Winter 2016Vol. 32, No. 4

New Exhibit ~ “Wisdom Seekers: Andrews University from Battle Creek to Boxcars to Berrien Springs”

Battle Creek College, 1874.

Our newest exhibit at the History Center explores the history of Andrews University. Andrews originated as Battle Creek College, a Seventh-day Adventist educational institution founded in 1874. It moved to Berrien Springs in 1901, where it became Emmanuel Missionary College, and then became Andrews University in 1959 when Potomac University moved to EMC. The Seventh-day Adventist denomination origi-nated in the 1840s with the Millerites. William Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted that Jesus would return to earth sometime in 1843 or 1844. He attracted a large fol-lowing and many people distributed all their possessions in anticipation of the Second Coming. When nothing happened, most of his disillusioned followers abandoned the faith; a few, however, decided that Miller had the right date but that the predicted event was Jesus beginning the last phase of his ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

The family of Ellen G. (Harmon) White num-bered among the believers. Soon after the “Great Disap-pointment,” Ellen reported that she had begun to receive visions. Many Adventists accepted these as divine revela-tions. Her writings and teachings resulted in the forma-tion of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1863. Adventists soon realized that they wanted their children educated by teachers who shared their faith. They hired a teacher in 1867 and seven years later founded Battle Creek College. The College followed El-len White’s guidelines and stressed practical education, adherence to Adventist doctrines, and physical health.

Battle Creek College moved to Berrien Springs in 1901, all of its materials transported to the village aboard a Pere Marquette Railroad train of twenty-four boxcars. College officials had purchased a farm on the north edge of the village, where they began construction of buildings for the new campus. In the meantime, students attended

cont’d on page 3

Emmanuel Missionary College students lived at the old Oronoko Hotel in Berrien Springs while college buildings were construct-ed on the new site north of town.

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Berrien County HistoricalAssociation Board and Staff

Board of Directors

Gary Campbell, PresidentTom Nelson, Vice PresidentRobert Feldman, TreasurerRebecca May, Secretary

Zack Book Robert NorrisAl Butzbaugh Stephen SmithLiz Muhlenbeck

Staff

Kathy A. Cyr, Executive DirectorRobert Myers, Curator

Kelsey Curnutt, Museum Services Coordinator

BCHA Mission Statement

The mission of the BCHA is to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Berrien County through exhibits, tours, publications, and educational and community outreach programs for public benefit.

Learn more about the BCHA by visiting www.berrienhistory.org

Director’s CommentsBy Kathy Cyr

Dear Friends,

To use the modern cliché, we’ve had a “crazy busy” fall and are now planning all of next year’s fun. Our sincere thanks go to everyone who helped out - and attended - our 2016 Signature Event. Board member Bob Norris did a fabulous job chairing the event. Board member Liz Muhlenbeck co-chaired the silent auction committee with the staff, and other board members con-tributed sponsorships, purchased tables, and donated to the silent auction. Rene Goodwin presented a marvelous portrayal of Eleanor Roosevelt; emcee Larry Nielsen, with his usual skill, kept the evening running like clockwork. Join me in welcoming Kelsey Curnutt to the staff as our Museum Services Coordinator. Kelsey brings experi-ence and enthusiasm to the job and is already a part of the team. Be sure to stop in at the Museum Store and say hello! While you’re here, tour our new exhibit, “Wisdom Seekers: Andrews University from Battle Creek to Boxcars to Berrien Springs.” Andrews University and its forerun-ners, Battle Creek College and Emmanuel Missionary College, have been a key part of our county’s history for over a century, and we thought it was about time we created an exhibit to tell at least a part of its story. Board member Rebecca May, who is also the Campus & Community Rela-tions Director for Andrews University, helped us plan the exhibit and arranged loans of artifacts. We hope the exhibit inspires you to learn more about Andrews and heartily rec-ommend the excellent history of the university, As We Set Forth, by Andrews professor Meredith Jones Gray. The annual village-wide event Kindle Your Christ-mas Spirit is coming up on Thursday, December 1. There are lots of activities in town, including ice sculpting and horse-drawn carriage rides; here at the History Center we have Christmas carols in the courthouse, a warm fire in the Murdock Log House, and blacksmith Dave Francis mak-ing sleigh bells in the Bennett Forge blacksmith shop. Our Museum Store offers lots of gifts, including a fantastic book sale. We hope to see you here for this wonderful holiday event - admission is free. All of us here at the History Center wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Kathy A. Cyr

Executive Director

The DocketFall 2016, Vol. 32, No. 4

The Docket is published quarterly by the Berrien County Historical Association, 313 N. Cass Street, PO Box 261, Berrien Springs, MI 49103. (269) 471-1202

Editorial StaffKathy A. Cyr, Executive Director

Robert C. Myers, CuratorKelsey Curnutt, Museum Services Coordinator

The Docket is a benefit of membership in the BCHA. Annual membership dues to the BCHA are: $20 for individuals, $30 for families, and $40 for institutions. Supporting member-ships are: $40 Contributing, $50 Sustaining, $100 Patron, and $500 Benefactor.

© Berrien County Historical Association, 2016.

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Eleanor Roosevelt at our Signature Event

class in buildings at the old Courthouse Square, recently vacated by the County of Berrien when the county gov-ernment moved to St. Joseph. From these beginnings Andrews University has grown to become one of America’s most culturally-diverse campuses, attracting students and faculty from over one hundred different countries and has an undergraduate en-rollment of about 1,800 students. The community enjoys many different AU offerings, including WAUS Radio, the Howard Performing Arts Center, and Andrews Airpark. Andrews University has loaned many artifacts for the exhibit. These include china from the Battle Creek Sanitarium (a health institution operated by famed cereal inventor and Seventh-day Adventist John H. Kellogg); a slab of tree trunk from the Option Elm, under whose branches college officials met to purchase the Garland Farm for their new campus; EMC pennants; milk bottles from the EMC dairy; and much more. Wisdom Seekers is located in the Sheriff ’s Resi-dence here at the History Center. Museum hours are 10-5, Mondays through Saturdays; admission is free. Please stop by the History Center, say “hello,” and spend a little time with the history of Andrews University!

Wisdom Seekers (cont’d from front page)

Eleanor Roosevelt, portrayed by Rene Goodwin, delivered a fascinating account of her years as First Lady during the Great Depression and World War II. Goodwin, an actress and histo-rian with American Historical Theatre in Philadelphia, captured the persona of Mrs. Roosevelt, right down

to her accent and hand-made 1940s attire. As always, we staged the event at Lake Michigan College’s Grand Upton Hall. LMC provided the catering services, Jerry Vandenberg entertained the crowd with marimba music, and Paw Paw village manager Larry Nielsen served as the master of ceremonies. History Cen-ter board member Bob Norris chaired the event.

Thanks also go to all the businesses and individu-als that contributed sponsorships and items to the silent auction. We appreciate their support! The Signature Event raises funds to operate the History Center. We’re in the process of planning for next year’s speaker with American Historical Theatre.

Larry Nielsen served as our Master of Ceremonies Eleanor Roosevelt speaks with guests after her program.

Kelsey Curnutt Joins the History Center Staff

Stop by the His-tory Center and greet our new Museum Services Co-ordinator, Kelsey Curnutt. Kelsey is a graduate of Andrews University, where she majored in art his-tory and minored in busi-ness administration and French; and the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she earned a Mas-ter’s degree in arts administration. She has experience as an adjunct professor at Indiana University at South Bend, as an exhibit designer and adjunct professor for Andrews University’s Tall Hisban Cultural Heritage Project, and as a guest service representative for the Mackinac Island State Park Commission. Kelsey steps into the position recently vacated by Madge Bibler. As Museum Services Coordinator, Kelsey manages the Museum Store and handles memberships, event reservations, and about a million other tasks. We’re delighted to welcome her as part of the team!

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Curator’s CornerRecent Donations to the Museum Collections

Heathkit catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbra J. Kolm

Match safe, posters, photographs . . . . . . . . . . Daryl T. Schlender

Postcard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dearborn Historical Museum

Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EAA AirVenture Museum

Native American projectile points . . . . . . . . . Guntis A. Vitums

Photographs, calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jackie Hammond

Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donald & Martha Ryman

Big Crowds at Our Third Annual Haunted St. Joseph Tour Over 400 people enjoyed a gorgeous fall day as we led tours of haunted houses in the St. Joseph Historic District. We conduct the tours with our friends at The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph, who continued the tours at the St. Joseph City Cemetery. A big “Thank You” goes out to our tour guides: Kate Ulrey, Tim Aranyos, Paige Smillie, Kathy McAlhaney and Scott Bradford. Kate and her family own one of the houses on the tour, while our other guides are all mem-bers of Twin City Players theatre in St. Joseph. Another big “Thank You” goes to the St. Joseph Public School District that provided a school bus to take participants to the St. Joseph City Cemetery for a special tour of the cemetery and mausoleum. Even with six tour guides (History Center curator Bob Myers also led tours), the scheduled tour times sold out. We had some new stories, too, including numerous sight-ings of a woman in white in a house on State Street and a ghastly drowning in a bathtub. Residents keep coming

forward with more stories, so we should have even more material for next year’s tours. The tours really do have historical content, too. In addition to ghost stories, we acquaint participants with the construction dates, past owners, and architectural styles of houses in the city’s historic district. All of this goes along with our newest publication, Historic St. Joseph Walking Tour, which we offered for sale at the registration table. The historic district includes houses built in a wide variety of styles, from Greek Revival to Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. The Haunted St. Joseph Tour makes learning the architectural history even more fun for everyone.

Our thanks go to Barbra Kolm for her donation of this 1961 Heathkit catalog.

Our Ghoulish Guides for the Historic District area: Kate Ulrey, Tim Aranyos, Paige Smillie, Kathy McAlhaney and Scott Bradford.

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Enjoy Our Local History!

Greetings from Three Oaks ($25.95) Quantity: Total: $ Greetings from Benton Harbor ($27.95) Quantity: Total: $Greetings from St. Joseph ($27.95) Quantity: Total: $Greetings from Berrien Springs ($21.95) Quantity: Total: $Greetings from Buchanan ($24.95) Quantity: Total: $The Story of Buchanan ($14.95) Quantity: Total: $The Heyday of Hinchman ($18.95) Quantity: Total: $Historical Sketches of Berrien County ($23.95) Quantity: Total: $Autotram: Clark’s Aluminum Railcar ($16.95) Quantity: Total: $Locomotives Along the Lakeshore ($24.95) Quantity: Total: $Historic St. Joseph Walking Tour ($9.95) Quantity: Total: $

SPECIAL: Greetings from Buchanan & Story of Buchanan Quantity: Total: $Get both for $29.95! Subtotal: $

Discounts (Library 20% BCHA Members 10%) $State sales tax (6% for Michigan orders only) $Shipping ($4.95 for 1st book, $1.00 each additional book $

Total: $Save on shipping and pick up your books from the History Center Store!

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Touring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We enjoyed a delightful tour of the UP in Sep-tember. Bob likes to pretend that he arranges the weather conditions along the way, but in fact we really got lucky - we only had rain during our lunch at Taquahmenon Falls, and even then it quit in time for us to tour the beautiful state park there. We visited a great many sites during our 8-day tour, from Fort Michilimackinac to Mackinac Island, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Pictured Rocks, Taquahmenon Falls, Marquette, the Quincy Mine, and the Historic Fayette Townsite on the Garden Peninsula. As always on our tours, we had a great time, saw some outstanding historical sites, learned a lot, and ate far

Where Are We Going Next Year?

Everyone asks! We’re already planning four tours for 2017. More details are coming soon, but here’s a sneak preview: Delaware Bay Excursion will be an eight-day, seven-night tour of Delaware, Maryland and the Chesa-peake Bay on April 29 to May 6. We’ll tour Winterthur, the Hagley Museum, and Historic New Castle. An eco-tour around Chincoteague Island, Virginia, will take us to see the famous wild ponies (remember Misty of Chincote-ague?) and we’ll tour the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. It’ll be great fun!

Mark Twain is one of Bob’s favorite authors, so he’s working on a Mark Twain Tour to Hannibal, Mis-souri. Theatre is another favorite, so we’re considering a tour to Stratford, Ontario; both tours will be this summer. In the fall, we’re planning a visit to Quebec City and Montreal. French Quebec is just like visiting Europe - wonderful history, great scenery, and delicious food! We’ll keep you posted on these tours as we final-ize plans, and you can expect to receive a booklet on the Delaware Bay Excursion soon.

Our Pictured Rocks boat tour at Munising.

Our Gang on the last day of the tour, with the Mackinac Bridge in the background.

Most people on the tour had never partaken of that Upper Peninsula delicacy, the Pasty. Muldoon’s in Munising makes some of the best in the UP.

more than was good for us. We found that Michigan’s UP has a rich history and that the people there do a great job interpreting it. The restaurants are pretty good, too, es-pecially the apple dumplings at The Library in Marquette and the pasties at Muldoon’s in Munising. A big thank you to our driver, Jeff, and to Wendy, for helping make the trip so successful!

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400 Attend the Eagle Scout Blacksmith Festival

An estimated 400 people attended our Blacksmithing Festival on September 3, orga-nized by Niles Boy Scout Sam Kurtzweil with assistance from Troop 579. Sam raised over $1,100 to benefit our Bennett Forge Blacksmith Shop, and is currently planning repair work on the building. Several blacksmiths, including Sam, demonstrated their craft that day. Members of Troop 579 grilled and sold donated ham-burgers, hot dogs and soft drinks as part of the fundraiser. We hope to make the Blacksmithing Festival an annual event for the History Center. Look for it again next fall!

Boy Scout Sam Kurtzweil planned the Blacksmith Festival as part of the requirements to at-tain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Troop 579 served up burgers, hot dogs and kettle korn.

Blacksmiths set up portable forges all over the lawn.

Myers Elected President of the Historical Society of Michigan

History Center curator Bob Myers was elected president of the Historical Society of Michigan at the Society’s September conference in Alpena. The Historical Society of Michigan is the state’s oldest cultural organiza-tion, founded in 1828 by Michigan’s territorial governor, Lewis Cass. HSM engages in a wide variety of activities and services. It publishes Michigan History Magazine, Michi-gan History for Kids, and The Chronicle; operates the Cen-tennial Farms and Michigan Milestones programs that recognize farms, businesses and organizations; conducts conferences and workshops; runs Michigan History Day (an affiliate of National History Day) for student history projects; and much more.

Myers will serve as president for the upcoming year, and also chairs its Nominations and Awards Com-mittee. HSM’s State History Awards are presented at the Society’s fall conference to recognize excellence in pub-lications, programs, historic preservation, volunteer and professional service, and more. HSM also has an Upper Peninsula Conference every June, where it presents two additional awards: the Superior Award, which recognizes an organization; and the Charles Follo Award, which honors the contributions of an individual to the preserva-tion and promotion of UP history. To learn more about the Historical Society of Michigan, visit its website at www.hsmichigan.org.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDBerrien Springs, MI

PERMIT NO. 38

Post Office Box 261Berrien Springs, MI 49103

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Ongoing: Exhibit, Wisdom Seekers: Andrews University from Battle Creek to Boxcars to Berrien Springs. 10-5, Mondays - Saturdays.

December 1: Kindle Your Christmas Spirit, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

January 26: Winter program Series. 2:00 p.m. Topic TBD.

February 23: Winter program Series. 2:00 p.m. Topic TBD.

March 23: Winter program Series. 2:00 p.m. Topic TBD.

April 25: History Center Annual Meeting. 7:00 p.m.

April 29 - May 6: Delaware Bay Excursion: Bus tour to Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Continuing and Upcoming Events

Don’t miss “Kindle Your Christmas Spirit,” our annual Christmas event, on Thursday, December 1, 6-9 p.m.