Ludington City Councilor Mike Shaw operates the wheel to the SS Pere Marquette 22 pilothouse simulator while Mayor Mark Barnett operates the engine order telegraphs, with the assistance of museum volunteer Mike Brabrock. Councilor Cheri Stibitz, back left, Rebecca Berringer, society excecutive director, and James Jensen, society president, watch.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Following their regular meeting Tuesday afternoon, members of the Ludington City Council’s Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Committee toured the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum. Directors and staff from the Mason County Historical Society discussed the city’s relationship with the historical society and future plans for the facility.
The museum, located at 217 S. Lakeshore Drive, was the site of Coast Guard Station Ludington from 1934 to 2004, when a new facility adjacent to the previous one opened. The U.S. government turned the facility over to the City of Ludington, which then leased it to the historical society. Following a campaign that raised more than $5 million, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum opened in 2017.
“I have been to the museum several times and learn something each time,” said Mayor Mark Barnett. “This museum offers such a variety of exhibits, from the history of the car ferries to the Armistice Day Storm exhibit. It’s incredible to experience and learn about what happened in that devastating storm.”
The Armistice Day Storm exhibit pays tribute to the Nov. 11, 1940, storm that sank three ships and grounded a car ferry between Ludington and Little Point Sable.
The Mason County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization supported through memberships, event and museum ticket sales, and donations. Founded in 1937, the society preserves and promotes local history through its museums, programs and archival collections. It operates the Rose Hawley Archives, Historic White Pine Village, Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and the Mason County Emporium.
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