Friends of Georgetown History

What Friends of Georgetown History does

Friends of Georgetown History (FOGHI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and based in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Its mission is to celebrate and preserve Georgetown's contributions to Seattle's early history, with particular emphasis on documenting overlooked and marginalized histories — including Indigenous, early Chinese immigrant, and industrial-era stories. The organization is known for the annual Georgetown Haunted History Tour, now in its 22nd year, which runs over three nights in October as a 90-minute, approximately one-mile walking tour featuring theatrical performances, storytelling, and monologues at local landmarks including the Georgetown Steam Plant, The Stables (980 S Nebraska St), and Seattle Drum School of Music.

FOGHI's core programs include the Haunted History Tour, the Youth Internship Program (providing Georgetown youth with skills in environmental history research, database management, public speaking, and writing), a portfolio of Historic Research Projects (covering Wong Tsu, Potter's Field, Comet Lodge Cemetery, the Steam Plant, Old City Hall, and Meadows Racetrack), the Digital Archive Project (a digital repository of property inventories, photographs, video, and historical documents launched in 2021), and the Duwamish River Story Mapping Project (launched in 2022 in partnership with the Georgetown Business Association to install physical markers and signage along the original Duwamish River path). There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization's "product" is human-delivered programming, archival research, and community engagement.

The business model is nonprofit and diversified across three revenue streams: individual donations (accepted via PayPal, tax-deductible), event ticket sales (the Haunted History Tour, sold through Brown Paper Tickets), and grants from cultural agencies and foundations including 4Culture, Port of Seattle, ArtsFund, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Georgetown Business Association, Georgetown Merchants Association, Georgetown Community Council, and the Steam Plant Community Development Authority. The organization is governed by a volunteer board, operates with a small paid staff (1–10 employees), and is led by Executive Director Rosario Medina, a fourth-generation Georgetown resident. The 2025 tour is intentionally pivoting toward Indigenous history with Indigenous storytellers and a Native Vendor's Market, signaling a strategic deepening of community and cultural representation.

Name

Friends of Georgetown History

Legal name

Friends of Georgetown History

Website

https://foghi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of Georgetown History is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2003, that preserves and presents Georgetown's history through an annual Haunted History Tour, youth internships, archival research, and the Duwamish River Story Mapping Project for local residents, visitors, and community partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Historical Sites (712120), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Museums (712110)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage & Historic District Tours (THAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

Keywords

• Historical preservation
• Heritage education
• Cultural walking tours
• Youth internship programs
• Historical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations through PayPal to support its operations, youth programs, and the Duwamish River Story Mapping Project. Donations are tax-deductible as it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Event Tickets: Revenue generated from ticket sales for the annual Georgetown Haunted History Tour through Brown Paper Tickets platform.
3. Grants and Funding: FOGHI receives grant funding from organizations including 4Culture, Port of Seattle, and other community partners to support historical research, youth programs, and community events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Friends of Georgetown History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces the annual Georgetown Haunted History Tour (a 90-minute, one-mile theatrical walking tour now in its 22nd year), operates a Youth Internship Program, conducts Historic Research Projects on sites such as Wong Tsu, Potter's Field, and the Georgetown Steam Plant, maintains a Digital Archive Project, and runs the Duwamish River Story Mapping Project in partnership with the Georgetown Business Association. It generates revenue through donations, event tickets, and grants, and serves Georgetown residents, Seattle visitors, and Indigenous community partners.

Product overview

Friends of Georgetown History operates a portfolio of programs centered on historical preservation, community education, and cultural tourism. The core offerings include the Georgetown Haunted History Tour (the organization's primary public-facing annual event featuring theatrical historical presentations), Historic Research Projects documenting local sites and figures, the Youth Internship Program building community capacity, the Digital Archive Project for historical preservation, and the Duwamish River Story Mapping Project for environmental education. These programs collectively serve to celebrate Georgetown's contributions to Seattle's history through hands-on research, performance, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Georgetown Haunted History Tour Annual 90-minute, approximately one-mile walking tour through the Georgetown neighborhood featuring theatrical performances, storytelling, monologues, poetry, songs, and live performances at historical landmarks including The Stables (980 S Nebraska St) and Seattle Drum School of Music. Held in October with each year's program introducing at least six new tales of noise, murder, mayhem, and misplaced cremains; for 2025 the tour shifts to focus more heavily on Indigenous history told by Indigenous Storytellers.
• Youth Internship Program Free program providing Georgetown youth with hands-on skills in environmental history research, database management, public speaking, and writing/communications for career preparation. Open to local Georgetown young people seeking mentorship and professional development.
• Historic Research Projects Ongoing research initiatives documenting Georgetown's history including aviation pioneer Wong Tsu, Potter's Field cemetery, the Georgetown Steam Plant, Old City Hall, Roadhouse, Meadows Racetrack, and Georgetown Castle. Findings are presented through the Haunted History Tour and supporting documentation for the community and partner institutions such as the Museum of Flight.
• Digital Archive Project Initiative to digitize and preserve property inventories, photographs, video, film, and other historical materials about Georgetown for public access and long-term preservation.
• Duwamish River Story Mapping Project Physical marker and signage installations along the original Duwamish River path with accompanying digital media components accessible via mobile devices, developed in collaboration with the Georgetown Business Association and other community partners to advance environmental history education.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Georgetown Business AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with Georgetown Business Association on the Duwamish River Story Mapping Project, designing and installing markers and signage along the original path of the Duwamish River. This is a key partnership for the organization's flagship community project.
• Museum of FlightmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Museum of Flight houses a permanent exhibit commemorating Wong Tsu, Boeing's first engineer, acknowledging FOGHI's research efforts in uncovering this historically significant figure.
• Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Grueter, FOGHI's Executive Assistant, previously worked at the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, establishing connections with the Indigenous community.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HistoryLink: Washington state's online encyclopedia of local history, comparable in nonprofit research and storytelling mission. Both organizations digitize and publish regional history for public education and tourism audiences.
• Historic Seattle: Nonprofit preservation organization focused on Seattle's built heritage, directly comparable in mission, scale, and grant-funded nonprofit structure. Both organizations advocate for overlooked local history and partner with cultural agencies like 4Culture.
• Seattle Architecture Foundation: Nonprofit that operates guided walking tours of Seattle neighborhoods and landmarks. Directly comparable to FOGHI in tour format, nonprofit funding model, and use of volunteer docents to monetize neighborhood history.
• Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center: Indigenous cultural center along the Duwamish River directly tied to FOGHI's programming. Comparable in mission to surface marginalized Indigenous history in the Georgetown/Duwamish Valley and a direct partner on FOGHI's 2025 Indigenous-focused tour.
• Bill Speidel's Underground Tour: Seattle's longest-running historical walking tour operator, directly comparable to FOGHI's Georgetown Haunted History Tour. Both monetize theatrical storytelling about Seattle's overlooked history through ticketed in-person walking experiences in landmark neighborhoods.
• Seattle Ghost Tours: Competitor in the Seattle paranormal/historical walking tour market. Directly comparable in ticketed walking tour format targeting Halloween audiences and tourists seeking theatrical historical storytelling.

Others

• Museum of Flight: Strategic partner of FOGHI that houses the Wong Tsu exhibit. Listed as a peer because it represents a major regional history institution that validates and amplifies FOGHI's research, though it operates in aviation history rather than neighborhood heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Wing Luke Museum: Pan-Asian Pacific American history museum in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. Comparable in mission to surface overlooked minority histories (e.g., Wong Tsu research) and in nonprofit grant-funded model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI): Seattle's primary regional history museum, a larger incumbent in the same local history space. Overlaps with FOGHI's research and exhibit mission but operates at much larger scale with paid staff and permanent collection.

Emerging players

• National Nordic Museum: Seattle-based cultural heritage museum serving a specific ethnic community's history. Comparable in nonprofit structure, heritage storytelling mission, and reliance on community grants and partnerships, though focused on a different ethnic narrative than FOGHI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FriendsofGeorgetownHistory
• Facebookfacebook.com/foghi.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/foghisea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friends of Georgetown History