Every community needs a remembering place …
We all need a place that tells our stories, through artifacts, through our dreams; a place that shares how our community came to be what it is today and why we live the way we do. We also need a place that inspires us to keep our story going.
The Heritage Museum at the Priscilla U. Byrns Center is our remembering place in St. Joseph, Michigan. The museum houses our area’s history, its artifacts and archival collections and a research library in a historic building along Main Street. Carefully preserved and beautifully appointed, it presents our stories in spacious exhibit halls and creates new memories in elegant banquet facilities.
Every person’s story is important and because we believe sharing these stories is just as important, admission is free to everyone. Come journey into our past, gain a deeper understanding of our present and thrill at the possibilities for the future. If we can become part of your life’s special events, please contact us. We would be privileged to weave your chapter into ours.
St. Joe Lighthouse Tours
Photo by Denise Emery
The Heritage Museum proudly coordinates public and private tours of our community’s historic North Pier lighthouses. The City of St. Joseph took ownership of the Lights from the federal government in 2013, in recognition of their community importance and to ensure their preservation. Generous donors to the city’s Lighthouse Forever Fund supported a momentous restoration of the structures in 2015-16.
Read our detailed blog post about the 2017 tour schedule or visit StJoeLighthouseTours.org to purchase walking tour tickets today!
New Exhibit – Evidence Found: Explorations in Archaeology
The Heritage Museum’s 2017 feature exhibition tells visitors that when it comes to digging up the past, “It’s not what you find, but what you find out!” This exhibit displays artifacts and findings from archaeological excavations across Southwest Michigan, and provides fun, hands-on activities to learn about the methods used by archaeologists.
Archaeology is the study of past human activities through the examination of evidence all around us. It can be found anywhere in the world, even southwest Michigan. This fascinating exhibit, to be featured at the Heritage Museum throughout 2017, was developed and debuted by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum with support from the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation. Artifacts are on loan from the Western Michigan University Department of Anthropology and the Niles History Center.
