Objects as intricate and beautiful as a quilt or as simple and ordinary as
a kerosene lamp are just things. But, when combined with pictures and recounted stories,
they become important parts of the heritage that is passed down from generation to
generation. We treasure certain objects because they represent where we came from,
help us understand who we are, and offer a promise of what we can become.
When the museum receives personal objects with all of their stories, a
change takes place—what once represented a Michigan family joins with other artifacts
from the collection to reflect the heritage of the family of Michigan. Click on
an artifact in the photographs of the exhibit gallery
(or on its name, below) to open a pop-up window* with a
close-up view of the artifact and information about it.
