On display May-December 2026, Dearly Departed explores life, illness, and death on Bainbridge Island between 1900 and 1950. From discussion of early pioneer doctors to the establishment of clinics and medical plans, Dearly Departed documents 50 years of changing conditions on our Island that affected residents throughout their lives. From childbirth to funeral practices, the exhibit addresses difficult living conditions, sparse access to frontier medicine, and Bainbridge Island’s sometimes violent past through the sharing of stories alongside archival evidence.

Come in to learn more about:

Early Rural Doctors

Early Island Medical Facilities

Illnesses and Outbreaks

Risks on the Job

Violence

The Emergence of New Threats to Health

Funeral Practices

Bainbridge Island’s Resting Places