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How to Use our Collections<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Those interested in researching at the Courthouse Square are required to make an appointment with at least 48 hours notice.\u00a0 Those visiting the museum during regular business hours for research only will not be charged an admission fee.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>
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You can request this by emailing John Moga at jmoga@berrienhistory.org.\u00a0 Please include the subject(s) you are seeking information for and the date(s) you are interested in visiting the museum.\u00a0 <\/span>Researchers who arrive at the museum to do research without an appointment will be assessed a $50.00 convenience fee.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Other Resources<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Check out the following organizations for additional research and historical resources:<\/p>
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Museums and Non-profits<\/strong><\/span><\/p>
North Berrien Historical Museum<\/a><\/li>
Morton House Museum<\/a><\/li>
African American History & Literature Gallery<\/a><\/li>
Heritage Museum & Cultural Center<\/a><\/li>
New Buffalo Railroad Museum<\/a><\/li>
Region of Three Oaks Museum<\/a><\/li>
Galien Woods Historical Society<\/a><\/li>
Niles History Center<\/a><\/li>
Historical Society of Michigan<\/a><\/li>
Library of Michigan<\/a><\/li>
Michigan Historic Preservation Network<\/a><\/li>
Michigan Barn Preservation Network<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
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Government Resources<\/strong><\/span><\/p>
Berrien County Vital Records Office<\/a><\/li>
Berrien County Register of Deeds Land Database<\/a><\/li>
Michigan State Historic Preservation Office<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Area Libraries<\/strong><\/span><\/p>
Berrien Springs Community Library<\/a><\/li>
Benton Harbor Public Library<\/a><\/li>
Bridgman Public Library<\/a><\/li>
Buchanan District Library\u00a0<\/a><\/li>
Coloma Public Library<\/a><\/li>
Eau Claire Public Library<\/a><\/li>
Galien Township Public Library<\/a><\/li>
Lincoln Township Public Library<\/a><\/li>
New Buffalo Township Library<\/a><\/li>
Niles District Library<\/a><\/li>
Maud Preston Palenske Memorial\/ St. Joseph Library<\/a><\/li>
Sodus Township Library<\/a><\/li>
Three Oaks Township Public Library<\/a><\/li>
Watervliet District Library<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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About our Vaults & Library<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Berrien County Historical Association is a collecting institution and as such accepts the donation of both artifacts and archival materials from Berrien County’s past.\u00a0 As preservation and conservation are our primary responsibility<\/a>, the employment of trained museum professionals has been key to filling this mission.\u00a0 It is also through the use of professional-grade museum products from sources, such as Gaylord<\/a>,\u00a0 that the staff have been able to provide safe artifact housing aligned with industry standards.\u00a0 Which means that our donors can be assured that their history will remain safe for generations to come.\u00a0<\/p>
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In addition to the archival and collection vaults, the BCHA reopened the Research Library in 2022 to the public and is currently available by appointment only.\u00a0 Here, researchers can access books and resource materials focused on local history as well as those that connect Berrien County to state and national stories.\u00a0 The BCHA is always accepting donations of books and materials for the library.\u00a0 Please contact our staff to learn more.<\/p>
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The care of these collections, however, is expensive and it has been through the generosity of donors like St. Peter’s Catholic Church that have made this work possible.\u00a0 Financial donations specifically earmarked for collections are used to purchase archival-quality materials to house artifacts and to maintain necessary environmental controls, such as humidity and temperature.\u00a0 To learn more about how your donation helps, visit here<\/a> or call 269-471-1202.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The BCHA vaults are home to several subcollections with concentrated information or artifacts about their respective subjects.\u00a0 The following is a sample of some of the collections available for research:<\/p>
The Clark Equipment corporate archives and the BCHA Clark Equipment collection<\/li>
Yearbooks for the following high schools
Benton Harbor<\/li>
Berrien Springs<\/li>
Buchanan<\/li>
New Troy<\/li>
St. Joseph<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
Rudy Lindquist\u00a0 art collection<\/li>
Woodworking tools collection<\/li>
Marguerite Parmalee photography collection<\/li>
Robert Rosenbaum photography collection<\/li><\/ul>
Additional subcollections and individual items are available – contact us to see what can help you on your history journey!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Artifact Donations<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As a collecting institution, our vaults are made possible through contributions and donations from community members.\u00a0 Because our vaults are currently limited in space due to their size, the BCHA’s collections management team have developed a rubric for accepting items.\u00a0 While we treat every donation on a case-by-case basis, we have created the following questionnaire and needs lists to help our staff and donors determine if the BCHA may be able to take said items.\u00a0 If you are unsure if we are able to accept your donation, please call 269-471-1202 to speak with curator John Moga.<\/p>
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Please note that any artifacts that are left on the museum grounds with no attribution or information will be deemed abandoned property and disposed or sold as the museum sees fit.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Does this artifact have a direct connection to Berrien County?
Meaning was it used, created, or owned by someone living in the county<\/li>
If not, can this artifact help connect Berrien County to a history shared regionally, nationally, or internationally?<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
Does this artifact fill an existing need in the collection?
If not, does this artifact help expand upon stories already represented in the collection?<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
Does the BCHA have the resources to care for and maintain the artifact?
Resources include archival-quality storage materials, appropriate environmental controls, and storage space<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
Is the artifact too damaged for the BCHA to maintain?
Overly damaged items are difficult to care for and can be a danger to other artifacts, especially if rotting or mold\/mildew is evident<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
Is the artifact too dangerous to handle?<\/li>
Are there any donor-requested restrictions for this artifact?
The BCHA does not accept any donor-requested restrictions for items directly gifted to the museum as ownership transfer directly to us<\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The following lists were developed by the BCHA and are current as of October 1, 2024.\u00a0 If needs or requests change, these lists will be updated and noted as such.<\/p>
Areas of Interest<\/a><\/p>
These are areas in our collections that currently have little to no representation.\u00a0 This list is on-going as our staff is made of aware of new topics.\u00a0 If you have artifacts connected to a topic not currently on this list, we may still need it and you are encouraged to contact us!<\/p>
Items of Interest<\/a><\/p>
These are artifacts we are actively seeking out to add to the collections.\u00a0 We do note that while we list artifacts like signage, depending on the item’s fragility or size, we may not be able to accept at this time.<\/p>
Items Not Collecting<\/a><\/p>
The items on this list are not being accepted by the BCHA.\u00a0 The staff may opt to remove restricted items in the future and at that time the list will be updated.<\/p>
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We are currently seeking yearbooks from Berrien County schools.\u00a0 Please contact us if you can help us fill-in our missing gaps.<\/strong><\/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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How to Use our Collections Those interested in researching at the Courthouse Square are required to make an appointment with at least 48 hours notice.\u00a0 Those visiting the museum during regular business hours for research only will not be charged an admission fee.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 You can request this by emailing John Moga at jmoga@berrienhistory.org.\u00a0 […]<\/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":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","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":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1108,"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31\/revisions\/1108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.berrienhistory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}