NORTH BERRIEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER

Vol. V, No. 3

Hagar Bainbridge Coloma Watervliet

Fall 2013

Historical Marker dedicated at old Interurban Railway Station

After years of research and planning, NBHS celebrated the dedication of a new Michigan Historical Marker on August 9, 2013. The former Coloma Interurban Station is now recognized for its statewide and regional historical significance, both by the marker and a listing on the State Register of Historic Places. Located on South Paw Paw Street, the building is currently a storage facility owned by the City of Coloma. The text of the historical plaque reads: Built in 1910 by the Benton Harbor- St. Joe Railway and Light Company, this station served passengers and freight until 1928. The stations transformer provided Colomas first source of electricity. The electrified interurban rail line originally ran from Benton Harbor through Millburg to Coloma. In 1913 it was extended east to Watervliet. In the summer a spur carried vacationers, many from Chicago, on to Paw Paw Lake resorts. Each evening, the railway carried fruit from the area to Benton Harbor. From there it was shipped overnight to Chicago for the morning market. Between 1928 and 1993 the building was
Circa 1910

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

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From the Directors Desk

By Tracy Gierada If you havent yet seen the Smithsonian exhibit Journey Stories, be sure to plan a visit soon. Its here through September 21, open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Experience immigration, migration, and travel stories in our history through an incredible array of Smithsonian images, audio and reproduction artifacts. Record your own 90-second journey story to be preserved by the Smithsonian! We are still welcoming student and adult groups to schedule a free tour of the exhibit before it closes. NBHS is grateful to the Michigan Humanities Council and the Smithsonians Museum on Main Street program for bringing this fantastic exhibit and program series to our community. Our Journey Stories marketing reached across the region this summer. The exhibit was even highlighted by the Michigans Great Southwest ad campaign and frequently promoted on the radio. Many stores, restaurants, libraries, and other public locations have shared our posters and information cards, including our booth at the Berrien County Youth Fair. We have re-arranged display cases and opened a new gift shop area in the main gallery to prepare for the Journey Stories exhibit. Some major changes are also now in the works in the area around the museum. Coloma Schools are in the midst of numerous construction projects. Comet football games will now take place on the brand-new stadium built across the road. The City is now replacing the water and sewer system throughout Coloma Heights, the neighborhood behind us. Unfortunately, this has meant that the roads are torn up while work progresses, but access to the museum has been maintained via our driveway off of Red Arrow Highway. Im very much looking forward to the changes to come in our Nichols-Beverly exhibits on lumbering and agriculture. Your ideas about improvements to our indoor and outdoor spaces at the museum are always welcome. I hope you can join us for the NBHS Annual Meeting on October 15. Im excited to share more details about our recent activities and the Strategic Plan that will shape the historical society and museum in the coming years. Its a great opportunity to meet and chat with others interested in local history, and well have a delightful musical performance by the Deep Fried Pickle Project. Please RSVP for dinner, or join us after dinner either way, I believe youll leave informed, inspired and entertained!

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

North Berrien Historical Society Board of Directors

Scott Young Bennet Leedy Kandyce Hays Cindy Young Shirley Boone Ray Mays Marc Hettig Karin Miller Pauline Morris Sherry Polashak Tom Scheid Sally Williams Tracy Gierada Pauline Wendzel Sarah Cook President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Director Director Director Director Director Director

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.

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Mark your Calendars!

Tuesday, September 17, 7pm

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.

Tuesday, October 15, 6pm

Saturday, October 26, 11am & 1pm

Tuesday, November 19, 7pm

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.

Annual Meeting Program: Great Old-Time Music

On Tuesday, October 15, the North Berrien Historical Society invites members and the public to attend our Annual Meeting and Dinner. The meal at 6pm requires an RSVP and pre-payment, but all are welcome to the meeting and program to follow free of charge. At the meeting we will elect Board Directors, review our new fiveyear Strategic Plan and share copies of our Annual Report. The featured program will be a lively musical performance by the popular local band Deep Fried Pickle Project.

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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.

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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.

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Museum hosted an exciting summer of public programs and events

In June the museum displayed the large Lest We Forget traveling exhibit in our basement, which is our normal program space on the third Tuesday of each month. On June 18, NBHS held a fun evening out- a wonderful group dinner at Zekes and a visit to the new Dowagiac Area History Museum. We were thrilled to have the Director Steve Arseneau provide us with a tour of their impressive new galleries. The group enjoyed the great artifacts related to Dowagiac industries including Round Oak and Heddon, as well as famous individuals from the area. A great audience attended our July 16 program presented by Director/ Curator Tracy Gierada titled Legends of Paw Paw Lake. Using artifacts from the NBHS collection and the legends of local residents, the program gave an overview of fascinating lake stories from Native Americans through the end of the resort era. In early August we celebrated the national traveling exhibit Journey Stories with a Grand Opening Reception. We began with a historical marker dedication at the Coloma Interurban Station. Following the ceremony everyone proceeded to the museum for a reception and ribbon cutting at the exhibit. To compliment Journey Stories, NBHS provided community programs with local partners and with support from the Michigan Humanities Council. The first of two lectures took place on Saturday, August 10. The lecture Pokagon Potawatomi: Keepers of the Fire was presented by Dr. John Low, historian and citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He discussed the local bands history and culture as well as the practice of making of birch bark canoes. On August 20, Donna Odom of the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society presented on the Underground Railroad in Southwest Michigan. She traced the common patterns of travel in this region, as well as some amazing individual stories of people involved, whether they were on their way to freedom or helping others on their journey. All ages were treated to a Journey on the Erie Canal in the year 1840 with veteran historical interpreter and musician Michael Deren. He explained how the locks were an amazing revolution in travel, moving ships through changing elevations and bringing the first large settlements to Michigan. Another great program for all ages is our Family Trains Day set for Sept. 14, call the museum for details. In collaboration with Sarett Nature Center the museum hosted a Voyageur Canoe Trip on Paw Paw Lake on a beautiful afternoon August 25. On a 34- foot replica canoe, we learned about the voyagers who traveled our waterways trans-

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

North Berrien Historical Society Membership Form

Benefits include: Quarterly Newsletter, Advance invite to special events, and Members-only opportunities Name Address City, State, ZIP Phone E-mail

New Member Renewing Member

I may like to
Volunteer

Please check desired annual membership level.

Individual ($15) Student ($8) Family Donor ($50) Senior ($10)

Additional tax-deductible contribution: $________ Total Amount Enclosed: $________
Send your completed form along with your check to: North Berrien Historical Society P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038

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

Photo Contest Exhibit OCTOBER 1-31

Photo by Pauline Wendzel.

Thank you for your support!

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Watervliet, MI Permit No. 29

P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038 Temp-Return Service Requested

Newsletter - Fall 2013

Fall Events
Family Trains Day - Sept. 14
Smithsonian Exhibit Open Through September 21

Veterans Panel Discussion - Sept. 17 Annual Dinner & Meeting - Oct. 15

Feat. The Deep Fried Pickle Project

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

2013 Photo Contest

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10am to 4pm Hagar Bainbridge Coloma Watervliet

www.NorthBerrienHistory.org