Lacey Historical Commission firms up plans to publish historic markers map 

The City of Lacey is getting closer to publishing its online historic markers map. However, limitations in the current version have prompted discussions about a more comprehensive update in 2027. 

The Lacey Historical Commission reviewed a draft of the project during a meeting on Oct. 21. The project has progressed to an interactive map that allows visitors to explore historic locations, although some photographs and descriptions remain incomplete. 

Lacey Parks, Culture & Recreation Director Jennifer Burbidge said Commission Chair Kevin Wyckoff and Commissioners Gary Montgomery and David Shipley have been working on the map since the previous review. Their work included surveying historic locations and collecting photographs. 

The draft features a mapped tour of historic markers, plaques, and monuments in and around Lacey. Users can browse the sites through map icons or a slide list. The selected entry displays a photograph and brief description, while the map highlights its location. 

Template limits 

The current map uses a template-driven format. Montgomery, who also serves as a Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst for the city, said the template permits approximately 256 characters of descriptive text and one photograph per location. 

The template offers a faster way to publish the map, but limits its appearance and features. Montgomery said a more customizable version is possible through Experience Builder, though developing it requires additional work. 

“If somebody was like, ‘Could this look different?’ I think it could look different,” Montgomery said. “I’m a little disappointed at the limitations placed on us by this sort of template-driven setup.” 

One possible improvement involves connecting map entries to existing historical records on the Lacey Museum website. The historic register properties page contains photographs, property descriptions and other resources that visitors can access for additional information. 

Montgomery said shortened hyperlinks could fit within the description field. However, longer website addresses consume much of the character limit. He added the map database contains 12 to 15 other data fields a future version could use. 

Google Maps was another option discussed, but Montgomery said the current mapping service is free and already integrated with the vendor application. Switching to Google Maps requires additional technical work. He also estimated usage charges could apply after approximately 40,000 monthly hits. 

Phased rollout 

Montgomery proposed publishing the current template first. He said he can develop a more advanced version during his internal overhaul of the city enterprise GIS portal. 

The second version could accommodate multiple photographs, improved pop-up information and better hyperlink handling. The city could also replace the original map URL once the updated version is ready. 

Historical photographs could provide another feature in future updates. Montgomery discussed using archival images to show how locations, such as the Huntamer House have changed over time. Burbidge said Lacey Museum Curator Erin Quinn Valcho may have photographs available for the project. 

For now, the first version still requires photographs and brief descriptions for some locations. Shipley drove Montgomery to several historic sites to collect images, while the commission project data identifies the Lacey Plywood Plant Historic Site as needing another photograph. 

The draft map already has a publicly accessible web address, but it has not been officially added to the Lacey Museum website. The commission wants remaining information completed before the city publishes a link. 

Montgomery said 2027 is a reasonable timeframe for developing a second-generation map, but declined to establish a firm deadline. The proposed improvements could also be considered during discussions of the commission work plan for 2027.