Oct. 25, 2006

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum, in Negaunee Township, has announced that it will extend its hours of operation, serving school groups, organizations, local residents and travelers through mid-November.

The museum will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through Oct. 31 and weekdays through Nov. 17, according to Thomas Friggens, a regional manager for the Michigan Historical Center.  As a service to holiday shoppers seeking unique gifts, it will reopen beginning Sunday, Dec. 3 and continue a weekday schedule through Dec. 15.

The museum is a public, non-profit facility of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.  It overlooks the site of the 1848 Carp River Forge, a pioneer industrial site listed on the National Register of Historic Places and considered to be the birthplace of Michigan's 160-year-old iron industry.

The recently expanded museum features new space for permanent and changing exhibits, visitor services and a museum store.

A new temporary exhibit, "Secrets of a Buried Past:  Clues From the Carp River Forge," opened last spring, telling the story of archaeological investigation of the forge site.  The exhibit displays for the first time forge artifacts that date back to the beginning of Michigan's iron industry.

Recent acquisitions - including a 1929 Ford Model A sport coupe; a 1941 Ford Model GP, a rare prototype of the World War II-era Army jeep; and the pocket watch carried by mine captain William Tippett during his final shift at the ill-fated Barnes-Hecker Mine - are also displayed.

The museum is raising $1.8 million to expand exhibits, activity areas and educational programming that will serve Upper Peninsula residents, visitors and school children and strengthen the region's tourism economy, Friggens said.  To date, it has partnered with large and small businesses, service organizations, community and youth foundations, and individuals to raise more than $890,000 toward its goal. 

The next phases of the project are focused on exhibits, including restoration of the c. 1868 mine locomotive "Yankee," a Discovery Center where classroom groups and families can explore hands-on activity stations and a four-season interpretive trail system that will link with neighboring trails.

Fund raising, including the opportunity to invest in Iron Industry Heritage Plaques that honor families, businesses, organizations and churches, will continue until all phases of the project are complete, according to museum advisory board treasurer Don Mourand.  More than 130 of the colorful plaques now line the museum walls, reminding visitors of the ordinary people who lived and worked on Michigan's three iron ranges.

Gifts made to the Michigan Historical Center qualify for the Michigan Tax Credit or the Michigan Single Business Tax Credit.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency within the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.  For more information, call the museum at (906) 475-7857 or visit www.michiganhistory.org.

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries is dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity.  In addition to the Michigan Historical Center, it includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office.  To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).