POULSBO — The Poulsbo Historical Society is in final negotiations to lease part of Martha & Mary’s former child care center at 250 NE Sunset St. and plans to move its archives and research center there, the two organizations announced Monday.
Representatives of both groups met with the City of Poulsbo Planning Department last week for a pre-application meeting. It’s the first step toward getting the administrative conditional use permit and occupancy permit the society needs before it can move the archives.
The historical society needs a new home for the collection because the city is taking back its space in Poulsbo City Hall. The society was one of the original tenants when City Hall opened in 2010, and that space was its first public museum until the Maritime Museum opened on Front Street in 2015. Since then, the society has used it to store archives, host public research and hold small meetings.
In August 2025, the city exercised an option in the original agreement to reclaim the space for expanding city offices, according to the release.
The new location will let the society expand its collection and add more space for research, including its records on Poulsbo’s founding families and businesses, the release said.
Martha & Mary has served children, seniors and families in Kitsap County since 1891. The Poulsbo Historical Society was founded in 1991 and welcomed more than 42,000 visitors to its four locations in 2025.
“Both organizations are excited to join together to continue to provide the Poulsbo community with the best in care and historical preservation,” the release said.
For more information, contact Linda Pawson, executive director of the Poulsbo Historical Society, at 206-618-1907 or linda@poulsbohistory.org, or Lynette Ladenburg, CEO of Martha & Mary, at 360-394-4010 or lladenburg@mmch.org.
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