Exhibits

The Finnish American Heritage Center at Finlandia University recently installed three exhibits. They include a photographic exhibit titled “Rural Reflections: Finnish American Buildings and Landscapes in Michigan’s Copper Country”; a historic photography exhibit named “People, Place and Time: Michigan’s Copper Country Through the Lens of J.W. Nara”; and a pair of lithographs acquired by the National Park Service which were on either side of the Italian Hall stage the night of the infamous Christmas Eve tragedy 100 years ago. The “Rural Reflections” exhibit documents the built environment that Finnish immigrants and their descendants created in Michigan's Copper Country from the 1880s through the 1930s. Although much of this heritage has been lost with the passage of time, the district yet holds one of the largest concentrations of rural Finnish buildings and cultural landscapes in North America. The Nara exhibit, funded in part by descendants Robert and Ruth Nara of Bootjack Michigan, works from historical photographs held at the Michigan Tech Archives. Interpretive panels highlight the people, places, and times that J.W. Nara experienced during his lifetime and include material on urban life, farming, and the 1913 Michigan copper miners’ strike. The lithographs are a recent and unique acquisition for the Keweenaw National Historical Park, and will be on protected display at the FAHC. One of the panels shows the Italian royal family and was produced in 1908, while the other, produced in 1905, is of the five founders of the modern Italian state. For more information about the exhibits at the Finnish American Heritage Center, call (906) 487-7302.

Exhibits

The Finnish American Heritage Center at Finlandia University recently installed three exhibits. They include a photographic exhibit titled “Rural Reflections: Finnish American Buildings and Landscapes in Michigan’s Copper Country”; a historic photography exhibit named “People, Place and Time: Michigan’s Copper Country Through the Lens of J.W. Nara”; and a pair of lithographs acquired by the National Park Service which were on either side of the Italian Hall stage the night of the infamous Christmas Eve tragedy 100 years ago. The “Rural Reflections” exhibit documents the built environment that Finnish immigrants and their descendants created in Michigan's Copper Country from the 1880s through the 1930s. Although much of this heritage has been lost with the passage of time, the district yet holds one of the largest concentrations of rural Finnish buildings and cultural landscapes in North America. The Nara exhibit, funded in part by descendants Robert and Ruth Nara of Bootjack Michigan, works from historical photographs held at the Michigan Tech Archives. Interpretive panels highlight the people, places, and times that J.W. Nara experienced during his lifetime and include material on urban life, farming, and the 1913 Michigan copper miners’ strike. The lithographs are a recent and unique acquisition for the Keweenaw National Historical Park, and will be on protected display at the FAHC. One of the panels shows the Italian royal family and was produced in 1908, while the other, produced in 1905, is of the five founders of the modern Italian state. For more information about the exhibits at the Finnish American Heritage Center, call (906) 487-7302.

Exhibits

The Finnish American Heritage Center at Finlandia University recently installed three exhibits. They include a photographic exhibit titled “Rural Reflections: Finnish American Buildings and Landscapes in Michigan’s Copper Country”; a historic photography exhibit named “People, Place and Time: Michigan’s Copper Country Through the Lens of J.W. Nara”; and a pair of lithographs acquired by the National Park Service which were on either side of the Italian Hall stage the night of the infamous Christmas Eve tragedy 100 years ago. The “Rural Reflections” exhibit documents the built environment that Finnish immigrants and their descendants created in Michigan's Copper Country from the 1880s through the 1930s. Although much of this heritage has been lost with the passage of time, the district yet holds one of the largest concentrations of rural Finnish buildings and cultural landscapes in North America. The Nara exhibit, funded in part by descendants Robert and Ruth Nara of Bootjack Michigan, works from historical photographs held at the Michigan Tech Archives. Interpretive panels highlight the people, places, and times that J.W. Nara experienced during his lifetime and include material on urban life, farming, and the 1913 Michigan copper miners’ strike. The lithographs are a recent and unique acquisition for the Keweenaw National Historical Park, and will be on protected display at the FAHC. One of the panels shows the Italian royal family and was produced in 1908, while the other, produced in 1905, is of the five founders of the modern Italian state. For more information about the exhibits at the Finnish American Heritage Center, call (906) 487-7302.

Exhibits

The Carnegie Museum in downtown Houghton has a pair of Finnish-connected exhibits on display. A photographic exhibit titled “The Last Days of Italian Hall” by local photographer Eric Munch will be open to the public, as well as “Family Ties: Memorials to Those Lost in the 1913 Italian Hall Tragedy” by the Houghton-Keweenaw Genealogical Society. Munch’s photographs were taken in the early and mid 1980s, shortly after he moved to the Copper Country, and consist of both interior and exterior shots of the Hall, including some taken at the time of its demolition. The “Family Ties” exhibit is the result of a project through which HKGS members researched the genealogy of every Italian Hall tragedy victim. Also on exhibit is "From the Old School: Memories from the Old Houghton High School 1923-1989". Exhibit includes oral histories by former students and faculty recorded as a community project by students from the Class of 2013. Winning projects from the Western UP Science Fair (grades 4-8) are also being displayed. Carnegie Museum exhibit information can be obtained by calling (906) 482-7140.

Exhibits

The Carnegie Museum in downtown Houghton has a pair of Finnish-connected exhibits on display. A photographic exhibit titled “The Last Days of Italian Hall” by local photographer Eric Munch will be open to the public, as well as “Family Ties: Memorials to Those Lost in the 1913 Italian Hall Tragedy” by the Houghton-Keweenaw Genealogical Society. Munch’s photographs were taken in the early and mid 1980s, shortly after he moved to the Copper Country, and consist of both interior and exterior shots of the Hall, including some taken at the time of its demolition. The “Family Ties” exhibit is the result of a project through which HKGS members researched the genealogy of every Italian Hall tragedy victim. Also on exhibit is "From the Old School: Memories from the Old Houghton High School 1923-1989". Exhibit includes oral histories by former students and faculty recorded as a community project by students from the Class of 2013. Winning projects from the Western UP Science Fair (grades 4-8) are also being displayed. Carnegie Museum exhibit information can be obtained by calling (906) 482-7140.