\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

The History Center at Courthouse Square<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The Berrien County Historical Association operates on behalf of the County of Berrien the History Center at Courthouse Square Museum and County Park.\u00a0 As one of the most historic properties in the region, we invite you to learn more about the buildings<\/a> that house nearly four hundred years of history!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
Current Board and Staff<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The Berrien County Historical Association operates as 501(c)3, as defined by the IRS.\u00a0 Therefore, the organization is held in trust by a Board of Directors and managed by paid, professional staff.\u00a0 \u00a0The current\u00a0 board of directors and staff of the BCHA are as follows:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Executive Committee<\/span><\/p>
President:<\/strong> Dr. John Jarpe, Niles [Retired]<\/span><\/p>
V. President:<\/strong> Maureen Light, Baroda [Retired]<\/p>
Treasurer:<\/strong> Patricia Gadeke, Stevensville [Retired]<\/span><\/p>
Secretary:<\/strong> Pamela Swenk, Three Oaks [Artist]<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
Board Members<\/span><\/p>
Dr. Brian Strayer, Berrien Springs [Prof. Emeritus, Andrews University]<\/p>
James “Jim” Curran, Niles [County Commissioner Liaison]<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
Positions on the board are now available!\u00a0 To learn how you can join our Board of Directors, visit here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
John Moga, MFA<\/strong><\/p>
Interim Director & Curator<\/p>
jmoga@berrienhistory.org<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
The History of the Berrien County Historical Association<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
In 1967, the Berrien County Historical Commission was created to save and restore the historic 1839 Courthouse \u2013 the oldest of its kind in the state of Michigan.\u00a0 The following year, the IRS granted the BCHC its 501(c)3 status and fundraising began in earnest.\u00a0 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:<\/p>
Dan I. Porter (Berrien Springs)<\/li>
John Paul Taylor (St. Joseph), St. Joseph Fort Miami Historical Society<\/li>
Roger Carter (Coloma)<\/li>
John Page (Watervliet), Archaeological Society of Southwestern Michigan<\/li>
Jack Spelman (St. Joseph), Antiquarian Society<\/li>
Foster Brandon (Niles), Fort St. Joseph Historical Society<\/li>
Lester McGowan (Buchanan), Buchanan Historical Society<\/li>
Donald Dick (Berrien Springs), Berrien Springs Historical Society<\/li>
State rep. Lionel Stacey (Fairplain)<\/li><\/ul>
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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
David Mohrhardt had come to the BCHC with decades of museum experience, including exhibit design.\u00a0 This was critical as renovation volunteers worked meticulously to recreate the historic details that had been lost throughout the years.\u00a0 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.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
By 1974, the renovation was nearing its end and work had begun on the permanent exhibits.\u00a0 Along with the arrival of the Murdock Log Cabin<\/a> in 1973 and the beginning negotiation for the purchase of the Sheriff’s Residence<\/a>, the BCHC realized they had moved beyond their original intention.\u00a0 As such, the Commission made the decision to rebrand as the Berrien County Historical Association in 1974, which was announced through the newly launched The Docket<\/em> newsletter.\u00a0 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\u2019s Residence, remove the doctor\u2019s office on the northeast corner of the property, and expand its offerings.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
Under subsequent directors \u2013 Glenn Uminowicz, Leo Goodsell, and Frances Porter Snyder – the organization continued to expand its reach through programs, community partnerships, writings, and additional buildings.\u00a0 At its height in the 1990s, the BCHA was servicing thousands of visitors each year.<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
\u00a0Although 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.\u00a0<\/p>
\u00a0<\/p>
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.\u00a0 This modernization has provided the staff and board with opportunities to expand the reach of the organization beyond the museum\u2019s walls.\u00a0 This holistic approach has reinvigorated the museum\u2019s ever-growing membership, helping to reshape how a growing digital world can still find itself reflected in very \u201canalog\u201d exhibits.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More to Explore To learn more about our public policies, click on the links below: Commercial Photography Policy 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!).\u00a0 Check out our Media page to learn about some of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":97,"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1118,"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29\/revisions\/1118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}