Historical Markers
Person using smartphone with nordic walking sticks - missing and damaged markers

Self-guided · metro area, Washington

Missing and Damaged Markers in Seattle, WA

Report a marker that is gone, knocked down or moved, so the record shows what a visitor will actually find.

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Photo: Antonio Groß on Unsplash

Photographers and researchers in Seattle, WA share one advantage: the sites do not move. The Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA metro area has about 4,161,883 residents, ranking 15th in the country. The record tells you where to point the camera.

A man is standing in front of a broken sign - missing and damaged markers
Photo: Yunming Wang on Unsplash
Man using smartphone - missing and damaged markers
Photo: Patrick Schöpflin on Unsplash
Person wearing a hat and mask looks at building - missing and damaged markers
Photo: Samuell Morgenstern on Unsplash

On the record near Seattle, WA

The 12 nearest

394 listed historic sites on the record within 30 miles of Seattle, WA.

  1. Rainier Clubunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
  2. First Methodist Episcopal Churchunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 2011National Register of Historic Places
  3. U.S. Courthouseunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1980National Register of Historic Places
  4. Leamington Hotel and Apartmentsunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1994National Register of Historic Places
  5. Women's University Club of Seattleunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 2009National Register of Historic Places
  6. YWCA Building--Seattleunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 2006National Register of Historic Places
  7. Continental Hotelunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 2024National Register of Historic Places
  8. Arctic Buildingunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  9. Olympic Hotelunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  10. Holyoke Buildingunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
  11. Northern Life Towerunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places
  12. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Seattle Branchunder a mile from the center of Seattle · Building · Seattle · listed 2013National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Seattle, WA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Missing Markers in Seattle, step by step

  1. 1

    Pull every listed site in the area with its source

  2. 2

    Match the sites to the records you are working from

  3. 3

    Visit and photograph what still stands

  4. 4

    Note anything missing, moved or wrong on the record

  5. 5

    Submit corrections and photos so the record improves

What people in Seattle, WA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Seattle, WA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Can I correct a mistake in a listing?

Yes. Send a photo, a location fix or a note with your source, and it is checked before it changes the record. People who visit the sites are the best check the record has.

Does this replace the official register files?

No. It points you to them. Each site names its source so you can go to the full nomination file or marker program record for the deeper detail.

How a visit works in Seattle

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Seattle, WA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Seattle, WA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Seattle, WA

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