Michigan Military Technical and Historical Society Museum

Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society Museum recently opened in Eastpointe.   We visited for the first time for a movie night to see  “Prisoners in Paradise” about  Italian POW’s in America in WWII,   Prior to the movie we had a chance to explore the museum and hear from docents about the restoration of the pieces displayed.  We also heard from the Director of the Museum some historical background before the documentary began.   We are grateful for the preservation and interest by the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society (MTHS) in the story of the role played by Michigan's civilian and military personnel in 20th century conflict, showcasing, wherever possible, the products of Michigan’s “Arsenal of Democracy”. 

         

Huron City Museum

Huron City Museum  is a historical complex located halfway between Port Austin and Port Hope.   Langdon Hubbard founded Huron City in 1854 which had its start as a lumber town. His descendants are keeping the history alive by caring for the 19th century structures. There are 11 buildings on 10 acres  that were built after a fire in 1881 wiped out the old Huron City. Tours are available in July and August on Fridays and Saturdays.  But even seeing how well the family maintains this property from the outside is a tribute to keeping history alive.

Elk Rapids Historical Museum

This absolutely gorgeous 1901 building was donated by the Methodist Church to the Elk Rapids Historical Society. For two years now they have been renovating and fixing it up to house their Historical Museum. It has our vote for the most unique and intriguing edifice for such a museum. The yellow bricks used to create this house of worship were made right in Elk Rapids. The church has its original stained glass windows, tin ceilings and lovely oak woodwork. Open Friday, Saturday and Sundays from Memorial weekend through the end of September.

Lincoln Park celebrates 90th

Lincoln Park celebrated their 90th Anniversary this past weekend by honoring members of the community that are currently 90 years old. We enjoyed our visit to the Historical Museum in the old post office building. In the museum we found toys, housewares, appliances, phones and more. We especially loved the old phone display and the educational artifacts and the knowledgeable director and curator.

St. Louis Historical Society

The St. Louis Historical Society in located the small town of St. Louis with a population of around 5000 people. Their claim to fame is being in the geographical middle of mitten. Its beginnings date back to the 1850's and when lumbering was their main industry until when drilling a well, it was found the water to have magnetic properties and a bath house was built that did not close until 1961! The historical museum is located in the old Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad station and displays items from the early life of St. Louis in flour mills, tanneries, sawmills and household items. In the 1880's there were seven hotels in St. Louis to accommodate travelers between Grand Rapids and Saginaw. Recently, the Society purchased the log cabin, moved it to across the street from the museum and are busy with restoration. Museum is open on Thursday afternoons.

Michigan Library and Historical Center

This fantastic museum on Kalamazoo St in Lansing surrounds you with Michigan history from the prehistoric times through 1975. You can walk through a copper mine, visit a S & H Green Stamp store, a lumber barron's mansion, a one room school house, a 1930's bungalow, a Motown sound machine and more. The three story relief map of Michigan is so cool! The Michigan Library was transferred last year to the MI Dept of Education. Now it is facing a severe budget cuts and may lose their vast collection of genealogy, the largest in the US.