More to Explore
To learn more about our public policies, click on the links below:
Review our Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030
Employment & Volunteering opportunities can be found here.
News & Freebies
The BCHA has been making the news around the town and across the U.S. (and Canada!). Check out our Media page to learn about some of our latest news!
Only the latest edition of our newsletter, The Docket is available our members. But editions from the 1970s through the early 2020s are available everyone to read. Access them here!
Young or old, the BCHA has several booklets and activity sheets available for free. You can access these resources here.
It is the mission of the Berrien County Historical Association to collect and preserve artifacts related to Berrien County history through exhibits, publications, research activities, educational opportunities, and community outreach programs.
Current Board and Staff
the Berrien County Historical Association operates as 501(c)3, as defined by the IRS. Therefore, the organization is held in trust by a Board of Directors and managed by paid, professional staff. The current board of directors and staff of the BCHA are as follows:
Executive Committee
President: Maureen Light, Baroda [Retired]
V. President: Dr. John Jarpe, Niles [Retired]
Treasurer: Sarah Driscoll, St. Joseph [Medical Office Manager]
Secretary: Patricia Gadeke, Stevensville [Retired]
Board Members
Cindy Gray, Stevensville [Disability Network of SWMI]
Dr. Brian Strayer, Berrien Springs [Prof. Emeritus, Andrews University]
James “Jim” Curran, Niles [County Commissioner Liaison]
Rhiannon Cizon, MALS
Executive Director
rcizon@berrienhistory.org
John Moga, MFA
Curator
jmoga@berrienhistory.org
Kaitlynn Potter
Museum Assistant
kpotter@berrienhistory.org
Nessie the Dog
Director of Moral Support
The History of the Berrien County Historical Association
In 1967, the Berrien County Historical Commission was created to save and restore the historic 1839 Courthouse – the oldest of its kind in the state of Michigan. The following year, the IRS granted the BCHC its 501(c)3 status and fundraising began in earnest. The original members of the Commission had been made up of representatives from area historical groups, experts, and residents passionate for historic preservation or history:
- Dan I. Porter (Berrien Springs)
- John Paul Taylor (St. Joseph), St. Joseph Fort Miami Historical Society
- Roger Carter (Coloma)
- John Page (Watervliet), Archaeological Society of Southwestern Michigan
- Jack Spelman (St. Joseph), Antiquarian Society
- Foster Brandon (Niles), Fort St. Joseph Historical Society
- Lester McGowan (Buchanan), Buchanan Historical Society
- Donald Dick (Berrien Springs), Berrien Springs Historical Society
- State rep. Lionel Stacey (Fairplain)
The addition of passionate members (and later board members) like John Gillette of Niles and Dr. Hazel Eidson of Berrien Springs helped to advance the on-going capital campaign to restore the building. Local groups such as the American Legion Auxiliary and number school groups made the Courthouse a pet project and the Commission was able to hire expert artisans and eventually their first project manager in 1974.
David Mohrhardt had come to the BCHC with decades of museum experience, including exhibit design. This was critical as renovation volunteers worked meticulously to recreate the historic details that had been lost throughout the years. While this was occurring, the Commission and Mohrdhart began accepting artifacts for what would become permanent exhibits inside the Courthouse and the stewardship of the Murdock Log Cabin, which had been recently discovered.
When worked wrapped up on renovations and the exhibit spaces in time for the 1975 summer season, the Commission recognized their goal of historic preservation had evolved into historic education. As such, the Commission made the decision to rebrand as the Berrien County Historical Association in 1976, which was announced through the newly launched The Docket newsletter. By the 1980s, under the leadership of Jan House, the BCHA expanded its staff through various programs and unique funding, allowing the BCHA to finish the renovation of the Sheriff’s Residence, remove the doctor’s office on the northeast corner of the property, and expand its offerings.
Under subsequent directors – Glenn Uminowicz, Leo Goodsell, and Frances Porter Snyder – the organization continued to expand its reach through programs, community partnerships, writings, and additional buildings. At its height in the 1990s, the BCHA was servicing thousands of visitors each year.
Although it had been known to the public for many years as the 1839 Courthouse Museum, the shifting of the property to the care of the Parks Department gave the BCHA a chance to rebrand the museum and under leadership Kathy Cyr, the newly minted History Center at Courthouse Square reintroduced itself to the public.
The BCHA has undergone significant changes in recent years to bring the organization in line with current practices under leadership of its current director, Rhiannon Cizon. This modernization has provided the staff and board with opportunities to expand the reach of the organization beyond the museum’s walls. This holistic approach has reinvigorated the museum’s ever-growing membership, helping to reshape how a growing digital world can still find itself reflected in very “analog” exhibits.