Montague City Museum in Michigan - A Hidden Gem

Don't you love it when happy accidents happen? Just like a $10 bill found in a jacket I haven't worn for ages, the Montague Museum was a gift that seemed to pop out of nowhere.

When my husband and I were on a vacation touring lighthouses near Muskegon, Michigan, we wandered around to some of the small towns surrounding the city. And who would have guessed it?

This gem of a place hidden beneath the facade of a worn old church building (see below) is tucked away in nearby Montague, which boasts a rich history of Michigan industry. Here are a few of the photos from our trip.

The building that the museum is housed in is your average moderate-sized church for a small neighborhood. We were free to look around. The site is managed by volunteers, and while they do their best to keep up with what looks like thousands of items, the pieces aren't as professionally displayed as a well-funded museum.

There is organization to the displays, however, and for the most part, there are themes throughout such as the doctor's office, Native American objects, barbershop and lumber era relics. There are several rooms filled with displays as well as the basement. The volunteer staff was friendly and helpful.

There were several examples of early technology. Below are two phonographs and a radio. We've come a long way haven't we?

The first beauty below actually isn't from Montague but was the cover of an old candy box. I wanted to take a picture for possible inclusion in a collage project.

I love some of the illustration art work of the Victorian era and early 20th century, so I just had to get a photo of what I call the "candy box girl."

The second beauty is Montague's own Nancy Fleming - the Miss America pageant winner in 1961. There is a section of the museum devoted to her.

There were books of every sort, magazines, old newspapers from the area as well as cards and art. Below is a Swedish bible. The title on the cover - Den Heliga Skrift - translates to Holy Writ. There was another one like this with clasps.  It's no wonder it had clasps because they both were so large. The inside was as beautiful as the cover, but unfortunately, the pics didn't turn out so well.

I'm unsure of Montague's settlement history. From a quick internet search I was unable to find out if there was a large Swedish population in the area. However, with the lumber history of Michigan, many different ethnic groups set up villages, so it's possible.

The second picture is a scrapbook. There were several watercolors inside including the brooding castle scene below.

These are just some examples of the many pieces that the museum holds. There was so much that it was difficult to take everything in during the time we had to stay.

Along with the larger pieces above, there were plenty of everyday items. Some of these include toiletry and pharmaceutical containers, sewing notions, kitchenware, farming tools, fire and police items and trinkets of every variety.

There were also treasures such as the antique viewfinders pictured below, fossils and shells. If you like taking a peek into the lives of generations past, then you'll enjoy a stroll through the aisles here.

The museum probably won't appeal to teens or very young children. There was a mother with her kids when we were there, but it doesn't have much to keep young ones interested for too long.

Adults who find local history tedious or only like adrenaline-pumping trips will be as bored as the kids. If you like to take leisurely trips and learn about the history of an area, then you'll enjoy your visit to Montague Museum.

There was a knowledgeable guide that made our visit even better. He knew the history of Montague and of many of the items in the museum.

I hope my trip inspires you to seek out those hidden gems in your neighborhood or on your next vacation. This was an accidental excursion that became a memorable experience. It reminded my husband and I to relax and enjoy our trips as they unfold.

The Museum is located at 8717 Meade Street on the corner of Meade and Church Streets. Admission is free, but they do accept donations to help cover operation costs. According to the City of Montague website, the museum hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day to October 1st. You can call Henry Roesler at (231) 893-3055 for more information. The museum's brochure shows the Montague City Hall as a contact. The phone number there is (231) 893-1155.

MichiganLover/PJDeneen ©2010 http://hubpages.com/hub/Montague-City-Museum-in-Michigan-A-Hidden-Gem.