“Eden Waits” featured at Brown Bag Lunch

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The Schoolcraft County Historical Society will host a Brown Bag Lunch at Zion Lutheran Church on Thursday, July 25th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.  The guest author is Maryka Biaggio, Ph.D., from Portland, Oregon.  Her novel, Eden Waits, is based on the true story of the Hiawatha Village Association, a Utopian community founded in Hiawatha Township during the 1890’s following the economic “Panic of 1893.” The hard times threatened the settlement founded by Abraham and Elizabeth Byers. Abraham, a preacher and self-proclaimed man of the people, rails against greed and corruption and launches Hiawatha Colony, a product-sharing community designed to support its members through self-sufficiency.  Challenges lie ahead including internal strife, the harsh wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the antagonism of the outside world. Read More...

Stain-Glass Rose Window to be Displayed at Folk Fest

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St. Francis de Sales church circa 1884, SCHS photo courtesy Earl Cousineau Collection

     The historical society building on the corner of Deer and Weston is home to hundreds of historic photographs, manuscripts and artifacts related to Schoolcraft County’s past. One such item is a stained-glass rose window that was salvaged from the original St. Francis de Sales church in Manistique, following the April 1953 fire which rendered the building unsafe. The window was donated to the society in 2019 by the family of Earl Cousineau, and will be on display at the historical society booth during Folk Fest. We look forward to the day when hundreds more items from our archives can be put on display in a museum dedicated solely to the history of Schoolcraft County. Read More...

Great Lakes Quilt Auction

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The quilt can be viewed at the historical society store next to Manistique Computers.

Help support the historical society by being a part of our silent auction!

The quilt top was sewn by Arliss Larson before her death and was donated to the Zion Lutheran quilting group by her family. The Zion quilters finished the quilt and they in turn donated it to the Schoolcraft County Historical Society as a fundraiser. The quilt can be seen at the historical society store located on Cedar Street next to Manistique Computers. The quilt blocks depict Great Lakes ships and lighthouses including the Carl Bradley, Edmund Fitzgerald along with the Manistique and Seul Choix lighthouses, among others. The central blocks are completed in the “Storm at Sea” pattern. It is a standard 60 inch by 80-inch size. The quilt auction began Wednesday, July 3rd and will continue through Sunday, July 14th at noon. Starting bid reserved at $200. Highest bidders’ payment will be due when the quilt is either picked up at the store or prior to shipping. Payment can be made either by cash, check, or via PayPal from the historical society website. Shipping costs, if necessary, will be paid by the winning bidder. Read More...

Heyday of Manistique’s Brass Bands

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The Manistique Band poses in front of the Manistique Bank Building, with a reflection of the First National Bank across the street showing in the window. Trombonist John Nich is identified by the X above his cap. Photo courtesy William Nich, Wakarusa Indiana Tribune.

     The early decades of the 20th Century marked the heyday of Manistique bands. Support for musical entertainment thrived in Manistique, and the town earned a reputation for good band music. Recruiters wooed especially talented musicians from other cities to come to Manistique and found jobs for them in one of the city’s many industrial plants.

    Manistique’s two opera houses hosted travelling theatre troupes that relied on local talent to provide music to augment their performances. Manistique musicians performed frequently at the opera houses and later at the Gero Theatre. Bands that featured prominently in that era were the Manistique Band, the Woodmen of the World Band (known as W.O.W.) and the Janssen Piano Band. Orchestras that included both strings and wind instruments also flourished with groups such as Todd’s Orchestra and the Country Club Orchestra performing regularly at dances and home talent shows.  Patriotic holidays and county fairs always included the lively music of a brass band. Read More...