Brad Holden

Seattle Artifacts: A Man of History, Walt Crowley, Influenced Seattle’s Future and Preserved Its Past

Seattle Artifacts: A Man of History, Walt Crowley, Influenced Seattle’s Future and Preserved Its Past

Crowley worked tirelessly to promote civil liberties for people of all backgrounds and wasn’t afraid to reach across the political aisle for solutions

Nestled slightly above the hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market sits the office headquarters for HistoryLink, which has provided Washington state history for online readers since 1998. It predates Wikipedia by more than three years. My first visit there happened after a chance lunch encounter with Marie McCaffrey, the site’s cofounder and executive director. …

Seattle Artifacts: The Spotify of its Day

Seattle Artifacts: The Spotify of its Day

The Multiphone was Puget Sound’s first streaming music service

Deep in the heart of Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood sits a turn-of-the-century brick building that was originally used as horse stables for a nearby racetrack. Its restored interior now serves as a museum of sorts, with an eclectic mishmash of antique coin-operated machines, vintage signs and old Seattle memorabilia. The curator of this unique collection is…

Seattle Artifacts: Crime, Politics and Pinball

Seattle Artifacts: Crime, Politics and Pinball

Competing factions resorted to bombs during Seattle’s pinball war

Back in the 1950s, Seattle was rocked by a series of late-night bombings that were connected to regional crime syndicates battling for control over the city’s lucrative pinball market. In this article — my first for “Seattle” magazine — I take a look at how a small trove of brass amusement licenses discovered during a…

Vanishing Act: Mermaids, Frogs and Spare Change

Vanishing Act: Mermaids, Frogs and Spare Change

Seattle’s own ‘Mad Men’ helped create several iconic national brands

While digging through a box of random stuff, my attention was suddenly grabbed by a white porcelain beer mug with two legs and the familiar red “R” on its chest.

Join The Must List

Don't miss a thing.
Get Seattle's best events,handpicked
and delivered to your inbox weekly.

Follow Us