Director's Invitation to the 6th Annual North Berrien Holiday Open House

It is my pleasure to invite you to the North Berrien Historical Museum's 6th Annual Holiday Open House on December 2-5, 2010. Our volunteers have truly outdone themselves this year with 25 trees decorated by 20 different local business and organizations.

A special thank you to all of our tree sponsors: Chemical Bank, Edgewater Bank, Mag’s Raggs and Rag Bags, Cottage of the Four Seasons, Coloma Lioness Club, Whistler Farm, Four Seasons Pool & Spa, Jollay Orchards, Community Hospital Watervliet, Captain Kirk’s Car Wash, Honor Credit Union, Eco-Logical Cleaners, Family Farm and Home, Mattson’s House of Décor, Paw Paw Lake Rotary Club, Michigan Agri Women, Reflections Salon, Friendly Tavern, North Berrien Food Pantry, and Faith Lutheran Church. An additional thank you to our donors for our Holiday Tasting Gala on Friday, December 3: Jollay Orchard, Bob’s Barn, Papa Scott’s Market, and Vineyards Gourmet.

Below are a few preview images of the museum decked out for the holiday season. Please visit our website at http://www.northberrienhistory.org/Christmas_2010.html for a full list of holiday events at the museum.

Sincerely,
Alexander Gates, Director and Curator


The 2010 Cottage of the Four Seasons tree in the main gallery.


Carter House living room display featuring trees by Community Hospital Watervliet, Edgewater Bank, Jollay Orchards, Whistler Farm, Four Season's Pool & Spa, and Mag's Raggs and Rag Bags.


The Carter House dining room with a view of trees decorated by Family Farm and Home, Mattson's House of Decor, Reflection's Salon, Coloma Lioness Club, Honor Credit Union, Friendly Tavern, and the North Berrien Food Pantry.


Santa and his sleigh full of presents in the main gallery.

The Wigwam Hotel: Paw Paw Lake's Most "Luxurious"

Built in 1898 by Captain Lyman and Sarah Feltus, the Wigwam Hotel was two stories high, boasted a double-decker veranda and the most “luxurious” accommodations on Paw Paw Lake. Each of the 35 rooms opened directly onto the veranda so that guests could stroll or sit and visit in view of the lake. The dramatic vistas of Paw Paw Lake gave the effect that the porches virtually hung in the tree tops. A dining room known as the Knotty Pine was also built across the street.



The property was two of 124 parcels, known as Edgewater Glen, which Mr. Feltus developed and sold in 1905 to Ella Reed and Freeman Gross, who incorporated it into the Wigwam Hotel Co. Inc., and built an annex next door to increase their guest capacity to over 120 guests. The property remained in the Gross family for 25 years before a series of owners operated it as a resort in the summer months up until 1962. During its heyday in the 1930s the Wigwam dining room had a seating capacity of 100 and was open to the public. Hotel employees included a chef from Alabama that specialized in southern cooking and an African American porter who greeted guests upon their arrival. A private beach, large pier, and hot and cold running water in every room were just some of the guest amenities. The hotel was a well known special event location for Coloma and Watervliet over the years hosting meetings, receptions, and parties.

In 1963 the property was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. George Erlich, who over the years renovated the hotel into a home. Although Knotty Pine burned down in the 1970s, the Wigwam remained well maintained as a private residence. According to Mr. Erlich the Wigwam was “just a shell” when they purchased it in 1963, but was restored, including using the hotel post office box for tool storage. Under the Erlich ownership the Wigwam became the lake children’s “headquarters.” Mrs. Erlich once recalled 35 children sleeping on the floor in front of the fireplace, which boasted a rock from every state in the union. The Erlichs also built a stage and life-size teepee in their attic for the children to use. Austin and Jean Stanton purchased the home in 1986 keeping its historic character intact. The former Wigwam Hotel and Annex were both destroyed by fire on November 26, 2010.

Christmas Trees!

Join us December 2-5, 2011 for the North Berrien Historical Museum's 6th annual Holiday Open House. Over 20 sponsored Christmas trees will provide the backdrop for a weekend of great events. Below are a few previews of trees you will see.


President and Mrs. Obama on Mag's Raggs' tree


Community Hospital Watervliet tree



Edgewater Banks'money tree


Eco-Logical Cleaners' fashion tree


Coloma Lioness Club tree


Ornaments donated by 105-year-old Grace Kibler

Parking Lot Work Complete

The new museum parking lot is complete! 27 regular spaces and 1 handicap space are marked - double our former capacity in a much more accessible layout. Under the new lot city sewer hookups have been completed to the museum and Carter House. The flag pole was moved between the museum and Carter Barn. New landscaping and signage are planned for 2010 to compliment the new work and make the site more cohesive.


Parking Lot September 2010


Parking Lot November 2010



Front Sidewalk September 2010 - The decorative paver bricks, although attractive, were difficult to keep free of weeds during the summer and ice during the winter.



Front Sidewalk November 2010 - A new cement sidewalk and ramp make the entrace safer and cleaner year-round.

Gates receives Promising Leadership Award

(photo) Gates with Lin Nelson-Mayson, President of AMM

Alexander Gates, Director and Curator of the North Berrien Historical Museum received the Association of Midwest Museum’s Promising Leadership Award in Cleveland on October 7, 2010. The AMM Promising Leadership Award is given annually to individuals who have worked or volunteered for a museum or museum association for 10 years or less and provided exceptional service or shown outstanding commitment to the museum field.

Gates was given the award for his outstanding work at the North Berrien Historical Museum in Coloma, Michigan. Since he began in 2007 the organization has grown from a volunteer run organziation to a professional history museum with a staff of three. Gates has overseen new exhibits and programs as well as an active public relations and marketing campgain. Community support of the museum is most evident by the recent renewal of its operating millage in August 2010 despite the recent economic downturn.

For more information contact Alexander Gates, Director/Curator, at 269-468-3330

Holiday Open House 2010 - Coming Soon!

The North Berrien Historical Museum will host its annual Holiday Open House December 2-5, 2010. The museum will be open free for special hours from 10-4, Thursday through Saturday and 12-4 on Sunday.

The weekend begins with Senior Day on Thursday, December 2. Senior citizens are invited to tour the museum at a leisurely pace while enjoying complimentary drinks and live music by The Upbeats with Pete and Marge Mannino and Gordon Krell.



The evening of Friday, December 3 from 5-7pm will be the first ever Holiday Tasting Fundraiser. Admission is $5 at the door. A wide variety of traditional festive food and drink will be sampled throughout the museum complex while visitors enjoy our holiday trees in their full brilliance at night. Live music will be provided by Nocturne String Quartet and Serenata Strings.



Activities for children and families are the focus of Saturday and Sunday, December 4 & 5. Santa’s Workshop features free card and ornament making. Gingerbread house making will be available for a cost of $5 per house. Santa & Mrs. Claus will visit with children on Saturday from 2-4pm. Musical performances will take place throughout the day by members of the Coloma choirs and bands as well as the Bridgman choirs. Finally on Sunday, the Holiday Cookie Walk will take place from 12-4pm. For $5, visitors can fill a box with their favorite cookies to take home.



The museum will feature over 25 decorated Christmas trees and fine holiday décor. Visitors will be able to vote for their favorite tree that will win the People’s Choice Award. Many of the trees are decorated by local businesses and civic organizations. This years tree sponsors include: Edgewater Bank, Chemical Bank, the Marc Hettig Family, Mag’s Raggs, Community Hospital, North Berrien Food Pantry, Coloma Lioness Club, Honor Credit Union, The Friendly Tavern, Eco-Logical Cleaners, Four Seasons Pool & Spa, Jollay Orchards, 5/3 Bank, Reflections Salon, Paw Paw Lake Rotary, Michigan Agri Women, Mattson’s House of Décor and the Cottage of the Four Seasons.

Throughout the holiday season, the museum will collect “Toys for Tots” donations of new, unwrapped toys, and non-perishable food donations for the North Berrien Food Shelf.

Regular winter hours for the museum are Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 4pm. The museum is free and guided tours are available.

For more information contact Alexander Gates, Director/Curator, at 269-468-3330

Museum featured on new website showcasing cultural heritage survival stories

The North Berrien Historical Museum is featured in a new online resource intended to help communities across the nation promote their unique historic and cultural attractions. Produced by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the online toolkit includes profiles of more than 80 communities achieving success despite the challenges posed by today’s economy.

“We’ve found that real-life stories like North Berrien Historical Museum are meaningful role models” says Amy Webb, director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Heritage Tourism Program. “Cultural heritage tourism attractions want to hear from others in the trenches, facing similar challenges. These survival stories showcase how many communities are succeeding in the face of an economic downturn.”

This user-friendly web site allows visitors to search for stories by region of the country, type of attraction or organization, and/or the survival strategy or strategies that the story illustrates. The toolkit www.preservationnation.org/survival-toolkit was developed after hundreds of hours of outreach to national and state leaders in cultural and heritage tourism over the past year.

The North Berrien Historical was selected as a case study because of their successful local millage campaign in 2006 and subsequent renewal in 2010. “The National Trust for Historic Preservation has done a great job with their toolkit and we are glad to share our success story nationally,” say North Berrien Historical Museum Director Alexander Gates. “Local support is vital to cultural attractions and I hope others can learn from our example.”