IM Alum Karen Haas

Storyteller, musician and historian, Karen Haas enjoys telling in "modern times" and bringing the past to life with living history presentations. Her effervescent style engages emotions, from the sublime to the ridiculous, in audiences both young and old. An experienced teacher and museum educator, Karen is active in re-enactments at northwest historic sites such as Fort Nisqually, Whitman Mission National Historic Site and San Juan Islands National Historic Park. Karen feels especially rewarded when telling the tales of those whose voices are usually silent in history – the women.

So Many Things to Do Yet: The Saga of Thea Foss - 2008-2009
Born in Norway, Thea Foss and her husband Andrew arrived in Tacoma in 1889. Starting with a used rowboat, they built a maritime empire. Karen portrays Thea in 1912, the year of the first Foss tugboat. She reflects back on her life and looks forward to the future. At a time when few women could, Thea Foss took her place in a "man's world", always believing "we are members of one great body… we were born for the good of the whole". Like other immigrants, she brought her humanities and added them to the rich blend that is Washington

Narcissa Whitman: Lady at the Crossroads - 2006-2009
Our nation's history is the story of diverse cultures meeting and interacting in ways peaceful and hostile. As a missionary to the Cayuse in what is now Eastern Washington, Narcissa Whitman was at the center of one such cultural intersection. Using portions of Narcissa's letters and her beloved hymns, Karen portrays Mrs. Whitman as she shares her challenges, joys and sorrows. When different cultures and beliefs interact, conflicts still arise today. Perhaps the tragic end of the Whitmans' tale can help us to think more imaginatively to find ways for our humanities to bring us together rather than divide us.

Tales from the Time of Lewis and Clark - 2006-2008
While Lewis and Clark were exploring, day-to-day life went on for the rest of the country. But imagine the excitement when the Corps of Discovery returned safely to Saint Louis in September of 1806! Join Karen as she brings this momentous time to life. Clad in the clothing of the era, she portrays Mrs. Calvin Adams, wife of a St. Louis tavern keeper, who is eager to share the latest stories and gossip heard around town. We often isolate great events from their times and look at them as entities unto them selves. In an entertaining, yet educational manner, this program puts the Corps of Discovery into the context of the early 19th century as it shows how major events shape the lives of everyday people.

Westward Ho! - 2004-2008
Between 1840 and 1870, more than a quarter of a million people joined in a great migration across the continental United States. The sweeping saga of the Oregon Trail is made up of the stories of individual emigrants who traveled over 2000 miles in wagons the size of a small car. How did they do it? Join a wagon train through time as you sing the songs and hear the stories of the pioneers and the people they met along the way. Karen’s period attire and items from the past evoke a feeling of the times when people sought their “Manifest Destiny.”

Back to the Fur Trade - 2004-2008
Before the farmers or even Lewis and Clark arrived in what became Washington State, the fur trappers and traders were here. The cast of characters in the fur trade of the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s was a fascinating blend of diverse Europeans, Native Americans, Hawaiians, and American settlers. Meet these people who created the region's first "shopping malls" as Karen takes you Back to the Fur Trade. Dressed as a Hudson's Bay Company laborer, she tells the tales, sings the songs, and shows a trunk full of tools and treasures from a time that brought great change to our land and culture.

Sisters in Time - 2004-2008
The summer of 1855 was a time of change in the Puget Sound as more and more people of diverse ethnic groups settled the land. Karen Haas brings those times to life with Sisters in Time. Dressed in the clothing of the era, Karen portrays four very different women of that summer as she sings their songs and tells their tales. The theme common to all of the women is a work dress, but each add their own variation. Katherine wears trade beads and brings the fur trade to the region. Mrs. William Fraser Tolmie dons a fine shawl and presents the upper class point of view. A fine brooch and a shabby shawl brings forth Emily Dean, full of middle-class European prejudice. And Eliza Jane Jones in a crisp white apron adds an American settler’s frame of mind. Only by understanding where we have been can we truly understand where we are today and how to move forward in time.