Start your visit to this Michigan attraction with a brief orientation. Then, explore five levels of permanent and special exhibits that tell the story of Michigan past and present. Exhibits include interactive computers, audio-visual presentations and hands-on displays. Be sure to stop by the Museum Store to shop for items unique to Michigan.
Exhibits
The First Peoples
Explore Michigan’s early history, a story of complex cultures closely linked to the environment and backed by centuries of intellectual and social development. In The First Peoples exhibit you can look up at the three-story topographic map of Michigan, get up close to a birchbark canoe, listen to stories of voyagers and hear the sounds of an Indian drum dance.
Settling a State
Settling a State provides an overview of the museum’s statehood and settlement. Learn about the pioneers who came to Michigan between 1800 and 1835, discover how the plank roads of Michigan were first built to allow wagons to pull over and pass each other, and learn how the Toledo War played an important role in the story of Michigan achieving statehood.
Civil War
Michigan soldiers fought in almost every major battle during the Civil War despite the fact that no battles took place in Michigan. In the Civil War exhibit you can discover how Michigan was a strong antislavery state and reacted quickly when the Confederate States decided to secede and form their own country.
Mining in Michigan
Enter the Mining exhibit through a head frame of timber and a large piece of float copper. Beyond the entrance of the Mining in Michigan exhibit you can explore displays about copper and iron mining, life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula mining communities and the state’s other mineral resources.
Lumbering
Learn about the history of lumbering from the tales of the early “shant boys” to the coming of railroads that made it possible to transport lumber from faraway places. In the Lumbering exhibit see how the “big wheels” made Michigan logging a year-round industry, visit a recreated sawmill and discover what one lumberman did with the fortunes he made in lumber.
Growing Up in Michigan
Enter the Growing Up in Michigan exhibit through a Victorian-style stairway (or an elevator in the Rural Michigan Gallery) and explore life in Michigan through the eyes of five individuals who grew and came of age in the state during the last half of the 19th century. A one-room schoolhouse, four period room settings and an outdoor shed featuring direct quotes from diaries and reminiscences of the five young people bring the late 19th century to life.
Farm and Factory
Learn about farm and factory life in the late 19th century and how it changed in the early 20th century. In the Farm and Factory exhibits of the late 19th century experience rural Michigan and learn about the growth of manufacturing. 20th century Farm and Factory exhibits explore how Michigan’s farmscape was transformed when farmers started to use new technologies such as tractors and its new industry, automobile manufacturing.
1920s Street Scene
Stroll the Michigan history museum’s 1920s Street Scene and learn about a decade of growth and energy known as the Roaring Twenties. As you stroll through the street scene you will stumble upon a miniature moving-picture theater, an old city bookstore, an auto dealership and storefronts featuring items popular during the decade.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. Learn about the rise of labor organizations that resulted from the growth of industry in the 1920s and the devastating effects of the Great Depression in the 1930s.
The Arsenal of Democracy
Discover how World War II affected Michigan. The Arsenal of Democracy explores Michigan from the start of World War II in the late 1930s to its end in 1945.
The 1950s
With the Great Depression and World War II behind them, Michiganians moved into the 1950s as producers and consumers. In The 1950s exhibit, learn about the chrome and tailfins being put on the streets by Michigan automobile makers, see the consumer goods being put on the shelves of the supermarket and department stores, or visit the Upper Peninsula gallery showcasing the history of the beautiful Mackinac Bridge.
The 1960s
Themed around Pete Seeger’s folk-rock song “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season),” The 1960s exhibit explores the music, disagreements, and shouts of joy and cries of despair of the 1960s. As you explore the exhibit you will learn about: the 1961 Constitutional Convention; Michiganians’ dreams for a better life; civil rights, the status quo and the Vietnam War; the violence of the decade; and the story of Michigan music.
Lakes and Land
Be a tourist, an environmentalist, or an outdoor enthusiast during the 1970s, the environmental decade. The centerpiece of Lakes and Land is a three-story topographic map that provides insight into the recreational, industrial and commercial uses of Michigan’s land and water. See seasonal dioramas, discover how Michigan dealt with concerns about water, land and air quality during the “environmental decade,” or relive the “up north” experience on the porch of a log cabin.
Shopping in the Museum Store
Visit the Michigan Historical Museum Store, offering a wide selection of items related to the history of Michigan, the region and the nation. Popular products sold at the Museum Store include: books on a wide range of Michigan topics, Michigan-made products such as handcrafted jewelry made of Michigan’s Greenstone and Petoskey stone and products specifically related to the Michigan Historical Museum’s exhibits.
- Complimentary wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Enjoy a snack or light lunch at the museum’s snack shop. Located across from the Museum Store, the snack shop serves fresh pizzas, sandwiches and soups.
- In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Michigan Historical Museum hosts special exhibits.