Museums


Totem Heritage Center
The Totem Heritage Center was established in 1976 to preserve endangered 19th century totem poles retrieved from uninhabited Tlingit and Haida village sites near Ketchikan. Those magnificent, original poles are displayed at the Center in conjunction with other totems and Native Alaskan artifacts. In addition to functioning as a museum, the Totem Heritage Center also preserves and promotes the traditional arts and crafts of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures through a nationally-recognized program of Native Arts classes and other activities.

Tongass Historical Museum
The Tongass Historical Museum collects, preserves, and interprets material and information pertaining to the history, art, and culture of Ketchikan and Southeast Alaska. The Museum features permanent and temporary exhibits based on its own collections and community participation, as well as hosting traveling exhibitions from other institutions. Public programs, special events, workshops, and educational programs that relate to Ketchikan area history are also offered. The Museum’s extensive historical archive and photograph collections are available for research.


Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
The Learning Center is a place for supervised activities. The flexible plan allows for improvisation by educational groups, community groups and families. Multiple activities can occur simultaneously.

The Junior Classroom functions as a traditional classroom for a teacher and 35 students or a crafts facility with tables and chairs. It has a sink and a storage wall for arts and crafts materials. It features micro ecological images of natural objects that evoke questions as well as establish a theme for the space.

The Meeting Room is a flexible space for adults. It is equipped with a conference phone, dry-erase boards, plenty of storage, movable seating and work surfaces.