery.
Thank you to everyone who came!
Betsy Longenbaugh is a former newspaper reporter, originally from Sitka, and author of Forgotten Murders from Alaska's Capital.
Along with this exclusive, fascinating presentation, was a delicious slice of cheesecake by Wild Flour bakery.
Thank you to everyone who came!
Betsy Longenbaugh is a former newspaper reporter, originally from Sitka, and author of Forgotten Murders from Alaska's Capital.
Click Here for Winter 2022 Newsletter
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Some 4H kids learning woodworking for preparing boat kits for the event. Photo Jasmine Shaw
Toy Boats Event was December 17
We once again held a free toy boat making and decorating event for children at the Boathouse. This year we partnered with Sitka 4H, and so we had some good times with youth learning woodworking and sharing some good jokes. The event itself was just as much fun, seeing the smiles and creativity of Sitka's up and coming youth. |
Pub Talk October 16th "Alexander Baranov The Man The Myth"
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Photo October 11 2021 by James Poulson, Daily Sitka Sentinel
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Open House, WWII Presentation and Tour
August 2022
An aerial view of Japonski, Alice and Charcoal Island in 1967. Come find out what, why and how the military built, and what remains!
The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society offered a free presentation and short history walk on August 20, about the Navy and Army buildup on Japonski and neighboring islands during WWII and what can be seen today
For much of this information, go to the Maritime History tab on this site.
Portions of Sitka’s WWII defense installations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses National Historic Landmark, a designation for properties of national historical significance.
There was also an open house at the Boathouse with information about recent work on the building and future plans. Recent work on the building is supported in part by a federal Historic Preservation Fund Certified Local Government grant, through the Alaska State Office of History and Archaeology to the City and Borough of Sitka.
For more information, email us at sitkamaritime at gmail.com.
For much of this information, go to the Maritime History tab on this site.
Portions of Sitka’s WWII defense installations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses National Historic Landmark, a designation for properties of national historical significance.
There was also an open house at the Boathouse with information about recent work on the building and future plans. Recent work on the building is supported in part by a federal Historic Preservation Fund Certified Local Government grant, through the Alaska State Office of History and Archaeology to the City and Borough of Sitka.
For more information, email us at sitkamaritime at gmail.com.
Join SMHS or Renew Your Membership now
(valid through 03/2026):
Apply for the Board!
If you’d like to be even more involved in shaping the direction moving forward, we are looking for new board members. Do you have an interest in creating world class maritime heritage programs in an authentic WWII boat shop? Drop us a line by email or fill out this form to apply.
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