Burke Museum

Why is the museum interesting?

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture was founded in 1899. It was then known as the Washington State Museum and originated from the founding of the High School Naturalists' Club. The museum is the oldest in the state and boasts a collection of over 16 million items.

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is the largest natural history museum in the northwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Named after the famous American public figure Thomas Burke.

Here, you'll explore six galleries of human, fossil, plant, and animal creativity that make the natural history and culture of the Pacific Northwest and the world so special.

See the only dinosaur fossils on display in Washington State, and see paleontologists removing a layer of dirt from newly discovered fossils. Experience the diversity of Indigenous art in the Pacific Northwest and see how traditions live on with Indigenous artists and researchers studying collections from around the world. Each visit to the museum is unique.

In Burke, you see and feel the world alive.

The Burke Museum is Washington State's oldest public museum with a vast collection ranging from totem poles and gems to dinosaur fossils.

The 105,000-square-foot building will break down traditional barriers by merging collections and research labs with traditional galleries. The purpose of the museum is to invite everyone, from teachers to ordinary visitors, to take part in a dynamic process of scientific and cultural discovery.

The museum took over the northwest corner of the University of Washington campus. Upon entering, you are greeted by your own plant garden and the Burke Yard outdoor area, which can be used for social gatherings and events.

More than 35,000 Washington students visit the Burke Museum each year and 70,000 more are educated through programs across the state.

Story

In December 1879, a group of teenagers watching Seattle's rapid transformation into a major city began collecting items to document the world around them. They called themselves the Society of Young Naturalists, and soon began to meet weekly, organizing expeditions and giving lectures.

In 1885, the society raised enough money to rent a small building to house the collection. Initially, the society did not have an official name for the exhibition, but in 1885 they began to call their small museum the “Hall of Young Naturalists”.

Moving to the university's Seattle campus, the building officially became the Washington State Museum in 1899. The museum got its current name in 1962 in honor of Judge Thomas Burke, who was a successful businessman, civic activist, and tireless champion of education and culture in Seattle. He and his wife shared a strong interest in Native American culture and were among the earliest collectors.

As time went on, the museum and the university became more and more closely related to each other, as professors became involved in the work of the Society of Young Naturalists, and its early members later became teachers. In 2013, five graduate students in the biology department at the University of Washington reshaped the society and its activities. You can follow this new iteration on their blog.

Today, the museum continues to serve the state of Washington by providing scientific and cultural education as well as original research.

Collections

The museum's collections document human heritage from around the world, including over a million archaeological cultural sites and related archival documents.

• Archaeological collection

Archeology is the study of human history and our relationship to the environment. The archaeological collection contains artifacts, soil samples, animal and plant remains, and associated field records. The main focus of the exhibition is on the Pacific Northwest and the Pacific Rim.

Many archaeological artifacts and records are available in the Burke Museum Collections Database. New data is added regularly, including inventory photos.

• Contemporary culture collection

The selection includes items from the late 1700s to the present day, purchased from collectors and local artists. The world-renowned collections of the Burke Museum include over 50,700 items and over 50,000 archival documents.

The focus is on the cultures of the Pacific region, including the unexplored aspects of Native American art. Exhibits include pieces from the US Northwest, one of the world's five largest Arctic Alaska collections, and the largest collection of Mexican pottery.