Company Profile

Company Overview

The Iron County Historical Museum is dedicated to preserving and disseminating information about, and enhancing public understanding and appreciation of, the historical and artistic heritage of Iron County, Michigan. It is a multi-building complex located in the western portion of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. The Museum, which opened its doors in1982, holds a diverse collection of artifacts, artistic works, and archival materials -- 27 historic buildings, over 28,000 artifacts and artistic works, 8000 maps, 12,000 photographs, 54,000 obituaries, and over 200 linear feet of other records. It offers on-site programs for school groups, special exhibitions and events for families and adults and extensive permanent exhibits concerning the logging and mining industries and community within the region. It is open for public visitation from Memorial Day through the end of September. School visits can be scheduled beginning in early May and extending into the fall. A limited number of special programs are offered between October and December. Access to the archives is provided to scholars and researchers throughout the year.

The Museum’s visitors consist of local residents and people either passing through the western Upper Peninsula on vacation and/or for recreational purposes. In 2010 there were over 4000 visitors. Many of its visitors come from the states immediately west of Lake Michigan – Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Museum is primarily a volunteer operated facility with one full-time paid staff member who handles the organizations finances, and two seasonal part-time workers who serve a desk supervisors and carry out other routine duties during the spring and summer season. There are approximately 90 active volunteers, giving over 6000 hours of service annually. The Museum undertook a MAP survey in 2008 and is working to meet the MAP recommendations. In the past 18 months the Board of Trustees has been restructured and new bylaws have been drafted and approved. Hiring of a full-time, paid director, is one of the primary MAP recommendations.

See the Museum’s web-site: www.ironcountyhistoricalmuseum.org for further information.