The Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project began in 2003 as a part of the Bellingham Centennial celebration that lasted from September 2003 to December 2004.  In 2001, the Centennial Committee met and an oral history was proposed to both preserve and promote awareness of Bellingham’s past.  This city-funded project sought to document long-time residents of Bellingham and their experiences of the past 100 years in Bellingham. 

As Bellingham was celebrating the amalgamation of the communities of Sehome, Fairhaven, and Whatcom, the project’s goal was to reflect the diverse nature of the area.  Center staff and volunteers conducted interviews with residents from a wide range of geographical, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.  Suggestions from the community helped locate individuals that include: George Davenport, Lois and George Garlick, Pauline Hillaire, Lenny Hovde, Jim Roberts, Betty Russell, John and Nina Sternhagen, Myrtle Molly Thompson, Dr. Arthur Watts, Margaret Watts, Jane Hovde, Gordy Tweit, and Tut Asmundson.  James V. Hillegas, a Western Washington University history student, conducted all the audio interviews, the video interviews of George Davenport, Betty Russell, Pauline Hillaire, and Gordon Tweit as well as the research that accompanied the project as part of an independent study project, under the supervision of the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies archivist, Elizabeth Joffrion, eventually completing 14 interviews with 11 individuals. 

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies also collaborated with the City of Bellingham and Black Dog Productions of Bellingham to produce a documentary film, Centennial Stories, using portions of the video interviews.  Along with the film, the Center also created a local history curriculum project for Bellingham schools. The explicit purpose of the audio interviews was for their retention at the Center adding to Bellingham’s documentary heritage, while the video interviews were created both to be archived and for use in the documentary film.  These materials have been arranged and are now housed at the Center in order to foster research in local Bellingham history for the years to come.