Olympia City Council proclaims May as Heritage Month

The Olympia City Council proclaimed May 2026 as Olympia Heritage Month, while encouraging residents to explore the city’s history while supporting local businesses, restaurants and venues in historic areas.

The proclamation, which was approved during a city council meeting on Tuesday, May 19, recognizes that “history and heritage are essential components of a community’s identity, and equitable opportunities for access and participation in Historic Preservation programming play a large role in painting a fuller picture of the past.”

Olympia Heritage Commission member Bill Cotter touched on the signifcance of the proclamation.

“This proclamation calls on us to find new ways to expand access and participation in historic and cultural preservation for all Olympians,” said Cotter at the meeting.

Heritage Month is observed annually in May, as part of a nationwide preservation initiative. It was originally launched in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as National Preservation Week before expanding to a monthlong observance in 2005.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“The National Trust for Historic Preservation is using this milestone to reflect on our nation’s past and honor the contributions of all Americans,” a staff report on the issue states.

This year’s national theme is “All People Are Created Equal.” Cotter said the theme challenges people to do more than commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

“It challenges us to ask whose stories are being told, whose places are being protected, and who has a seat at the table when we talk about history, culture and preservation,” Cotter said.

In the proclamation, the city states “embracing the identities, lived experiences, and diverse perspectives of Olympia’s growing community enhances the livability and vibrancy of the city for all residents.”

The proclamation also emphasized preservation efforts are not limited to historic buildings or districts. City staff noted Olympia’s historic preservation work includes histories from presettlement eras, hidden histories and histories from underrepresented communities.

Cotter said the Olympia Heritage Commission is working to strengthen relationships with tribal nations, cultural organizations and neighborhood groups.

“The stories of this place are bigger than any one district or historic era,” Cotter said. “Building those relationships across both community and institutional levels is how we begin to tell them more completely and more accurately.”

He also said the commission recently received grant funding to host a June 8 training for historic commissions and preservation groups across the region. The training session will focus on commission operations, community engagement, as well as ways to recognize histories that have traditionally gone untold.

The commission also plans to pursue additional grant funding to update surveys of some of Olympia’s older historic districts, which Cotter described as foundational to understanding and protecting the city’s historic character.