Muskegon Michigan

An acquaintance of my husband who collects and uses old tools mentioned how much he enjoyed the Muskegon Heritage Museum.
We did, too. It is three floors of interesting exhibits about industries and products in the area. Some are no longer in business, but some like Brunswick are still operating. The Brunswick bowling lane with automatic pin setter was so interesting. There are machines operated by a steam engine connected to revolving belts. Some old-time items like ice boxes and box radios and record players were familiar to me from my time at our Big Bear cabins. Others were much older.

The Bennett company made items for gas stations.

The Museum docents and volunteer demonstrators were so friendly and knowledgeable. 

Lumbering and wood-based activities were a big part of this part of Michigan. This was the reason for my husband's interest in visiting.

Office furniture including file cabinets represented by the Shaw-Walker Company.

While I was touring the second floor, my husband stayed behind where the volunteer invited him behind the ropes to see the metal lathe and other tools at work.

The second floor had home goods and things that were a part of everyday life.

I thought this bicycle quite futuristic.

I never used a calculator as old as this, but I remember desk calculators. The time clock and time cards where you punched in the time brought back memories of several places where I had worked and used such items.

One room was set up like a small store with an enamel showcase of cheese and meat, bread, tins of goods.

While the Clarke products have changed a lot thru the years, the rolling buckets with mops can be found in schools and businesses today.

Some highly specialized products such as car pistons can be glamorized by the company. Also, uncut oil rings led to the invention of the slinky toy.

When I knew we would include Muskegon in our itinerary, I browsed the map to see what else might pique our interest.
The Hackley Public Library fit the bill. Still in the downtown area several blocks from the museum, this 1890 library was fascinating. Granted we are retired librarians, but I think anybody would be wowed by a library with stained glass windows, a fireplace, original ornamental bookends, and walking on a second-level glass floor that was the ceiling of the first floor.

You can see the first floor books underneath the glass walkway of the second floor.

After a tasty Barbeque lunch at a nearby restaurant, we headed south to the Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference grounds. My husband's family attended here several summers mostly in the 1950s he thinks. Of course not much resembles his memories.

This property is on Lake Michigan. His family stayed in cottages named for countries that were ministered to by missionaries.

However, today there is a lodge (hotel-like rooms), motel rooms, mobile homes, large single residences, and condos.

Somebody has a sense of humor. 

There had been a lot of beach erosion this year as elsewhere on Lake Michigan so the beach was closed. The pool was open.

We had a "baby" ice cream cone in the Sweet Shoppe. My husband interrupted the scooping to say enough. The baby was too much ice cream for him. There is a dining room in the lodge.

The tabernacle where the meetings were held had been renovated but when we peered thru the glass door, my husband said it looked like he remembered with bench pews to sit in. The lodge had some photo albums of days gone by, including the Maranatha song.

We found Muskegon a pleasant place, but since it is a longer drive from South Haven, might not return on our next trip. It has a car ferry that crosses to Wisconsin which can shorten a trip to Michigan for those on the Western shore of the lake.