Updated: 3/14/2017 
Benzie Area Historical Society and Museum
Benzonia, Michigan
Description

Our mission is to inspire people to explore the past! The Benzie Area Historical Society seeks to educate and entertain the public about Benzie County and many of communities that boarder it, through exhibits at the museum and programs held throughout the area. The Benzie Area Historical Society and Museum celebrate the people, industries, and organizations that made Benzie County's History and Heritage an important factor in Northwest Michigan. The BAHS Museum is housed in a 1887 built Congregational Church building in Benzonia and is listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites.

Our museum holds historical treasures beginning with Americas' First People, Native Americans prior to the arrival of the first white settlers. Industries beginning with the timber rush, logging and sawmills, charcoal and early chemical works, iron foundry's, maritime history including commercial shipping from various Lake Michigan ports, commercial and recreational fishing, agriculture and food processing and of course, the Ann Arbor Railroad and Car Ferry days. Contact us at (231) 882-5539 or via email at info@benziemuseum.org.

The Benzie Area Historical Society is a Michigan non-profit and IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

Mission

Our mission is to inspire people to explore the past! The Benzie Area Historical Society seeks to educate and entertain the public about Benzie County and many of communities that boarder it, through exhibits at the museum and programs held throughout the area.

The Benzie Area Historical Museum, owned and operated by the Benzie Area Historical Society. The Museum is housed in an 1887 built Congregational Church building in Benzonia and is listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites. #PureMichigan #PureBenzie #MichiganHistory

History

The museum is owned and operated by the Benzie Area Historical Society, a non-profit corporation that exists to collect, interpret and expand knowledge about Benzie area history. To do this, for nearly 50 years it has maintained the Benzie Area Historical Museum, located in a historic 1887 church building which became the center of a religious colony originally begun in Benzonia in 1858.

Programs

Our Benzonia Academy Lecture Series are very popular! Schedules can be found on our Facebook Page and via our Benzie Area Historical Society Website!

Governance

Benzie Area Historical Society and Museum, a non-profit corporation.

Library
Our Genealogy Section

Our Genealogy Section is an exciting new addition to the Benzie Area Historical Museum. Volunteers are obtaining genealogical information from families who have been residents of Benzie County for at least 75 to 100 years. This information is then being entered into the museum’s computer in a genealogical format. Input includes names, birth dates, death dates, photos, newspaper articles, stories from the families, obituaries, and important documents--any information you wish to share with us. Our mission is to “preserve your family information for future generations.”

Genealogy is an on-going pursuit--it is never complete. Our team is capable of helping you put your information together and in many cases build upon it, providing you with information that will enrich your records. BAHM has a fantastic collection of obituaries and photos which have been gathered over the years. Where available, they will be integrated into your family’s genealogical record. Printouts of the information gathered and input into the museum’s computer programs will also be available to you. Cost will be $15.00 and up, depending upon the size of the file. Certificates recognizing your family’s longevity in Benzie County will also be available upon request.

Our genealogy team is receiving many requests for genealogical information. The museum genealogist’s procedure is to check the museum and computer files to fulfill the request for information. A donation to the museum is requested for this service. If you are interested in being a part of this program and sharing your family information, please contact the museum at (231) 882-5539 and leave a message. If you would like to set up an appointment, please call or leave a message with Kay at (231) 352-4170.

Access: General Public, Students, Scholars, Members

Appointment required: True

Services
Have a few hours for your community????

Benzie Area Historical Society currently has a strong volunteer core--but we always need more folks to help out. Consider getting actively involved! Your participation can be brief (a task group, perhaps the receptions), more involved (committees, openings available on all of them ), or tailored to your availability (docent/museum host working a few hours each week or less). Task groups tend to have short term responsibilities, usually just a single event or project. The committees, based upon responsibilities, tend to meet at least once each quarter although some do meet monthly. Individual roles are available for volunteers who can make commitments to a specific larger project by working a few hours weekly or biweekly.

Group Tours
Hours of Operation
May 1st to October 15th
Tuesday - Saturday11 AM - 5 PM
Winter Hours

We are like mice under the snow, working to put up the events for next summer. If you see our cars out in front, com'n in. Better yet make an appointment.

Saturday11 AM - 11:59 PM
Admission

Free. Donations Accepted.

DISCLAIMER
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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