Invisible Histories @ Harbor Island Studios

Have you ever driven by Harbor Island at night and wondered what’s going on with all the glowing lights, vessels and machinery? It seems somehow otherworldly — or at least like a world the average Seattleite doesn’t get to visit very often.

So it’s a special thing that the historians and storytellers behind Invisible Histories are offering a peek at the island in an immersive tour during two nights at the end of April.

Equal parts walking tour and multimedia performance, the event layers live storytelling, projections, music and art to bring Harbor Island’s past into focus, from its origins as tide flats to its role in wartime industry and beyond. (Fun fact: When the isle was completed by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Co. in 1909, it was the largest artificial island in the world).

Timed tours — you’ll want to reserve a slot — are led by a lineup of local historians and storytellers, including geologist and writer David B. Williams and historian Jennifer Ott. Presenters and performers include Cynthia Brothers, founder of Vanishing Seattle; esteemed writer and historian Knute “Mossback” Berger; Seattle-based filmmaker David Norman Lewis; author BJ Cummings; Alice’s Malice shadow puppets; and the powerhouse local history duo behind Invisible Histories, Elke Hautala and Cari Simson, to mention just some of the names involved in the evenings.

Along the way, expect vivid stories that connect the dots between eras — like the explosive WWI sabotage that rocked the island, the bootlegging empire of Roy Olmstead and the overlooked history of Camp George Jordan, where Black soldiers embarked during WWII.

Before or after your tour, linger outside for food trucks, a community marketplace and a chance to soak up the creative energy of the artists enriching the Harbor Island Studios space. Next time you drive by, or pass the island on the bus, you’ll probably have a whole new appreciation for the place.