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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.
For our 25th year, highlighted how far
we have come since our rescue of this
building began. A Woman’s Place
showcased the 19th Amendment (Women’s
Right to Vote) and what the environment
for women was like at that time. For 3
years, Finding New Places honored the
lives and challenges of eight local
women who followed non-traditional
careers and made outstanding
contributions to the lives of many.
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.
Craft shows,
graduations, receptions, showers and
ethnic & family gatherings have all
found the Bob Langseth Sandstone Hall at
the Keweenaw Heritage Center a wonderful
venue for special occasions. Weddings
can take place on the main floor as
well.
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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