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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 8pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 3pm

Marquette Regional History Center

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Marquette Regional History Center

History Museum with fully immersive, interactive exhibits, Gift shop, Research Library. Since 1918. The C. We are a private, non-profit organization.

The new Marquette Regional History Center opened March 7, 2011 with three times the exhibit space of the former museum and fully immersive and interactive exhibits! All of the exhibits were built and created by local artists and craftsmen. Fred Rydholm Gathering Hall, named in honor of noted local historian seats 200 people and is available for rental for weddings, showers, retirement parties, con

ferences, class reunions, fund-raisers or any other event. A projection dome tops the reception hall which displays moving lights at night. Included in the design is a children’s classroom for visiting school groups to do hands-on projects. There's also an outdoor green space with an amphitheater, educational gardens, and Spring & Third Museum Store which sells works by local artists and regional books on history. A BRIEF HISTORY

The organization was founded in 1918 to preserve and interpret the area’s rich cultural heritage. Over the past 92 years, the community has been so generous with artifact and library donations that the former museum was bursting at the seams! A new building was purchased in 2007 and renovated into a state-of-the-art museum facility. The new building is across Third Street from the historic Marquette County Courthouse in downtown Marquette. We are funded by admissions, memberships, store sales, grants and donations by people like you! Thanks for your support! To see a video of the moving and rebuilding of the log structures check this link out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBpB3TxwZrc

To watch the dome being placed on top of the building, go to this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFYhnm55EhM

Our Mission Statement:
“We believe the preservation of the cultural and physical history of our area brings an understanding to the past and present, and provides a guide for the future. The Marquette County History Museum not only maintains exhibits, artifacts and a research library, it is a forum for engaging the community and creating links between people.”

06/02/2026

Thanks for visiting the MRHC, Powell Township School. We hope we'll see you again this summer -- oh yeah, ENJOY summer break!🤩

05/30/2026

Sophia Bailey Graveraet (circa 1800-1891)
Charcoal Enlargement from Photograph

Sophia Bailey is a notable Michigan citizen of Odawa and French descent. She may not have ever visited the area of Marquette. She was born near the Grand River in Lower Michigan. Her father was a successful fur trader. Sophia had five brothers. During the War of 1812 she was sent to St. Paul, then she moved to Mackinac Island where she was adopted and educated in French by Mme. La Fromboise. There she met Henry G. Graveraet Jr. whom she married.

The couple had three children: Garrett, Alice, and Roseine. They lived in St.
Ignace, and she taught Native students at the French Catholic school there.

The family moved to Little Traverse, now known as Harbor Springs. Her son Garrett organized "Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters," a Native American company serving in the American Civil War. Her son and husband served in the company, both dying in a campaign near Richmond, Virginia. More than half of the company died. Sophia received a government pension which allowed her to build a comfortable home.

Sophia was a well-known storyteller, meeting and entertaining notable people such as President Zachary Taylor and Mormon leader James J. Strang.

Henry Graveraet Jr. was one of ten children. His brother Robert came to what became Marquette in 1846 as one of the first to develop the region. His parents Henry and Charlotte (also a Native American) moved to the Marquette area, as well as their daughter Juliet who eventually married Samuel Kaufman.

From MRHC special exhibit, The U.P. Through 250 Artifacts. Open now.

💡See our Memorial Day post (Monday, May 25, 2026) for more information on her son, husband, and Native American Ogichidaa.

05/29/2026

Happy 50th Anniversary Robert and Cathy Brumm! Tonight's dome lights are in your honor from Margaret Brumm.

05/28/2026

Chuck Swanson had another birthday! Tonight's dome lights are in his honor.

05/27/2026

The Spring and Third Museum Gift Store is stocked with “The Diary of an Isle Royale School Teacher” by Dorothy Peterman Simonson. Pick it up ASAP to participate in the June 17, 6:30pm UP History Book Club at the History Center!

Free. Join in person or via Zoom. Link to Zoom and more information is: MarquetteHistory.org/UPHBC ✍🏻

05/25/2026

The 1st Memorial Day occurred in 1868 to honor Union soldiers who died in the American Civil War.

Soldiers of many races defended the Union in pursuit of freedom, justice and for Native American Ogichidaa (warriors), to protect tribal land and life.

Garrett A. Graveraet was born around 1840 in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. His parents were Henry G. Graveraet Jr and Sophia Bailey (Ojibwe). By 1863 Garrett became an officer in the Civil War organizing the highly decorated Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters.

The group was composed primarily of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi. Although they received the same financial benefits as white soldiers, their path after the war had many parallels to the discrimination experienced by the U.S. Colored Troops. The legacy of the Ogichidaa is often muted in history despite distinguished accomplishments, and their hope for improved tribal relationships with the U.S. Government dissipated with each subsequent encroachment and broken treaty promise.

Company K began service as guards of Confederate POWs, facing the threat of disease and desertion. Their entry to combat came during the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, marking the first major Union offensive toward Richmond. They were able to camouflage well and had superior sharpshooting skills.

In a campaign near Richmond, Co. K seized Confederate breastworks. Surrounded by enemy forces under Brig. Gen. Matthew Ransom, the Ogichidaa engaged in hand-to-hand combat allowing for retreat of their fellow soldiers. Oliver Arpetargezhik and Lt. Graveraet perished as a result and many men were captured as POWs. Graveraet’s father, also a Sharpshooter, had fallen in this campaign, too.

Graveraet’s Uncle came to Marquette in the 1840s, being one of the first to develop the region.

Pics from 2015 Dawn of Peace program: Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Veterans Group carried the Colors, Four Thunders Drum sang Flag and Honor Songs, Danny Garceau (Sergeant Major, Retired), Judy Conrad and Jeff Carlson presented on Co. K, local Civil War Ogichidaa, and the complex motivation of Native participation despite years of unfulfilled treaties and unfavorable official policies.

The MRHC is CLOSED today, Monday May 25, 2026 for Memorial Day.

05/23/2026

Send this to your friends and let them pick for you 👀

See these artifacts IRL at the Marquette Regional History Center! Open 10a-3p on Saturdays (perfect activity to add to your farmers market experience) !!

05/22/2026

From Curator’s Corner - MRHC Newsletter Vol. 14 No. 4
Doll Buggy, Lloyd Loom, Menominee circa 1920s

Sometimes artifacts have clues as to their maker, owner, and their use. These clues might be on the bottom or otherwise hidden from the casual observer. I happened to examine this doll buggy in our collection the other day. The catalog number was placed inconspicuously on the bottom. Also on the bottom are two paper labels with the name Lloyd Loom of Menominee. I recognized the name as a large factory building that I had passed on several car rides to the Green Bay area.

Marshall Lloyd was an inventor who began Lloyd Manufacturing Loom in Menominee in 1906. In 1916 he developed the wicker furniture making process and patented it the following year. Baby and doll buggies were the main products during those first years. At the time a handmade wicker baby carriage took one day to make while the company could produce one in only 15 minutes. The wicker was made by wrapping kraft paper around a metal wire core.

Marshall Lloyd held over 200 patents and served as the city’s mayor. In 1921 Heywood-Wakefield of Gardner, Massachusetts purchased the company. Lloyd remained involved and sold the rights to the process to several companies around the world. He introduced a line of wicker furniture in 1922.

The manufacturing process still requires some hand work. After the wicker is woven in panels, it is cut and fit onto metal frames by hand. Trim is added to finish the edges. In 1982 Don and Dudley Flanders purchased the business to form Lloyd Flanders. The contemporary woven wicker furniture is waterproof for use outdoors.

For more artifact insights like this one, become a member and receive the MRHC's quarterly history newsletter...in the mail...in print! 🤩 Memberships begin at $40. Find the link in the comments. Next newsletter goes out SOON so don't wait!

05/21/2026

Next Thursday, May 28! The 21st Annual Cemetery Walk: WWII Memories has 3 tour options:

1:00pm, Self-Guided Walking Tour - Enjoy history at your own pace with this midday option. Enrich your lunch break or daily walk at Holy Cross Cemetery.

6:00pm, Guided Walking Tour - Follow a group and a tour guide on this classic walking tour experience.
OR
6:00pm, Seated Tour - Bring your own lawn chair and listen to local WWII hero stories, presentation style.

$5 suggested donation! Meet at Holy Cross Cemetery.

05/20/2026

“Engaging the community and creating links between people” are the final words of the MRHC’s mission statement. Josh, Juliette and Chip are a perfect example of the connections that are made here every day! 🤩

Address

145 W Spring Street
Marquette, MI
49855

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 8pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

(906) 226-3571

Website

http://marquettehistory.org/

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