The former laundry building in the 1880’s when a wooden bridge spanned the Manistique river.
The Schoolcraft County Historical Society has begun a capital campaign to fund a new museum. Hundreds of artifacts relating to the rich history of Schoolcraft County are stored away in the society’s archive building, inaccessible to the public—all for the lack of a suitable place to display them.
The former Manistique Lumber Warehouse building, located at 301 River Street, dates back to the 1880’s when all the property in town was owned by the Chicago Lumbering Company and a wooden bridge spanned the Manistique River. Now however, the building must either be torn down or moved to make way for the highly anticipated extended boardwalk project along the Manistique River.
The laundry building will become the first building block in the creation of a museum showcasing the history of our area. The historical society plans to move the venerable structure to its property on the corner of Deer Street and Weston Avenue. Grant funding will be sought to renovate the building as needed to safely display historical artifacts and exhibits related to the history of Schoolcraft County. The former laundry building will be connected with the current garage and archive building already on the site. The latter will house records related to historical and genealogical research, and will be open to the public by appointment.
The first known business to occupy the building was Joseph Pattinson’s steam laundry. Pattinson was a native of England who immigrated to the United States in 1882; arriving in Manistique in 1885. He opened his laundry business in 1889 at the 301 River Street location where he remained through 1916, when he moved his laundry to a new building located at 157 River Street.
Riverside Coal and Produce Company building circa 1919
E. W. Miller purchased the building in 1919 when it became Riverside Coal and Produce Company. The building was used at that time to store flour and grain. Miller soon changed the name of his enterprise to the Miller Lumber & Coal Company before its later transformation into the Manistique Lumber Company Warehouse.
The historical society is currently offering lifetime memberships for $100.00 per person, with all proceeds going toward the museum project. The lifetime membership in the SCHS will entitle the bearer to receive an on-line newsletter highlighting historical information and upcoming events of interest; a 10% discount on all items purchased from the historical society as well as a free cup of coffee from “The Grind” on your birthday. In addition, your name will be included on the “About Us” section of our website as a supporter of the historical society.
To purchase a life membership, send your request along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a check made out the Schoolcraft County Historical Society to the historical society at P.O. Box 284, Manistique, Michigan 49854. Please include your email address and contact information to receive your monthly newsletter. You may also purchase your life membership safely through PayPal by using the “Donate” button at the top of the page. Once you do so, we will email you to request an address where we can send your life membership card.
Lifetime Membership Card