MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A new display recognizing 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence is now open at the Marquette Regional History Center.
‘The U.P. through 250 Artifacts’ features pieces from the museum’s collection of donated items, including clothing, flags, and artwork in a mixture of local and national history. Curator, Jo Wittler has hand-picked and pieced together their involvements from around the Upper Peninsula.
“I was going through a lot of records to find some of the good stories and interesting objects,” she explained. “I start with the colonial history, then into the Revolutionary War and the early founding of the country, other parts the founding of Marquette, and the state of Michigan. The display ends talking about the protest era and the counterculture of the 60s and 70s.”
Some of the displayed pieces have been unseen by the public for over a century.
“I really wanted to be able to showcase some of those things, because usually they’re not on display,” she said. “For instance, we have this large American flag that came from Harvey from the 1860s, and as far as I know it was donated 1923 and since then, it’s never been on display. So, it’s a great opportunity kind of tease out the stories behind them.”
Wittler says her goal of putting the exhibit together is to share just how much the Upper Peninsula has played a formidable role on the Midwest and its activity over the quarter millennium.
“Part of what I was trying to do in this exhibit is to show how all the things that’ve gone on in the country are reflected here as well,” she said. “Iron ore went to support the Civil War, World War II, really so many things. The immigrant story, that’s our story too. Just tying those together and making those connections was my goal.”
‘The U.P. through 250 Artifacts’ was officially unveiled on Wednesday for the MRHC’s annual meeting and history awards, and will be open through January of 2027. It can be found in the museum’s special exhibit gallery.
