Professional Documents
Culture Documents
NEWSLETTER
Vol. V, No. 3
Fall 2013
About sixty attendees witnessed the dedication of the new Michigan Historical Marker on a nice August evening.
used as an electrical substation. The North Berrien Historical Society used our museum collections and additional intensive research to document the stations history through primary sources, required for the Michigan Historical Commission to approve the marker. Photographs, maps, newspaper stories, and public records made up over forty attachments with our application. The City of Colomas Downtown Development Authority funded the production, and it was installed by the citys Public Works Department. Special guests who spoke at the dedication ceremony included Coloma Mayor Jim Polashak, Michigan Historical Commissioner Tom Truscott, and U.S. Representative Fred Upton. In
Continued on Page 4
Photo Contest deadline is Sept. 21 (p. 7) Annual Meeting & Live Music Oct. 15 (p.3) Barn Exhibits to be Renovated (p. 5)
300 Coloma Ave./ P.O. Box 207, Coloma, Michigan 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org
Page 2
300 Coloma Ave. Phone: (269) 468-3330 P.O. Box 207 Fax: (269) 468-4083 Coloma, MI 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org info@NorthBerrienHistory.org Connect with NBHS Online!
Facebook: Facebook.com/NorthBerrienHistory North Berrien History Blog: NorthBerrienHistory.Blogspot.com Twitter: Twitter.com/NBerrienHistory
Staff
Director / Curator Director of Programs Office Manager
The mission of the North Berrien Historical Society is to preserve and distribute information regarding the history of North Berrien County. We wish to promote, encourage learning, and disseminate knowledge of the areas cultural and architectural legacy.
Page 3
All events are at the North Berrien Historical Museum unless otherwise noted.
Overseas Veterans Panel Discussion, presented with Lest We Forget. Local veterans will share their stories of military service abroad and take audience questions. Speakers will include Jimmy Butt (WWII), Willis Bouma (WWII), Gust Anton (Korea), and Don Alsbro (Vietnam), pictured. Free. North Berrien Historical Society Annual Meeting and Dinner. Enjoy dinner with friends and learn about the recent activities and future plans at the museum, followed by a performance of American folk music by the Deep Fried Pickle Project. All are welcome; Invitations will be mailed to members in late September. Please see below for more info. Halloween Cemetery Tours. See historic pictures and hear personal stories from the past on a fun walk through our beautiful city cemeteries. Coloma Cemetery Tour begins at 11am, Watervliet Cemetery Tour begins at 1pm. Free. Christmas at the Watervliet Paper Mill. View pictures and learn about the holiday parties for workers and their families at the Watervliet Paper Company. Attendees are invited to help identify our pictures and bring in their own mementos and memories to share. Free.
Thurs., Dec. 5, Holiday Lights & Delights Fundraiser. 5:30-7pm December 6-8 Holiday Open House. Save the dates for our very popular annual holiday festivities at the museum, with beautiful trees, gingerbread house making and other crafts, music and more. Founded over a decade ago, the Deep Fried Pickle Project has performed across the nation. The band is headed up by Daniel J. Daniel and Alan Selvidge, who are both teachers in Coloma Schools. Inspired especially by the folk sounds and narrative songs of the 1920s and 30s, the band mixes vocals, guitar, jug, harmonica, washboard, and a range of homemade instruments. They will also talk a bit about the history of Jug Band and Roots music. For this performance at the museum, DFPP will be joined with vocals by Alans wife Becky Selvidge, choral director for Coloma Schools. You will surely enjoy the toe-tapping, vintage style of these talented performers.
Page 4
Education News
By Pauline Wendzel Our Summer Time Travelers programs were popular again this summer. Designed for ages 612, each program explored a fascinating historical topic through hands-on projects and museum artifacts. We are proud to offer these memorable museum experiences for free to local children and families. Our first program was about Pioneers. We learned about spinning and weaving and how people had to make most of the things they owned. Viewing various home-made artifacts, kids learned how even toys were made by hand, creating their own yarn friends and colorful buzz saw toys. Other frontier jobs we tried out included butter churning (and tasting) and dipping our own candles to take home. In the Sky was an exciting program made possible with help from the pilots with the Watervliet EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). Our Time Travelers made their own paper airplanes after a lesson on airplane controls and aerodynamics from the guest pilots. We discussed the history of
flight from hot air balloons to space ships and got to try real astronaut ice cream! The highlight of the day was making our own rockets, which we launched with PVC pipes and 2-liter pop bottles. The next Time Travelers program was All About Cars. To start, kids learned about Henry Ford and then built graham cracker cars in an assembly line game. Next we heard from a real race car driver and learned about NASCAR history. Attendees had their own NASCAR race with colorful balloon cars. To end the day we took a ride in a real 1924 Model T, thanks to Fred Grant! The Coloma Migrant Program students also greatly enjoyed activities with NBHS this summer. Younger kids came to the museum to enjoy our fun Pioneers program. The older students were treated to a visit to the Watervliet Airport and our historical activities from In the Sky an exciting program again in partnership with the Watervliet EAA. The North Berrien Historical Museum can only offer these exciting and fun programs because of the generosity of our wonderful volunteers. Their time, enthusiasm, and patience are vital to the success of these activities.
Left: Michigan Historical Commissioner Tom Truscott officially presents the historical marker to the City of Coloma, while NBHM Director Tracy Gierada looks on. Right: Colomas Public Works crew is pictured as they install the marker in early August.
Grand Opening, cont. from Page 1. accepting the historical marker, Mayor Polashak praised the work of NBHS and presented a key to the city certificate to Mr. Truscott. The Program from the Dedication Ceremony can still be obtained upon request at the North Berrien Historical Museum. The historical marker dedication event was held as part of our Grand Opening Reception for the Journey Stories traveling exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian and the Michigan Humanities Council. At the reception the humanities councils Executive Director Erik Nordberg addressed the crowd, and a ribbon cutting was held with the Coloma-Watervliet Area Chamber of Commerce. The reception featured great refreshments from generous local donors including Twelve Corners Winery, Vineyards Gourmet Chocolates, Fruit Acres, Greg Orchards & Produce, Healthy to the Core and Hardings.
Page 5
Curators Corner
By Tracy Gierada Many generous donors have contributed artifacts to help NBHS preserve the stories of local life. Thank you to the following people and groups for contributing original historical materials to our collection in the past year: Vicky McDonald - postcards Pamela Quinn - Miss Watervliet History Binder Mark Dwiggins - Watervliet Paper Mill photos Charlene Durfee - History of Eaman School Wilbur Dick - Coloma/Watervliet band recordings Judy Hasselbring - Berrien Co. Quilt Guild Booklets Carole Kiernan - Watervliet Paper Mill products Fred Munchow - photographs Edith Munchow - WWII-era letters of Louis Bujack Joyce Thomas - Photo of Grace Merchant Kibler Pauline Morris - glass rolling pin Fred Grant - Model T Book Cindy Young - Helen Lobdell book, photos, postcards Joanne Murray - Pier School photo Howard Kimball - cranberry harvester Susan Plee - 1930s CHS autograph books Larry Taylor - Game licenses Peggy Utterback - local milk bottles Will Nichols - Berry-picking volume tickets Kay Heffner - Washington Sch. photos Tony & Pat Valenti - lamp, farm literature City of Watervliet - City Hall Safe Lisa Muth - 8mm projector and screen Mary Ann Zechiel - NBHS docs Coloma Community Pageant Org. - 2012 Court photo Sandra Enter - Washington Sch. book Bennet Leedy - photographs, artwork by E. Krieger Irma Krieger - fruit labels Laurie Brule - Watervliet merchants ticket stub Tom Norden - Berrien Co. Directory Dan Donnelly - Paw Paw Lake brochure & bill of fare Coloma Comm. Schools - Washington Mary Alyce Hettig - felt top hat PTA tea service Ken Beehler - Ingraham School photo, CHS graduation announcements Collected by staff Keith Craig - Naturalization Certificate, 1914 Bench & sign from McDaniels Field Dennis Burlingham - Blossomtime cola bottle, 1953 Potawatomi Resort brochure Territorial Road Book Twelve Corners Community Church Cookbook Steve Sublett - Coloma cider mill photographs Lawrence Gracer - school items, BHHS 1940 yearbook Volunteers and Advisors sought to Nancy Weir - Hipskind Building Supply apron Clare Horneij - Gedwin ice box, resort photos help with new Agricultural Exhibit Rhonda Richards - greeting card, political ephemera NBHS will soon renovate our lumbering and Mike Muenchow - 1933 Worlds Fair zeppelin menu farm displays into a comprehensive new exhibit called Richard Dorstewitz - local school souvenirs Moving from Forest to Fruit Belt. Our goal is to creRick Rasmussen - Paw Paw Lake area photos ate an unparalleled attraction that engages visitors Bob & Claudia Jackson - plat maps, hay hook with local agricultural history. The new exhibit will open in the spring, so we will be hard at work planning until then. By December 1, a complete draft script and overview of the exhibit will be available for community review. We invite interested locals to provide feedback as the exhibit is developed. Final production and installation will take place in March 2014. Hands-on volunteer help will be needed throughout the winter and spring in preparing the Nichols-Beverly Barn and other aspects of the exhibit. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please contact the museum at 468-3330 or e-mail Fred Munchow - Ingraham School under construction info@NorthBerrienHistory.org.
Page 6
Top to Bottom: 1. Donna Odom speaks at the museum. 2.Our group for the voyageur canoe trip on Paw Paw Lake. 3. The NBHS booth at the Glad-Peach Festival. 4. Tour Guide Carole Sternaman shows some neighborhood kids around Journey Stories. 5. Captain Bill Thomas shows and discusses a model Erie Canal boat.
Page 7 porting furs in the 1700s as well as fancy paddling techniques. On August 29 we also held a Historical Kayak Tour of Little Paw Paw Lake with Sarett Nature Center where we discussed past resorts and activities on the lake as well as learned about its plants and animals. We presented a Bainbridge Cemeteries Tour in partnership with the Berrien County Genealogical Society on September 5. The program featured fascinating personal journey stories of past residents and historic pictures on a walk through several beautiful Bainbridge Township cemeteries. NBHS was also at the local summer festivals this year. Groups enjoyed a Watervliet Cemetery Tour during the Independence Day Celebration and a Coloma Cemetery Tour during the Glad-Peach Festival. The NBHS booth at Glad-Peach was called History in the Park. Kids enjoyed playing croquet and taking pictures in our face boards. We raised funds by selling delicious pies. We look forward to continuing to participate in these festivals to promote local history and interact with the community.
Below: NBHS Booth during the 2013 Glad-Peach Parade
I may like to
Volunteer
Memberships
Alice Mow Lydia Groth Elaine Carlson Ewald Rodewald Ron Winfield Cyndy Winfield Charlene Andrews Sue Dahlquist Margaret Schmieding Mark Baldwin Gary Dorstewitz Alma Arent Jay & Sarah Jollay Family Rod Frantz Dorothy Frantz Sandy Kraemer Avery Openneer Douglas Geisler Sandra Vandrasek Marsha Cole Fred Grant Sylvia Lieberg DaWayne Biastock Beth Beam Rick Beam
North Berrien Through My Eyes Photo Contest Submissions are welcome through Saturday, Sept. 21. Photographers of all ages can submit up to five original photos in print or online. No entry fee; Winners are awarded a local gift certificate. Top entries will be exhibited at the museum in October and preserved in the NBHS collection.
2013
Donations
Marge DuVernay Coloma Migrant Program Charles & Mary Adams In Memory of Bibs Page
Fall Events
Family Trains Day - Sept. 14
Smithsonian Exhibit Open Through September 21
Halloween Cemetery Tours - Oct. 26 Christmas at the Watervliet Paper Mill - Nov. 19
North Berrien Through My Eyes Contest Deadline Sept. 21 Exhibit Oct. 1-31
www.NorthBerrienHistory.org