Harbor Happenings: Reel Life in the 1920s

Join us at the special premier of the historical documentary "Grays Harbor Happenings: The Newsreels of C.D. Anderson," produced by the UW Libraries in partnership with the 7th Street Theatre Association, the Aberdeen Museum of History and the Polson Museum. Proceeds will benefit the 7th St. Theatre Association, the Aberdeen History Museum and the Polson Museum.
A few years ago, a cardboard box of 35mm nitrate films was discovered in a commercial storage unit in Seattle. They were given to the UW… Show more Libraries Special Collections. It was very clear that urgent preservation was needed to save the deteriorating films. After they preserved, it was revealed that the films were amateur newsreels, showing small town life in Grays Harbor County from over 80 years ago. The newsreels record local celebrations including a Captain Kidd's Pirates Picnic, a local football match and an impressive parade of cars celebrating the opening of the Aberdeen-Willapa Highway. They also show other noteworthy events including a recreation of the S.S. Halco shipwreck. The documentary will include selections from the newsreels and interviews with local Grays Harbor County historians and researchers who have helped identify the locations and content of the films.
The film would not have been possible without the efforts of the UW Libraries Special Collections and the support of many other organizations including the Apex Foundation, the Grays Harbor Community Foundation, the UW Alumni Association and UWTV.

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