The Lake Michigan shoreline is only a short distance from Historic White pine Village, which lies a few miles South of Ludington on Lower Michigan's Western coast. The "village" is a collection of twenty-five historic buildings and sites that are open to the public for self-guided tours. Combined, these buildings contain thousands of artifacts from days-gone-by, including signs, tools, musical instruments, furnishings and other items. The village also maintains the records for the County Historical Society and will research those records for specific information upon request.
Like all good villages, this one has a Chapel, and it features an organ built in the 1860s. The Chapel is available for rental for private weddings, baptisms and memorial services. There is a one room school (built in 1895) that can still be reserved for classes and otherwise is available for tours; and a town hall (1879) that houses an old fashion ice cream parlour.
The Rose Hawley Museum contains many artifacts including music instruments, tools, housewares, toys and an 1800 vintage camera. Nearby is the first county courthouse which was built in 1849 and moved in the late 1900s to White Pine Village. This was the first frame building in the county and it was constructed from lumber found washed up on the lake shore. Michigan supplied a lot of lumber to the Chicago area in the 1800s, most of which was delivered across Lake Michigan. A number of shipwrecks occurred and there was also the normal loss of a small amount of cargo. This salvaged lumber is what the courthouse was constructed of.
A short stroll away, the Abe Nelson Lumbering museum contains a collection of lumbering tools and memorabilia from the last century. The museum building is in the style of the great lumbering camps that once dotted Michigan's forests and helped rebuild Chicago after the great fire.
The Burns Farmhouse is an original farmhouse from the 1880s complete with furnishings. The Jorissen Barn has been relocated nearby and is an authentic barn from the early part of the century that was built using only wooden pegs to secure the main beams. The farmstead setting also houses the cooper shop and a learning skills center.
Wm E. Anderson's Hardware Store is an exact replica of a turn-of-the-century hardware that operated in Ludington for many years. The store and the inventory on the shelves has been recreated from photographs of the original store.
There is so much more to see than can be described in a short article. A visit to Historic White Pine Village will be a fond memory. This stop probably would not be as much fun for very small children as a trip to the beach--which is only a few miles away--but adults and older children should find a lot to enjoy and learn about.
Billy Oatey grew up in Northern Lower Michigan and has enjoyed hiking and fishing in many places within the State. In his travels around Michigan, he often carries mugs of coffee or bottled water and has seen first hand how disposable plastic bottles are ruining the wild parts of our world. He now sells stainless steel water bottles and travel mugs at his blog http://stainlesssteeltravelmug.org.
The average person can find it difficult to do anything for the ecology, but using recyclable and reusable bottles and cups is something everyone can do easily.
