The Sitka Historical Society’s unique mission to tell the human history of Sitka and the surrounding area is reflected by the breadth and variety of its collection and archives. The historical society’s collection was initially developed in the 1950s when a group of dedicated volunteers founded the society. Isabel Miller, Joe Ashby, and other founding members worked to collect items of historical interest, met regularly, and organized to secure a formal museum space in Centennial Harrigan Hall in downtown Sitka in 1967. Continuing to build upon their pioneering work, the Sitka Historical Society has amassed one of the most diverse and largest collections in Sitka comprised of over 8,000 three-dimensional artifacts, several hundred paintings, prints, and examples of fine art, a spectacular collection of nearly 25,000 historic photographs, and more than 100,000 archival documents, all ranging from the 1740s until the present day.