SSHA Heritage Award presented to Olympia Tumwater Foundation Director John Freedman

Olympia Tumwater Foundation director John Freedman (left center) was awarded the SSHA 2016 Heritage Award by current president Drew Crooks (right center).
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Submitted by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation 

The executive director of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation, John Freedman, was honored on April 16 during the Local Historian’s Conference at Tumwater’s historic Schmidt House.  As John was welcoming the gathering, Drew Crooks, President of the South Sound Heritage Association (SSHA), a consortium of museums and history organizations in the region, presented John with the 2016 SSHA Heritage Award. The award recognizes John’s vision and direction in re-branding and re-energizing the local history program of the non-profit organization established in 1950 by the Schmidt family, founders of the Olympia Brewing Company.

John expressed his thanks to SSHA and additionally to the City of Tumwater for making the program possible through grants they’ve provided. Mr. Crooks of SSHA said his group wanted to express their appreciation for John’s leadership and vision, along with the work of the board and his staff, for the betterment of their community.

Olympia Tumwater Foundation Background

John Freedman, was honored on April 16 during the Local Historian’s Conference at Tumwater’s historic Schmidt House.
John Freedman, was honored on April 16 during the Local Historian’s Conference at Tumwater’s historic Schmidt House.

The philanthropic Olympia Tumwater Foundation owns and operates the Tumwater Falls Park and the Schmidt House, and is the largest provider of educational scholarships to Thurston County students.  The foundation has long been the caretaker of the rich archives collection at the Schmidt House and in recent years, under Freedman’s oversight, has re-focused its efforts in preserving and promoting the history of the greater Tumwater area.  With the cooperation of the City of Tumwater, the foundation hired a public history manager, a collections curator, and a part-time archivist.  The “Heritage Builders” program has been growing quickly, organizing the collection, researching and promoting Tumwater history, and celebrating the influence of the Schmidt family on the South Sound area.

The “Heritage Builders” program hosts monthly free history talks at the Schmidt House, offers guided tours of the house, and in the summer hosts guided history walks along the river and the falls that drew the Simmons/Bush party to establish Tumwater, the first permanent American community north of the Columbia. The program also hosts biannual conferences of local historians from all over Thurston County, encouraging cooperation and collaboration among local heritage groups.

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