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The Renton History Museum offers permanent, temporary, and online exhibits about Renton's history as well as educational events. Click below to learn more.
Generously funded by 4Culture, People of the Inside tells the story of the Duwamish before and after White settlers came to Renton. Become acquainted with the Moses family, the last Duwamish to live on their ancestral land of the banks of the Black River, and learn about the Duwamish today. The exhibit features all new artifacts and photographs to better illustrate Renton's Duwamish history.
Renton Co-operative Coal Company tells the unique story of a group of miners in Renton who came to this country searching for better lives. The second exhibit features two of Renton's other early industries and the people who built them: Denny-Renton Clay & Coal and Pacific Car & Foundry (PACCAR). The exhibits were created with grant funding from 4Culture.
A favorite for intergenerational groups, the Little House features a typical parlor and kitchen that would have been found in Renton during the Depression. It features many Renton furniture and artifacts dating from 1870 to the 1930s. Four historic Renton residents - George W. Custer, Florence Tonkin, Edmund E. Duff, and Modesta Delaurenti - tell their stories and help guide visitors through the house.
With This Ring is a historical look at marriage in Renton in all its richness, from finding a partner to weddings to working partnerships to same-sex unions. Using objects and photos from our collection, including many wedding gowns, this exhibit begins with the difficulties of finding a partner in a mostly male frontier town and shows the ways in which happy marriages helped solidify the community. With This Ring is the product of many years of research into Renton’s varied unions—happy and not-so-happy—and the remarkable stories surrounding them.
“A Plate at the Potluck” is a Renton History Museum project in partnership with University of Washington Museology Department that provides a platform for local immigrants to share their stories while exploring a specific aspect of the history of immigration Renton: how immigrants enrich Renton’s culinary and cultural life by sharing their food traditions.
Coming Soon!
Events are free with regular museum admission of $5 per adult, $2 per student, and children under 8 are free.
Events are always free for museum members.
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