Grand Traverse Heritage Center -

The Museum

History
In 1934, Traverse City Park’s commissioner, Con Foster, had an idea. He wanted to create a park along the lakeshore at the south tip of the West Grand Traverse Bay. The park would have a zoo, a beach house and a historical museum about the region. Over the next several years, Con Foster traveled over 15,000 miles throughout the Midwest buying Native American and pioneer artifacts to display in the Museum. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration built a building to house this collection and it was later named the Con Foster Museum. For the past 70 years this collection has grown to over 10,000 artifacts.

Sixty-three years later, the Con Foster Museum had outgrown its original building. In 1998, the Traverse Area District Library vacated the Carnegie Library it had occupied since 1905. After a number of uses were considered for this historic structure, the TADL and City of Traverse City agreed to the creation of the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, to house the Con Foster Collection and the offices of other historical organizations. The Heritage Center opened in June of 2002, managed by the Friends of the Con Foster Museum, Inc. In 1993, the Friends of the Con Foster changed their name to the Grand Traverse Heritage Center.

Traverse City Yesterday: Selected Items from the Con Foster Collections
Hours: Monday thru Friday, 1-4 p.m.
Admission: $3 for adults, $1.50 for students; children 6 and under free.

The Con Foster Collections is unique to Traverse City. The majority of the collection was gathered by Con Foster in the early 1900s. Foster was a retired executive of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and a trouble shooter for the Butterfield Theatre Chain. He came to Traverse City in 1920 with his family and helped construct the Con Foster Museum in Clinch Park.

In 2002, upon the closing of the Con Foster Museum, the collection was moved to the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. Here, it thrives under the supervision of Curator Richard Teubert and Executive Director Patti DeAgostino.

Museum and Con Foster Collection
The Museum of the Grand Traverse Heritage Centers covers the main themes of the history of the Grand Traverse Region. Here is a taste of what you’ll see in the Museum

East Gallery – Temporary Exhibits

The east gallery of the Museum is dedicated to quarterly temporary exhibitions. These exhibitions deal with specific historical themes of local interest or focus on a type of collection in the Museum. Past exhibits include the history of the National Cherry Festival, handcrafted textiles, radio and television history, and paddling water crafts. See Calendar for what’s on display now and what will be coming in the future.

Native American Displays

There are exhibitions on the early Native Americans and the Anishnabek (Ottawa and Ojibwa) peoples. This display features a wigwam, Neolithic tools and adornments, basketry, beadwork and the herbal remedies.

Northern Michigan Asylum/Traverse City State Hospital

On display are items taken from the Traverse City State Hospital, which served the State of Michigan as an asylum from 1884 to 1989. Items include patient art, a bedroom set, hospital remnants and artifacts.

Victorian Parlor

The display heralds Traverse City’s hey-day during the logging boom (1850 to 1890) at the height of the Victorian Era. It features fine examples of Victorian style furniture, toys, devices and various decorative items including a vintage hair wreath.

Weapons of Survival/Weapons of Defense

The exhibit features some of the Museum’s expansive weapon collection. It shows how people have used firearms for protection, hunting and ultimately to defend our nation. There is a large selection of pistols and other guns dating back over two hundred years.

Railroad History

This exhibit is in two parts; a large diorama train set showing how the railroads served Traverse City and a display of railroad equipment and memorabilia from around the region. Most of these artifacts are on loan from the Railroad Historical Society of NW Michigan.

Logging

This fascinating display features photographs of Traverse City’s logging days, logging tools and a painted scene looking at Traverse City from the same spot as the Museum, c. 1880. It was painted by local mural artist, Joan Bonney.

Other Displays

One Room School House, Blacksmith Shop, Maritime Heritage Alliance & Women’s History Project of NW Michigan.

The Con Foster Collection

When Con Foster decided to start the Museum back in the early 1930s, he set it upon himself to collect items related to the Native American cultures of the Midwest and also the pioneer days of Northwest Michigan. He traveled over 15,000 miles to collect hundreds of items. Since the Museum’s opening in 1935, over 10,000 artifacts, photographs and documents have been collected. These include:

Native American baskets, rugs, stone tools, weapons and ornaments, copper arrowheads, beadwork, etc.

Tools - Blacksmith, carpentry, leather making, farming, logging and other types of equipment.

Decorative Arts – Ceramic, silver, and glass.

Toys

Furniture

Media related materials – Radios, hi-fi equipment, typewriters

Photographs – thousands showing the history of the Grand Traverse Region

Vintage clothing and military uniforms

Local memorabilia