Current Exhibitions

Scattered to the Winds: the Vanished Community of Cable's Bay and Beaver Island

The Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center and department of sociology and social work at NMU are honored to announce the opening of the exhibition, “Scattered to the Winds: the Vanished Community of Cable’s Bay and Beaver Island.”  This exhibition will open on May 3^rd, 2012 at 5:00.  Come explore the exhibit and get a taste of the ethnic foods and song from the island’s inhabitants. The exhibition will be on display at the Beaumier Center through September 1, 2012.  The Center is located in 105 Cohodas Hall on the campus of Northern Michigan University.  The exhibit is made possible by a generous grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and admission is free to the public.

NMU students in department of sociology’s Museum Studies-II (AN495) contributed to the creation, design, and planning of the exhibit, which showcases artifacts and data collected during the NMU archaeology field school excavations conducted on Beaver Island in 2010/2011.

“Scattered to the Winds” tells the story of not only Cable’s Bay but also other Beaver Island Stories pieced together from artifacts and historical accounts.  The exhibit explores the history and mystery of Beaver Island and how everyday items discarded or lost through time are used to interpret the past.

Cable’s Bay is one of two historic sites that were investigated during the 2010 Northern Michigan University archaeology field school. This early fishing village was located along the southeast side of the island and was briefly occupied from 1838 to 1858 by fishermen and their families, traders, and coopers, Native American women, and Mormons. The story of this little village is a tale of hardship, forced exodus, and eventual failure.

Burke’s Farm is one of two sites that were investigated during the 2010 Northern Michigan University archaeology field school. This early farmstead was located along the east side of the island and was briefly occupied from 1852 to 1856 by Mormon farmers who created the cabin and barn from timber on the property. Shortly thereafter due to a forced exodus the farmstead came under the ownership of Irish immigrants; later by other Euro-American families. By the mid-twentieth century the farmstead began to return to nature’s grasp.

The Beaumier Center will have new hours during the summer of 2012.  In May, the Center will be open Monday through Thursday, 10a.m. to 4p.m.  In June, July and August, the Center will be open Monday through Thursday and Saturdays, 10a.m. to 4p.m.  For more information, call 906-227-3212 or e-mail heritage@nmu.edu.