Museum Collections

Donations to the SMHS Maritime Collections

We recently installed a display in City Hall, in a case in the lobby. Check it out!

Toolbox donated by Harry Jimmy

John Bahrt donated this tool owned by his grandfather Henry Bahrt. John’s great grand-father H. L. Bahrt came to Sitka in 1879. He was a ship’s carpenter, an immigrant from Germany or Denmark. We believe this is a large caulking iron for hardening oakum in the seams of a ship’s deck. Willis Osbakken donated a nearly identical tool, owned by his father, a ship's carpenter apprentice from Norway.

Dewey Torgeson of the schooner REPUBLIC donated this sounding lead. The lead line has been used for millennia for gauging water depth for navigation. This one is made of lead, and has a hollow in the bottom for tallow, to pick up sea floor sediment. Even after sonic depth sounders became common equipment, fishermen continued to use this ancient tool for precisely locating fishing grounds.

Grappling hook, donated by Dewey Torgeson, FV Republic. Used for pulling in flagpoles when longlining or otherthings just out of reach.

Japanese longline tray, donated by Dewey Torgeson FV Republic

Dan Cushing donated this flagpole light. Longliners set long strings of fishing gear, lengths of rope with fishing hooks attached. Each end of a set has a small anchor, and buoy line to a buoy and flag pole for finding the end again when it’s time to haul the gear back onto the boat. This waterproof canister was attached to the base of the flagpole, with the wire going up the pole to the light attached at the top. Lights that are used now on the flagpoles have the battery inside them, and are only a few inches long.

This half model was probably made by Andrew Hope, and was donated by his granddaughter Lisa Killinger. This half model was probably made for decorative purposes. Andrew Hope also used half models to build some of his boats. To build a boat, the half model is sawn into sections (cross ways). Each section is enlarged to full size and mirrored to create forms that the boat is built around. Andrew Hope is credited with constructiondozens of boats, including some still in use today.

This "dead eye" was transferred to the SMHS from the Sitka Historical Society, because it has no provenance. It is the lower attachment for shrouds holding the mast up.

John Stein donated this box, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

This is a forged gaff hook (or hay hook, if you were not in southeast Alaska). John Stein donated a box, and tools, rescued from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

An old time soldering iron. John Stein donated these tools and box, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

A patent sewing awl. John Stein donated these tools, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

This beautiful and unusual push drill is also used for drilling by hand, but for much smaller holes. John Stein donated these tools, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

This auger drill bit is a type still used today for drilling deep holes. The square end is clamped in the handle for hand drilling. John Stein donated these tools, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

A gasoline torch, also in the Innocent Williams tool box.

The handle for drill bits. The square end of the bit is clamped in. John Stein donated these tools, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

A panel gauge, for marking out wide boards. John Stein donated these tools, salvaged from outside the house of Innocent Williams when it was torn down in 1980.

A draw knife, one of the tools donated by Harry Jimmy from the Andrew Hope shop.

Possibly the wheel from a Shore Boat. Collected by Joe Ashby, and donated by Tiffany Snowden.

A tool donated by Willis Osbakken, owned by his father John Osbakken. This is the same kind of tool as another, donated by John Bahrt, above. It is probably for caulking large seams.

Boatbuilding molds, probably made by Andrew Hope, donated by Harry Jimmy.

Object Demonstrations

Antique Rotary Fog Horn
Donated by Valorie & Connor Nelson

Various Planes owned by Robert Modrell
Donated by John Modrell

The Tom and Al

Lynne Chassin donated a print of E. W. Merrill's photograph of the Tom and Al, a halibut schooner, on the beach at what is now Katlian Street. This print was one made from the negatives of Sheldon Jackson College a number of years ago.

The photo is from some time after 1907, which was when the radio towers visible in the background were constructed. The Tom & Al was built by the (Thomas J.) King and (Albert M.) Winge shipbuilding company in Seattle in 1900, as the Ragnhild. (In 1914, the yard built the King and Winge, the halibut schooner involved in rescuing the survivors of the Karluk expedition, which sank working as a crabber in the Bering Sea in 1994.)

SMHS had the image scanned and is now sharing it at our website. There is lots of fun detail, from the fishing gear, to the natty headgear of the day. Thanks Lynne, for your donation!

From the Osbakken Family

Willis Osbakken has generously donated two items from his father John’s collection, and SMHS is excited to add them to our collection, which will eventually be part of our hands-on collection in the planned boathouse collection area.

John Osbakken came to the U.S. from Norway as an apprentice ship’s carpenter aboard the Balclutha, which is now the centerpiece of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. In Sitka, Willis’s father had various enterprises, including a liquor store and the tender Point Reyes; he also built skiffs and repaired fishing boats at his partner Louis Johansen’s boat shop near Goddard, and would do work on boats in the harbor. Willis tells us that his father could size up the piece he needed, go to his shop (an addition on the back of the Osbakken house, which is now the Sitka Rose Gallery) and make the piece as a first-time perfect fit.

From the Osbakken collection: A portable boat compass, brand name Dirigo (“I lead” in Latin). This compass is made to swing freely and stay level in a moving boat. It may have had a wooden lid at one time.

The second item is a hand-made wooden box of caulking irons, an old soldering iron, and several rollers for rolling caulking into the seam between boat planks. The rollers would have been used on smaller boats.

Caulking irons are used to drive in and firm cotton or oakum into the seam between two planks on a boat. Different widths are needed for different widths of seams. The irons are hit with a caulking mallet, like the piece featured in our fall newsletter, of likely similar vintage, that was donated by Randall Rodgers.

SMHS is extremely grateful for these beautiful examples of our maritime history, gifted by Willis Osbakken, who we interviewed this past November. A radio edit of the interview will be made available for broadcast to KCAW soon. ~

Donated by Harry Jimmy

Harry Jimmy observes as Rebecca Poulson inspects the planes Jimmy donated to SMHS. The planes had belonged to boatbuilder Andrew Hope. (James Poulson photo)

Harry Jimmy, who purchased his Katlian Street shop from mid-twentieth century Sitka boatbuilder Andrew Hope, has donated a number of items from the shop to the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society.

The items, which had once belonged to Hope, include four wooden and two metal planes as well as molds for a Davis-style boat, a yellow cedar bowstem, a pattern for the keel and transom angle, and planking stock.

The Sitka Maritime Heritage Society is incredibly grateful for the donated items, which come form the heyday of wooden boatbuilding in Sitka. They will be provide a visual link to that era for years to come.

Donated by Randall Rodgers

Rebecca Poulson photo

Randall Rodgers graciously donated an engineer’s caulking mallet that is about 100 years old to Sitka Maritime Heritage Society.

The mallet is a traditional tool used to pound oakum or cotton into the seams of a wooden boat hull in order to make the hull firm. This particular mallet was found in the 1980’s inside the hull of a 110-foot schooner that was scheduled for demolition. As the boat was taken apart for salvageable parts, the mallet was discovered inside the hull, where it had most likely fallen to an out-of-reach place during construction. It had been perfectly preserved for the life of the boat, when it came into the hands of Randall Rodgers.

SMHS is extremely grateful for this wonderfully preserved piece of history, and will display it for public viewing once the boathouse project reaches completion.

Collection items will eventually be on public display in the Japonski Island Boathouse.
Have items to contribute? Contact SMHS at [email protected]