Skagway Museums Part 7

Hammer Time

The Hammer Museum is all about… uh… hammers! No, really!

In our quest to catalog Skagway’s never-ending parade of museums, we are going to take a slight diversion and head across the Upper Lynn Canal to Haines, Alaska. Skagway’s museums mostly focus on Gold Rush history with a sprinkling of WWII and natural history, because these events are what Alaska’s first city is all about. Haines has its own rich history to explore, which is why they have a museum that reflects their own local culture. Ladies and gentleman, today’s blog is all about The Hammer Museum.

Who was this Hammer person and why is he famous?

Hammer is not a person. The museum is dedicated to hammers that you use to drive in nails, stakes, and such. You probably have one in your toolbox. Apparently, there are many different varieties of hammer and that’s what The Hammer Museum is all about. If you are fascinated and enthralled by using a ball peen hammer to drive a large nail into a two-by-four, The Hammer Museum could be more enjoyable than the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Smithsonian all rolled into one. Let’s pound this one home!

How to find The Hammer Museum

First, you have to travel to Haines, which is located only about 15 miles south of Skagway. You can travel by road, but it’s a 359-mile drive, which will take a lot longer than driving a nail. You can hop on the fast ferry to Haines and be there in about 45 minutes. It’s something like $70 round trip, which is a small price to pay to see a bunch of hammers.

Once you’re in Haines, it’s a short walk to town. The Hammer Museum is next to the Fogcutter Bar, and by the time you’re done looking at 2,000 hammers, you’ll be ready to pound a few. The museum is easy to find because there is a 40-foot tall hammer in front of the building, which was presumably used by Paul Bunyan when he traveled through Southeast Alaska on his way to Nome.

Can’t touch this!

The Hammer Museum’s tagline reads, “Come explore the world’s first museum dedicated to preserving the history of the hammer.” Sounds fun! There are 2,000 hammers on display in the museum. Some of the hammers are very old, so you don’t want to touch them. Other hammers are newer. No matter what age of hammer you prefer, this museum will deliver.

Admission to The Hammer Museum is $5.00. Try buying a hammer for that! Kids under 12 are free. Sure, you could spend your Alaska vacation time watching boring bears feed on stupid salmon, or walking on some monotonous chunk of ancient glacier ice, but why not do something hammer-related instead? Haines is a beautiful place most famous for its hammer museum, so be sure not to miss it!