Speaker to discuss shipwreck of the Lady Elgin, October 17

Valerie van Heest will discuss the shipwreck of the Lady Elgin at the North Berrien Historical Museum on Tuesday, October 19 at 7pm.

On September 8, 1860 the Lady Elgin went down in Lake Michigan resulting in the deaths of more than 300 people. Now 150 years after the worst disaster on the open waters of Lake Michigan, Valerie Van Heest will revisit the dark stormy night when 400 excursionists on board the Lady Elgin were awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a terrible crash.


Award winning author, shipwreck explorer and member of the Women Divers Hall of fame, Valerie has documented Great Lakes shipwrecks for over twenty years and her efforts led to an award from the Historical Society of Michigan for excellence in preserving and promoting State and local history.

This event is free and open to the public. The museum is open winters hours Tuesday through Friday 10-4. For more information contact Alexander Gates, Director/Curator, at 269-468-3330