November 2010

Visitors can see exhibits about the Revolutionary War Battle of Savannah, rare dugout canoes from the 1800s, and a changing exhibit of women’s fashions from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The museum is also home to Forest Gump’s bench, one of Johnny Mercer’s Oscar Awards, and a carriage owned by the family of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Lowe. Other exhibits include weapons and military uniforms, as well as items from Savannah’s railway history. Visitors may also enjoy the film, "Savannah the Survivor."

The museum is home to more than 10,000 artifacts-- the largest collection of artifacts in the entire coastal community.

The museum, opened in 1998, displays art and historical documents relating to Mason.

The Little Traverse Historical Society was established in 1905. To this end, and with the support of members and winter and summer residents, it restored the abandoned Chicago and West Michigan Railroad depot. Originally built in 1892 to accommodate the large influx of summer resorters, the depot now serves the area as The Little Traverse History Museum.

The Historical Society of Lincoln Park supports the Lincoln Park Historical Museum in its renovation from a former WPA Post Office building to its present form. 50,000 feet of wire were used in rewiring the edifice, ceilings were lowered and plastered, windows were replaced, new doors were installed, and plaster and paint are still being used. The Goodell Bell Tower was erected in 1999, and in 2002 the Memorial Clock brought added interest.

The archives of the Lenawee Historical Museum includes the following: Adrian City Directories 1859-1998, Adrian City Tax Records 1865-1906, Lenawee County Tax Records 1840-1915, school yearbooks, cemetery records, marriage/birth/death records, tens of thousands of obituaries, scrapbooks, business ledgers, atlases and plat books, Sanborn insurance maps, histories of Lenawee County, and histories of cities and towns (Adrian, Tecumseh, Blissfield, Addison).

The copper mining industry got going on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the 1840s. Lake Superior's unreliable disposition meant that passing ships needed navigational assistance, and in 1851 the original lighthouse was built. The wooden tower which supported a fourth-order Fresnel lens illuminated by a sperm oil lamp soon deteriorated, and in 1871 it was replaced by the present red brick structure. In 1895 a fog signal was added.

In 1968, the original lens was replaced by aviation beacon-type white and red lights, which beam their warning to ships more than 20 miles offshore. After being tended by 21 keepers over a 129-year history, the lighthouse became automated in 1980.

The Kempfs were the most prominent of the German families who enriched Ann Arbor with generations of music. Reuben and Pauline Kempf led simple but active lives- filled with music, lessons, concerts, and entertaining. They welcomed internationally-known musicians into their home and the community, helping establish Ann Arbor’s reputation as a world-class music site.

Reuben’s German immigrant parents owned a large farm south of town near the present location of Briarwood Mall. They sent him to Switzerland for training to become a minister, but Reuben soon found he was much more inclined toward music. In 1877 he transferred to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stuttgart, Germany, where Victor Herbert was a classmate. After graduating in1880, Reuben returned to Ann Arbor to teach. In 1883 he married Pauline Widenmann, another Ann Arbor native of German descent and an accomplished singer who had trained at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. In 1888 the Kempfs moved into the former home of Henry DeWitt Bennett at 312 South Division Street. For the rest of their lives, they lived in this beautiful Greek Revival home.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, Kalamazoo Valley Museum is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and governed by its Board of Trustees. From its beginning in 1881 as a collection of curiosities in the public library basement, the Museum has always been a tax-funded museum. Until 1984, the museum remained a department of the Kalamazoo Public Library. From 1984 to 1991, the museum received its operating support from the Kalamazoo City School District. In 1991, the museum became part of KVCC and won the support of the community through a charter millage.

The Inland Route, known to the Indians and fur traders, included Round Lake (near Lake Michigan) and a small stream from Round Lake to Crooked Lake called Iduna Creek. The Inland Route was a highly desirable passage, due to the naturally protected inland waters and eliminating the need to take the treacherous journey around Waugoshance Point on Lake Michigan. Therefore, navigation of the Great Lakes waters between, Petoskey and the mouth of the Cheboygan River could be eliminated by taking the Inland Route.

Imlay City Historical Museum also hosts several events throughout the year. The Imlay City Historical Commission also offers many different research options.