Sheldon Jackson Museum was founded in 1888 to house an exceptional collection of Alaska Native ethnographic material, most of which had been gathered by Presbyterian missionary and General Agent of Education for Alaska, the Rev. Dr. Sheldon Jackson. In 1972, the Museum's unique building -- the first concrete structure built in Alaska -- was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1985, the state purchased the Sheldon Jackson Museum and now administers its collection of 6,000 objects. Until it was sold to the state, the Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka operated this facility.