National Museum of the Great Lakes Announces Micro Exhibit for New Donated Artifacts

The National Museum of the Great Lakes announced a special micro exhibit showcasing special artifacts it has acquired over the past year from generous donations. The exhibit, titled “Gifts from the Great Lakes: A New Addition to Our Collection” includes unique pieces of maritime history from the Great Lakes, including a 1930s flare gun, a brass steam gauge from the American Shipbuilding yard in Toledo, and personal belongings of Horace Harrison from his WWII service in the U.S. Coast Guard on Lake Michigan.

“The artifacts help tell the stories, and what we’re here for as a museum is to help preserve those stories,” said Carrie Sowden, archaeological director of the museum, reports the Toledo Blade. “We can do that in books and stuff, but it’s more exciting and interesting when it’s in artifacts. … There’s a way to experience history by seeing something, rather than just reading about it.”

The exhibit is included in museum admission, and is on display until December 2, 2024.

“Sometimes we can tell the stories that we don’t tell in our current permanent exhibits,” added Ring Lardner, collections coordinator for the National Museum of the Great Lakes, reports the Toledo Blade. “It gives us a chance to bring those to light, talk about the people involved with them, and things of that nature.”

Learn more at nmgl.org.