David J Horrocks
Research Center
The Issaquah History Museums’ research center at the Gilman Town Hall (Temporarily Closed) has a broad range of resources about local and regional history. The David J. Horrocks Memorial Research Center is open to the public during museum open hours; appointments are also available Monday through Friday. We strongly recommend that researchers make an appointment to use the research center. Unless you have a research appointment, we can’t guarantee that research staff or volunteers will be available to locate materials for you.
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Along with Mr. Horrocks’ visual records of the area, there are books of Issaquah History, as well as more general works about Washington History, mining history, lumbering, agriculture, and social history. Some of the volumes of biographies were contemporary when they were published–a century or so ago. There are indicies and collections of local obituaries from the twentieth century. Genealogists can find many leads in the vertical files organized by family. Many years of the Issaquah Press are available on microfilm, and we maintain the machine to view the microfilms. We have paper copies of other local publications from Issaquah, as well as many of the Issaquah High School yearbooks and even a few of the Junior High’s “Lightnin’.” There are information sheets from surveys of residential properties, copies of official town records and building permits, and keys for tracking through Issaquah’s several rounds of changing street names.
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At the David J. Horrocks Research Center, you can:
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Peruse our research files and other resources available in the research center (books, videos, articles).
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Review photographs and documents from our collection.
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Access our community family tree and genealogy information for the Issaquah area.
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Access The Issaquah Press, either through digitized versions or on microfilm.
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Museum staff members or volunteers will pull the materials you need and will help you get started. We are also available to look up information for you, but research fees may apply.
Frequently Asked Research Questions
Can you tell me the history of my house?
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If your home is one of the 125 buildings inventoried by King County during their 2003 property inventory, then we can provide you with a copy of the report on your home (copying fees apply). You can also find information about your home via the King County Parcel Viewer or the Puget Sound Regional Archives.
I need a copy of a relative’s obituary.
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There is a chance we have a copy of the obituary in our research files, but this depends on someone either donating the obituary at some point, or a staff or volunteer clipping the obituary. If we don’t have a copy, please check the Issaquah Press (either online or at the library).
I need a copy of a relative’s birth certificate or death certificate.
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Although we may have information on births and deaths for selected people who lived in Issaquah, we do not hold any official records. Depending on the year this person was born or died, this information will be available from either King County Vital Statistics or the Washington State Department of Health.
There is a house in my neighborhood that is going to be torn down. How can I save it?
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The King County Office of Preservation has more information on historic registration, including the benefits to a property owner and the requirements that need to be met in order for a property to be considered historic. Note that not all buildings are eligible for landmark status on the basis of age alone; uniqueness, preservation and historic value must also be considered.