About the Keweenaw County Historical Society

The Keweenaw County Historical Society, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3)* organization, was established in 1981 to preserve and share the history of the county. It has over 1,200 members, many of whom are life members. It operates a number of museums that are open to the public in the summer, publishes a triannual newsletter and several booklets, runs various programs for adults and children in the summer, maintains an archive of relevant documents, and actively maintains various historical properties.

The members of the Society have profound respect for those who  created the history we now study and preserve. And we have a profound responsibility to those who will come after, to ensure that the history is still there. We are the connecting link, and it is important that we do our job well. Every membership and every gift is vital – we could not continue the Society’s important and exciting work without such support.

The Mission of the Keweenaw County Historical Society is:
To discover, document and disseminate the history of Keweenaw County through research, historical property preservation and restoration, development and maintenance of historical museums and archival collections, the production and publication of historical focused media and the conduct of historical education programs and events.

Officers and Trustees of the Keweenaw County Historical Society

Society President - Mel Jones
Vice President - Karen Hintz
Secretary - Ruth Lessard
Treasurer - Nancy Molloy

Trustees -

• Laura Bonde
• Anita Campbell
• Judy Davis
• Elaine Hall, Deputy Treasurer
• John (Jack) B. Marta
• Lisa Marta
• Tim Olson
  
• Mark F. Rowe
• Virginia Schubert
• Mary McKendrick
  

Honorary Trustees -      

• Virginia Petermann Jamison (deceased)
• Richard Dana
• Peter Van Pelt
• Eloise D. Liddicoat (deceased)
• Larry Molloy
• Clarence J. Monette (deceased)
• David H. Thomas

The Lauri Leskinen Award
The Lauri Leskinen Award is given for outstanding service to the Society. Each year the KCHS presents the Lauri W. Leskinen Memorial Award, named for the founder and first president of the Society, to someone who has made noteworthy contributions to the preservation and sharing of the history of Keweenaw County. The most recent recipient is Duane Coponen who received the Award for 2021.

COVID POLICY
The Keweenaw County Historical Society’s Board of Directors will follow the COVID-19 Epidemic Orders issued by the State of Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services.  These public health orders are updated as needed, so KCHS may need to change access to buildings and events.