Open house showcases Marquette’s maritime history

The Great Lakes are a significant part of Michigan’s history, and one museum in Marquette highlights the city’s maritime history.

The Maritime Museum hosted an open house Wednesday for residents of Marquette to see the exhibits to celebrate Maritime Month.  Museum director Carrie Fries said the bulk of the visitors to the museum are tourists, and not many locals know what the museum has to offer.

“It’s good to have them know what’s going on just so they can tell other people, but I think it’s important that they know their history,” Fries said.  “Our shoreline is a beautiful asset and I don’t think a lot of people realize the rich history that goes into it, and really that Marquette was settled because of the wonderful waterways and beaches that we have here.”

The museum has plenty of artifacts, for any history lover to see, including lighthouse lenses.

“Maritime history is very interesting, there’s always something for everyone…interesting shipwrecks, they just found a shipwreck that was missing for about one hundred years,” Fries said.  “If you’re not into shipwrecks lighthouses are another big thing that people come to (see).  They like to visit the lights, see the lenses that we have.  So there’s really something for everybody here when you learn about the maritime history.”

Other Maritime Month events include themed Saturdays during the month of August, and evening tours of the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.

The museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week through mid-October.  More information on the Maritime Museum, including admission prices and a list of Maritime Month events can be found on the museum’s website or Facebook page.