Born in Detroit in 1928 but raised in Cassopolis, Iven C. Kincheloe became interested in aviation from a very young age. In 1956, the Dowagiac High School graduate set an altitude record in the Bell X-2 program, becoming the first person to go above 100,000 feet and achieve weightlessness in space. For this suborbital flight above most of the atmosphere, Kincheloe became known as “the First Spaceman.” He was selected for the Air Force’s program to put a man in space, but was tragically killed in a plane crash at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1958.

Join us as Steve Arseneau, Director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum, details the incredible life and career of Captain Kincheloe.

No RSVP is required for this free program.

You are invited to join the Bayer family on behalf of the Tri-City Record to celebrate their 40-year anniversary in business.

The Open House will be held on Saturday, February 24 at the North Berrien Historical Museum from 1 p.m.–4 p.m.

A short presentation on the history of the Record will begin at 2 p.m.

Refreshments will be served

The Coloma Courier was published weekly from 1885–1969, at which point it was absorbed by the Watervliet Record (now the Tri-City Record). Joe and Marjorie Wells of Coloma are recognized in the community for their run as owners of the Courier, publishing the periodical from 1946–1959.

Charles Chauncey Wells, the son of Joe and Marjorie, will appear at the North Berrien Historical Museum to present “Country Weekly: Heart of the Community.” Charles will discuss his experiences growing up at the Coloma Courier and how it led to a lifelong passion for letterpress printing and other forms of the medium.

No RSVP is required for this free program.

The South Haven Scott Club building is a historically significant landmark in the city of South Haven, Michigan. Through the effort of three literary organizations in 1882, this Indiana sandstone, Queen Anne design building was constructed to be a meeting place for their members. The legacy continues to this day as the membership of Scott Club provides educational, literary and cultural programs to the community and surrounding areas.

Current Scott Club President, Anna Krajecki, will give a presentation on the amazing history of this beautiful building and the mission of the Scott Club. Krajecki is retired from the United States Postal Service and has served on the Executive Board of South Haven Scott Club for eight years, the last four as President. No RSVP is required for this free program.

In the mid-1800s, thousands of homeless children roamed the streets of New York City. To help deal with the orphaned children, Charles Loring Brace founded the Children’s Aid Society in 1853 to provide the basic needs for some of the children. In 1854, he sent a group of 46 children west, via steamboat and train, to find new homes with farm families. The train had one destination—Dowagiac. After they arrived, the children were examined by local residents, who then selected the orphans to take home. After several days, 37 of the children had been taken in by local families and the first trip was deemed a success. Because of the success of the 1854 trip to Dowagiac, the Orphan Train placed out over 200,000 children to almost every state in the nation until 1929.

Please join us at the North Berrien Historical Museum for “Wanted: Homes for Children – Dowagiac’s Orphan Train Story.” The program will be presented by Steve Arseneau, Director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum. No RSVP is required for this free program.

One of the oldest houses in Southwest Michigan, the Morton House has had a front-row seat to over 170 years of local history. In his presentation, “The Mortons: From Plymouth Rock to Benton Harbor,” historian Chuck Jager will present a fascinating look at the Morton family, the house they built, and the resulting meeting place and museum. The story traces as far back as the Pilgrims and follows the Mortons through many key moments in American history, highlighting both defeats and achievements for the family.

Chuck Jager is a local high school history teacher and has authored two recent books on local history. He serves on the board of the Morton House Museum, “the Home of Benton Harbor History.”  This program will be available both online and in-person. The online program will be viewable through Facebook Live on the North Berrien Historical Museum’s Facebook page. RSVP is required to attend in-person. Call (269) 468-3330 to RSVP today!

Join us as we highlight fascinating personal stories of past residents of Coloma, Watervliet, Bainbridge, and Hagar in our first virtual cemetery tour program! Utilizing research and images from the North Berrien Historical Museum archives, our staff has created a video presentation covering cemeteries in all four townships in northern Berrien County.

On Tuesday, October 20 starting at 7:00 p.m., four pre-recorded videos, shot on location and featuring NBHM Programs Director Peter Cook discussing several local historical figures found at these sites, will be made available on our Facebook page throughout the hour. The schedule is as follows:

7:00 p.m.—Coloma Cemetery
7:15 p.m.—Watervliet Cemetery
7:30 p.m.—New Hope and St. Paul Cemeteries (Bainbridge)
7:45 p.m.—Curtis, Harris, and Lake Shore Cemeteries (Hagar)

Each video is approximately 15 minutes. Please contact peter@northberrienhistory.org with any questions.