We held a construction kick off meeting on March 13. In attendance were MHS staff and directors, our architect from WTA, the project manager of Serenus Johnson Construction, and several sub-contractors who will be working on this project. The below article was published March 27.
At long last, construction has begun to transform the former Walker Furniture building into the Straits Cultural Center. This project began in 2016 when we acquired the property and much work has been completed to bring us to this point, including: environmental assessment; WTA Architects and Split Rock Studios retained through competitive bidding, environmental remediation, building interior demolition, and exterior painting completed.
On Monday, March 4, our next chapter began. Serenus Johnson along with several local, St. Ignace area sub-contractors will work to complete the interior construction of the Straits Cultural Center: new electrical wiring, entry service, new plumbing, HVAC, insulation, and new windows.
To catch up on the full project timeline, funding status, and building updates, go to our Project Status page or click here.
It’s Happening!
For those of you who live locally or don’t go to warmer places in the winter, you may have already noticed the ACTION at the Straits Cultural Center! Construction has begun! A fence surrounds the front of the building, two large dumpsters have been delivered, and a Serenus Johnson construction trailer is in place along with the all important porty-potty! So many dedicated volunteer hours have been invested in the future of the St. Ignace downtown cultural center; it will become the anchor at the south end of State Street. Thank you to all who have helped get us to this point.
There is still financial work to be done to finish the Center. We are working on a variety of funding sources and all are important – individual gifts, corporate gifts, grants, federal and state dollars, fundraising events, foundations and planned gifts. Each dollar is important, and we need $2 million more to complete the project. Your donation is an investment in your local economy.
According to “Museum Facts: At A Glance,” a document produced by the American Alliance of Museums for Museums Advocacy Day 2024, museums are vital to the US and local economy. Pre-pandemic statistics show museums support 726,000 American jobs and contribute $50 billion annually to the US economy. The economic activity of museums generated more than $12 billion in tax revenue. 76% of US travelers (leisure) participate in cultural or heritage activities and these travelers spend 60% more money on average than other leisure travelers. More people visit art museums, science centers, historic houses or sites, zoos, or aquariums than attend professional sporting events!
There are so many reasons to support your local Historical Society besides those listed above! I will share more in future issues, but we are proud that when the SCC opens, we will be a vital component of our local economy and quality of life.
Molly Paquin, Executive Director
The MHS Bridge Award for Historical Impact is given to those who inspire use with their outstanding philanthropy, community involvement, and dedication to preserving history so that others may learn from it. We are honored to celebrate the contributions of the Maurer Family and Maurer Publishing whose names have been synonymous with journalism and integrity on Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, and the Les Cheneaux Islands for more than six decades. Their impact on all of Mackinac County has been profoundly felt by many and we proudly celebrate their dedication to make their community a better place. Learn more about this year’s Bridge Award recipients, here.
On January 3, 2024 the MHS Board of Directors unanimously voted to hire Serenus Johnson Construction as its general contractor to renovate the former Walker Furniture store and transform it into the Straits Cultural Center. They were selected from three bids and will begin work later this month or early February.
Named for its founder, Serenus Johnson Construction began providing general contracting services in the Bay City, Michigan area in 1919. Some of their notable work includes the total restoration of the Marlette Train Depot in Marlette, Michigan; the historical renovation of the Bay City Times building, transforming the space into apartments (Bay City, MI); the athletic facility for the Elkton Pigeon Bayport Schools (Pigeon, MI); and the renovation of the historic Dow Gardens Conservatory in Midland, Michigan.
Serenus Johnson Construction along with mostly local sub-contractors, will join forces with the architect firm, WTA, and the exhibit design company Split Rock Studios to transform the former Walker Furniture building into the Straits Cultural Center and “must see” museum we can all be proud of.
Continue to follow this page to see renovation updates, pictures, and more.
You can learn more about Serenus Johnson Construction, here.
On Thursday, January 18 from 4:30 to 5:30pm the Michilimackinac Board of Directors will be holding their annual meeting. All members are invited to attend. The meeting will be held at the Mackinac County Airport (1220 N. State St., St. Ignace).
The MHS Board of Directors has been working diligently to bring us to the point where the Congressional Directed Spending $1 million earmark from Sen. Debbie Stabenow can be accessed. There is much work daily behind the scenes by your volunteer board. When you see them, thank them for their tireless passion and persistence. We are very close to being able to begin work on the interior of the Straits Cultural Center!
You will be the first to know when we can begin! We recently held a public hearing on the use of the federal dollars. It was well attended, great questions were asked and everyone was supportive. We have since had a bid walk through with our architects from WTA, Jason Goff and Wayne Moerdyk. Three general and 12 subcontractors attended. Bids are due November 29 and will be reviewed in December. It is our hope that a general contractor can be selected soon after and that work can begin in January!
Please watch for our annual appeal mailing coming out the week of Thanksgiving. A follow up email will be sent on Giving Tuesday (November 28.) Dollars raised through the annual appeal are for MHS operating expenses, not for the capital campaign. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude. Everyone at MHS thanks you for your ongoing support, vision and commitment to our mission: preserve, record and maintain the historical information of the area between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, known as Michilimackinac.
I am personally grateful to be part of such an amazing organization. Thank you!
Mark your calendars!
Hot off the press is a new book about St. Ignace history. Down the Chute and Across the Tram: Life at the Convent School of St. Ignace, written by Joan Turner-Coven, Ph.D., is about Ursuline Academy. The book shares the history of the St. Ignace parish, the convent school and the nuns who taught there. A special feature of this book is the inclusion of memories from former students. Pick up you copy today at the MHS Michigan Made store.
The change of seasons also means a change in store hours. For the month of October, Michigan Made will now be open 10am to 4pm, Monday through Saturday, and closed on Sunday.
Just announced, MHS will be hosting a porcupine quill workshop at the St. Ignace Public Library on Tuesday, October 3 from 10am to 2pm. The workshop will be led by award-winning Native American Master Artist, Ron Paquin. New to this workshop, you can now register and pay in-person or pay online. Click here to register for this workshop. Seating is limited.
Now that the summer program season has ended, we are starting to develop program ideas for next year. Before we get too far into the planning sessions, we would like five minutes of your time. Whether you attended a program or wished you could have attended one, we want your input about program topics, and the timing of when and how you would like to attend a program. Your responses will help us grow and improve our programming. Click here to complete this 5-question poll. Thank you for participating!
Our last two programs of the summer season are this month. We have a presentation on Native American beadwork on August 9 and a presentation about the history of the Mackinac Bridge on August 23.
The Michilimackinac Historical Society Board of Directors are hosting an open house to thank Bill Peek for his services as the society’s Interim Director. Bill has served in many roles for MHS for more than 10 years. He has been the Curator for Fort de Buade Museum, a board member, board president, a volunteer, a leader of the capital campaign to build a new museum, and lastly, as the interim director.
As he hands our new executive director, Molly Paquin, the reins, we want to thank Bill for his many contributions to the growth of the Michilimackinac Historical Society and the Fort de Buade Museum as it transitions to the Straits Cultural Center.
The open house will be on August 6, 2023 from 4-6pm at the Straits Cultural Center; 20 S. State St., St. Ignace. All are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.
The Michilimackinac Historical Society Board of Directors, at their June 15 meeting, hired Molly M. Paquin of St. Ignace as its new Executive Director.
Paquin will replace Interim Director Bill Peek, who served the interim role since 2021.
Paquin has over 40 years of experience in the museum and nonprofit world. A graduate of the Lake Superior State University Masters of Business Administration program with a focus in nonprofit management, she has served on the local historical society board for a year and a half and volunteered in various capacities with the organization.
After graduating from Michigan State University with two bachelor degrees, Paquin was curator of collections and public information director for the Mason County Historical Society’s White Pine Village and the Rose Hawley Museum in Ludington. She then went on to serve as director of the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven. From there she became a museum consultant and then worked as director of the Museum of Ojibwa Culture in St. Ignace for nine years.
Paquin was then the first director of Habitat For Humanity of the Eastern Upper Peninsula and then director of the United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. She most recently served as a Senior Community Development Manager for the American Cancer Society for nine years.
“I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Historical Society Board, volunteers, staff and the many donors who have so much passion and commitment to seeing the history of the Michilimackinac region showcased in the new Cultural Center,” Paquin said. “Our region’s history is so critical to the history of our State and our local history deserves to be shared with our local residents, our children and with the visitors to our area. I look forward to helping see the project through to fruition,” she added.
She has served as a past secretary of the Michigan Museums Association and was a director on the Michigan Humanities Council. She currently serves as secretary of the St. Ignace Area Creative Arts Council, and is active in Keeping the Piece Quilters’ Guild’s Quilt Study Group. She is currently researching quilts made from scraps left over in various Michigan textile industries. Paquin also volunteers with the Mackinac County Animal Aid Association and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“I’m excited to have Molly as a member of the MHS staff. She brings experience and expertise to the Executive Director position and I’m very much looking forward to working with her.”, said David Kunze, President of the Michilimackinac Historical Society.
“The Historical Society will honor outgoing Interim Director Bill Peek at an open house at the Straits Cultural Center, 20 North State Street, St. Ignace, on Sunday, August 6 from 4 to 6 pm. The public is invited to this event to thank Bill for his service, welcome Molly in her new role, and learn about the progress of the center’s development, and view architectural drawings and exhibit plans,” Kunze added.
Paquin can be reached at mpaquin.mhs@gmail.com or by calling 906-984-2234. Her office is in the Michigan Made Store, 330 N. State Street. The Store is operated by the Historical Society to fund operations.
July is a month full of programs. We have an evening to meet UP authors, cemetery tours, a duck decoy making workshop, and a presentation about duck decoy carving.
Through the generous support of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, all presentations are free to attend. If you are interested in attending a workshop, please note the associated fee. To learn more about the programs and workshops, and to register, click here.
The support and enthusiasm for the Bridging History Celebration has been remarkable. Tickets for this event have been sold out. Still interested in attending, but missed the opportunity to purchase tickets? Fear not! Cancellations do happen and those tickets will become available. For information about the event or ticket availability, please call or email Susan Massaway, (906) 984-2234 or smassaway.mhs@gmail.com.
Starting tomorrow, June 16, our store will be open Monday - Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm.
Mark your calendars and get your tickets. The MHS Bridging History Celebration is next month and tickets are going fast. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. To become a sponsor or purchase tickets, click here. Learn more about this year’s recipients for the MHS Bridge Award for Historical Impact here.