• Introduction
• Family Heritage
• "As long as I can remember"
• A Sense of Belonging
• The Collectors
• Special Times
• 83 Counties
• Behind the Scenes 
• The Michigan Historical Museum, a brief history
• Kids' Stuff
• Your Collections: Resources for Caring for Your Artifacts

Michigan's Memories

Michigan’s Memories

The Michigan Historical Museum and its predecessors have been collecting artifacts for 125 years. During those years, a variety of staff members were assigned the task of deciding what the museum would preserve in its collection.

A few objects are unusual. Some are amusing. Some are baffling.

However, most staff members were thoughtful in their decision-making. It is their wisdom that has allowed us to inherit a rich and wonderful collection to share with the people of Michigan.

A Cabinet of Curiosities

Early museums organized their exhibits as groupings of similar objects, following the natural history tradition of displaying scientific specimens, according to categories of flora and fauna. Lined up one after another on the shelves, artifacts were named with no explanation. The visitor may have been told that the object on the second shelf in the left window was a castor set, but not told that its bottles held vinegar, oil and other condiments.

Today’s museum tries to help visitors see themselves in the objects they view. They assume that visitors want to learn more about who we are as a people and what we share in common. As a result, museum exhibitions and label content have changed dramatically over the last 125 years.

We are anxious to have this collection increase, and we desire contributions of articles for that purpose—household utensils, china and glassware, not necessarily such as the pioneers used in their daily life, but such as heirlooms and articles of a finer sort.

Clarence M. Burton President’s Address
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, June 1903

Fortunately for future generations, Burton did not get exactly what he asked for. Museum Curator Marie B. Ferrey and collector Florence Babbitt believed that collecting everyday objects such as cooking utensils, tableware and dinner plates was as important as "heirlooms and articles of a finer sort." Occasionally, however, the odd, unique or singularly historic object did find its way into the museum’s collection.

Museum Collecting Today

Our mission to collect objects of Michigan history remains the same today as from our earliest beginnings. What has changed is our interpretation of that mission. Key points include:

• We collect from all areas of the state.

• We have a special focus on objects relating to state government and the history of its services to the people.

• We collect objects specific to the topics and time periods of each site in our Michigan Historical Museum System.

• We actively seek artifacts representing the racial, national, cultural and economic diversity of our state.

• We believe the stories of how an object has been used and handed down are as valuable as the artifact itself. These stories give meaning to the object by linking it to people who have been part of Michigan’s history.