First heard about this from Andrea Mercado of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – aka the Log House Museum folks – at last week’s Southwest District Council meeting. She says the project could use some help. She’s putting together a book of West Seattle photo history, for Arcadia Publishing, along the lines of what you see at left (thanks to Arcadia for providing the image). Andrea says they have “fantastic images” – but they’re not sure who everybody in the photos happens to be – or, for example, what the photo was all about. “Who are these people, why are they all holding a red umbrella, that sort of thing,” she explained. Once the book is finished and published, profits will benefit the Historical Society, which is a small nonprofit with the big job of curating and honoring West Seattle (and vicinity) history. Besides the search for assistance in identifying who’s in the photos, she says they also still need editors, typists, people who can clean up photo scans, etc. Just contact her through the Log House Museum – the contact info’s all here. (Side note: The museum is hosting a special talk Thursday night, 7 pm – Lorraine McConaghy will discuss and sign her new book (available for purchase too), “Warship under Sail, The USS Decatur in the Pacific West,” taking another look at a pivotal event from Seattle’s earliest years in the mid-1850s.)