San Juan Island, long the seasonal home to several Coast Salish Indian groups, was settled by Americans and Europeans beginning in the late 1850s. In 1961 a group of descendants of these settlers and others who had collections of historical family treasures gathered to form a San Juan Historical Society.

In 1966 George Peacock, a local resident, donated the property that included the 1897 James King farmhouse and three outbuidings to be the home of a museum to preserve the heritage of the island. Later the original county jail and an early settler’s cabin were moved to the Museum property. in 1991 an adjoining property was purchased and a building moved there to become the Etta Egeland Resource Center, named for an early and ardent supporter of the museum.

Collections and services have grown, and the Museum now has a photo archive of over 8,500 items, oral histories, files of family information, artifacts, and other resources offering a vivid record of the island’s past.

The mission of the San Juan Historical Society and its Museum is to gather and interpret the heritage of San Juan Island, sharing it with current and future generations.

To fulfill that mission the Museum collects, preserves, and exhibits buildings, information, photos, oral histories, documents, artifacts and other items of local historical interest for the education and enjoyment of residents and visitors.