Submitted by Washington State Department of Enterprise Services
Visitors who plan on touring the Washington State Governor’s Mansion during Women’s History Month in March will have the option of choosing a special “Women in the Mansion” tour of the house.
The special hour-long Women in the Mansion tours will be offered March 15 and 22 beginning at 1 p.m. While the tours are free, space is limited and reservations are required.
Standard Governor’s Mansion tours, with an emphasis on the executive residence’s general history and furnishings, are also available most Wednesday afternoons throughout the year.
The Georgian-style mansion is located on a bluff overlooking Capitol Lake, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Constructed in 1908, the Governor’s Mansion is the oldest building on the state Capitol Campus in Olympia. Reservations for all mansion tours can be made through the Department of Enterprise Services State Capitol Tour Office at (360) 902-8880 or tours@des.wa.gov.
‘Women in the Mansion’ tour details
During the special March 15 and 22 tours, Governor’s Mansion Foundation volunteer docents will present stories about Washington women who have influenced Washington’s history from inside the mansion.
The tour will feature information about Lizzie Muir Hay, the initial first lady of the mansion from 1909 to 1912, as well as many of Washington’s first ladies. There also will be stories about the women who have served as Washington state governor and how suffragists lobbied for women’s voting rights during the official mansion housewarming in 1909.
Tour guidelines:
- Each tour is 60 minutes of standing and walking.
- Tour participants must be at least 18 years old and have a photo ID; children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- There is a maximum of 20 spaces available for each tour and reservations are made on a first-come basis.
- Cameras, backpacks, umbrellas, strollers, food and beverages are not permitted.
- The mansion is accessible to wheelchairs and walkers. Visitors must walk a 200-yard incline up to the entrance.
- No public restrooms are available.
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed in the United States since 1987.
More information about the mansion is available at the Governor’s Mansion Foundation website.
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