<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=44MsJ2_1FcjZ8wY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=44MsJ2_1FcjZ8wY00" width="1280" height="717" ><figcaption>1/3 Herbert Niccolls Jr. was a young boy when he was sent to Washington State Penitentiary in 1931. His history will be retold at the Fort Walla Walla Museum's Living History event Oct. 4, 2026. (Fort Walla Walla Museum/Contributed Photo)</figcaption></figure>Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...WALLA WALLA — History will come alive Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Fort Walla Walla Museum, 755 NE Myra Road, when an actor will retell the story of Herbert Niccolls starting at 2 p.m.Niccolls was just 12 when he was incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary for shooting the sheriff of Asotin County, Washington, in 1931. He had experienced trauma and been abused for much of his life before that, and he’d run away from his grandmother’s house. Eventually, he was pardoned by the governor.His life story includes years in the penitentiary, a diploma from Walla Walla High School, and an eventual career as an accounting executive for 20th Century Fox.Chuck Hindman, one of about two dozen reenactment volunteers, will portray an aging Niccolls. According to Cascadia Schneider, the museum’s communications manager, Hindman has played Niccolls before, so he knows the character very well.“He’s been around for a while,” Schneider said. “Some of the folks who have their characters really down pat are some of the best to see because they’ve had time to learn their character and really get into how they would act.”The living history program brings museum exhibits and Walla Walla’s history to life, with hour-long presentations every Sunday at 2 p.m. from April through October. Each presentation also blocks off time for a question-and-answer session with the audience.“It’s a really beloved program,” Schneider said. “It’s a reason for museum members to come out to the museum and everyone to keep coming out to the museum. It’s a different way to present history.”Living history presentations are included with museum admission, which runs $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and students and $6 for children ages 6 and younger.<h2>Making history modern</h2>Having actors tell history makes it a different experience than people usually get at a museum. Instead of a display with artifacts and an interpretive panel, a historian talks to visitors and uses tools and props to make their story come to life.“It’s very immersive,” Schneider said.The museum is lucky to have a lot of “early regional history” to pull from to recreate these historical figures, she added. The Living History program is always looking for more actors, especially women, to volunteer their time and bring history to life.“When the program started, there was certainly a focus more on men because more history is written about these sorts of people,” she said. “So over the years we’ve tried to add in more women (and) their stories.”The annual program is close to wrapping up — its annual celebration is slotted for Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. The public is invited to celebrate the end of the Living History season with many of the actors as well as a short performance event. It’s called “What’s My Timeline?” and will be a spoof on “What’s My Line?,” a 1950s game show.“We’ll have a mystery guest, one of our reenactors, and then a panel of folks asking them questions to try and figure out, ‘Who is this person?’” Schneider said. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”</div></body>

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WALLA WALLA — History will come alive Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Fort Walla Walla Museum, 755 NE Myra Road, when an actor will retell the story of Herbert Niccolls starting at 2 p.m. Niccolls was just 12 when he was incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary for shooting...

Walla Walla museum recreates local history through weekly program

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WALLA WALLA — History will come alive Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Fort Walla Walla Museum, 755 NE Myra Road, when an actor will retell the story of Herbert Nicc

Walla Walla museum recreates local history through weekly program

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