Variety will reign in July at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum with metal detecting, Sauk Trail history, and music on the museum’s back deck.

A badge from the 1894 Columbian Exposition (The Chicago World’s Fair), a 1925 dance card from the University of Illinois Military Ball, a running board from a 1909 Model T, printing plates from the Edwardsburg Argus, and a 1935 half dime. Neil Hassinger will address all of these, discovered while metal detecting.

Hassinger, a Niles native who, with his wife, Kathleen, has lived in Edwardsburg for 38 years, will speak on “What’s Underfoot in Edwardsburg” at 7 p.m., Thurs., July 17.

It is just one of the things Hassinger has done after retiring from a business he owned. A 1977 graduate of Niles High School, he attended Southwestern Michigan College. In addition to metal detecting, he is involved with the archaeological digs conducted each summer by Western Michigan University at the Fort St. Joseph site along the St. Joseph River in Niles. He also serves as a museum volunteer and actively participates in reenactments.

On July 22, the display, “Sauk Trail: Echoes of Our Past,” will open. The exhibit will feature artifacts on loan from the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi, which will curate the showcase. Also included are grinding wheels, stones, woodworking tools, and old axes that were used when Edwardsburg was settled. The display will be featured during the Sauk Trail Festival on September 27.

The Relics band will perform at the museum at 7 p.m., Sat., July 26, on the museum’s back deck. Classic rock and pop music will be selections from the group’s repertoire.

Admission to all three events is free.

“EDWARDSBURG, MICHIGAN, JUNE 15, 2025 — The America250MI Committee has awarded the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum $2,975 as part of the first round of the America250MI History Grant Program. The grant is for the museum’s deck renovation.

The renovation of the 20-year-old deck will ensure its continued safety for handicap access. The work will include replacing deck boards, railings, and support posts. New wooden beams will be installed as needed on the 12-foot by 36-foot structure. The deck ramp will feature new metal handrails on both sides. Work will be completed this summer for the museum’s Sauk Trail Event,  “Echoes of Our Past, “set for Sat., Sept. 27. Reenactors will use the deck for special presentations.

The America250MI History Grant Program is funding projects that will help preserve Michigan’s history for future generations. The grant program represents a key element of the state’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Edwardsburg museum is participating locally in this project.

In 2020, Governor Whitmer directed the Historical Society of Michigan and the Michigan History Center to coordinate the state’s commemoration of the anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. The two organizations created the America250MI Committee to aid and advise this effort.

America250MI is Michigan’s statewide committee tasked with commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, the American Revolution’s role in Michigan’s history and the impact that these, and various historical events, have had on the people of Michigan’s past, present and future.

Established in 1828, the Historical Society of Michigan is Michigan’s oldest cultural organization and helps connect Michigan’s past to its residents and organizations through programs and events, publications, awards, workshops, networking opportunities and support for local history organizations. The society is a member-supported educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and receives zero state-appropriated funding. 

The Michigan History Center fosters curiosity, enjoyment and inspiration rooted in Michigan’s stories through museums, historic sites, Michigan Historical Markers, heritage trails, archaeology and programming. The center, a part of the Department of Natural Resources, manages 11 museums statewide, museum and archaeology artifact collections and various educational programs.”

The 2025 season at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum will get underway on April 15, when the first exhibit, “Everyone Loves a Parade,” opens. The display features a variety of pictures from past Edwardsburg parades, along with parade memorabilia such as commemorative plates and mugs. The Edwardsburg High School band department has loaned several instruments which will be housed in the museum’s glass cases.

The second exhibit, “Sauk Trail: Echoes of the Past,” will be front and center from July 22 to November 1. That display will be highlighted by two glass cases of artifacts that the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians will loan to the museum and set up. Other museum areas will showcase items that would have been used when the Village of Edwardsburg was first settled in the 1820s, such as grinding wheels and stones, woodworking tools, and old axes.

“Tis the Season,” will end the year. It will highlight all items that revolve around the holidays, with trees, garlands, and many ornaments. That display will run from Nov. 4 through Dec. 13.

The museum opens a month early this year. Hours are 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It also will be open on the second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. It will close Dec. 13 and re-open in mid-spring, 2026.