The 2011 Tri-City Heritage Tour will take place on Saturday, September 24, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The Tri-City Heritage Tour offers you the rare chance to explore places with local architectural and historical importance—all on one day and all for free—in the Coloma, Watervliet, and Hartford areas. On September 24, nine diverse heritage sites will offer tours, demonstrations, activities, and conversations related to local history. The tour is self-directed and sites may be visited in any order.
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| A former jail cell at the Van Buren County Historical Museum in Hartford |
All sites will be open free from 10:00am to 4:00pm on September 24, with the exception of the Watervliet Dams Removal project on the Paw Paw River. From 1:00 to 4:00pm only, visit the North Berrien Historical Society’s tent in Hays Park where historic photos and maps of the paper mill area will be displayed. The tent’s hosts will be former employees of the Watervliet Paper Mill, who have volunteered to answer questions and orient public visitors to the former mill area.
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| The former Coloma Interurban Station |
The North Berrien Historical Museum will offer a free vintage pennant craft for all ages to complement the 2011 exhibit Women in Baseball. The North Berrien Photography Contest Exhibit will also be premiered, displaying wonderful images of the area by local photographers. Guided tours will bring to life exhibits at the Southwestern Michigan Basket Machinery Museum in Riverside/ Hagar Township. At the Van Buren County Historical Museum, east of Hartford, all ages will enjoy tours and, from Noon to 4:00pm, a live blacksmith demonstration. In Watervliet visitors will also be welcomed at the beautiful new home of the Sanctuary Baptist Church, which previously served as the Watervliet Methodist Church for 140 years. Two brief talks on local electric railway history will be held at the Coloma Interurban Station. The Hartford Library, housed in a handsome 1871 mansion, will demonstrate online access to historic issues of the Hartford Day Spring newspaper. In the rolling farm country of Bainbridge Township, tour the Tees Barn and the Nafziger Barn, each featuring original hand-hewn beams and adaptations for different uses through many years.
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| Hartford Public Library |
To see a complete set of details for the 2011 Tri-City Heritage Tour, visit the tour website: http://tricityheritagetour.wordpress.com/. The website allows you to post comments or questions about the tour or any site featured on the tour in 2011 or previously. The first-ever Tri-City Heritage Tour in 2010 featured twenty-two sites and was supported in part by a grant from the Berrien Community Foundation. This year’s tour will offer nine heritage sites to better allow public participants to reach every site if desired. Questions can also be directed to the North Berrien Historical Museum at (269) 468-3330 or info@northberrienhistory.org.
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