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Our Mission
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The mission
of the Keweenaw Heritage Center at St.
Anne's is to preserve and interpret the
culture and heritage of the Copper
Country through the preservation of
buildings, development of exhibits and
other educational activities. The
Heritage Center is unique as it
highlights the social aspect of mining
community life. The building is used as
a museum, educational facility, for
musical programs and is a venue for
meetings, weddings and receptions and
other gatherings.
Located at
the head of downtown Calumet's
commercial district, the Keweenaw
Heritage Center, formerly St. Anne's
Church, is a pivotal structure of the
Calumet Downtown National Historic
Landmark District. The KHC is a
cooperating site of the Keweenaw
National Historical Park.
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Your Center
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In 1994,
after several years of negotiating with
the owner, a group of local citizens
raised the funds necessary for the
Charter Township of Calumet to purchase
the former St. Anne’s Church. Calumet
Township is the fiscal agent and
insurance carrier for the building. The
Township has delegated fund-raising,
development and operation to the
management board of the Keweenaw
Heritage Center at St. Anne’s.
The Center
has been adapted to serve
as an educational and cultural center.
It is available for the celebration of
life events and for meetings and
conferences.
As of 2011,
approximately $1,100,000 had been spent
in the rescue and restoration of the
building. More than half of that has
come in donations from individuals or
businesses. The stained glass windows
were a major cost in the restoration.
Some of the American Opalescent glass
had been broken and the lead holding
panes in place had deteriorated. In
1999, some were repaired on site; some
were removed and sent away to be
restored. The windows are a part of the
beauty that has been a tradition in the
heritage of the Copper Country.
The Center has also been fortunate in
receiving generous support from
foundations and arts associations.
Without those gifts and the gift of time
from hundreds of volunteers, the
building would not have survived to
become an asset to the community.
To promote long-term stability,
an endowment fund has been created at the
Keweenaw Community Foundation.
Contributions to the endowment fund are
tax-deductible as are contributions to
the Keweenaw Heritage Center through
Calumet Township. This is a building
that can thank people who value heritage
and work toward preserving it.
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Keweenaw Heritage Center
Today
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What goes
on at the Keweenaw Heritage Center?
Through the years, there have been
exhibits during the summer months at the
Keweenaw Heritage Center. These exhibits
focused on different aspects of life in
our community. Almost every year a new
exhibit is displayed. A comparison
between children in 1900 to children in
2000 was the theme for a summer. Another
year, framed houses were “built” on the
main floor of the Heritage Center so we
could feel what it was like to live in a
miner’s house. One exhibit focused on
Jacobsville sandstone and the buildings
both large and small that were built
from this local resource. We learned
about a woman’s place in the home and
community in 1910. A virtual tour of
Fifth Street Calumet in 1910 was shown.
This year, highlights of how far we have
come since our rescue of this building
began as we celebrated our 25th year as
the Keweenaw Heritage Center.
These exhibits have been put together by
members of the KHC board and other local
community members. The amount of time
and research they put into these
exhibits is staggering. They have all
been unique, impressive in quality and
full of fascinating details of local
history. A must see on your trip to
Calumet!!
While the exhibits are
one way of attracting guests to the
Keweenaw Heritage Center, another facet
of our heritage is the different kinds
of music that have been passed on
through the generations. Musical Mondays
showcase different groups of local
talent. We have polkas, country music,
ethnic songs and everything in between
during these programs. While some like
to just sit and enjoy the music, others
get up and dance. Check the summer
schedule for more details.
Most
days when the Keweenaw Heritage Center
is open, chances are you can hear the
organ being played when you enter the
building. In order to show off the organ
and the many talented local organists,
daily one hour concerts are held. Over
the course of the summer, formal
concerts are often held featuring
organists, flutists, and even a harp
concert. You don’t want to miss some of
these wonderful musicians perform.
Also during the last few years, a
fall craft show has been held in the
basement of the KHC. Graduations,
receptions, a quilt show and ethnic &
family gatherings have all found the
Keweenaw Heritage Center a wonderful
venue for special occasions.
This
is what the Keweenaw Heritage Center is
all about – sharing traditions and
heritage from yesterday, today and
tomorrow.
If you are interested
in renting the Keweenaw Heritage Center
for an event, make sure you look at our
rental information on this site. Our
calendar will give the details on what
is going on throughout the season –
Musical Mondays, concerts and other
events.
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