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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — Maritime historian, author and shipwreck explorer Valerie van Heest, whose work has helped shape the visitor experience at all three Mason County Historical Society museums, will be the featured speaker at the society’s annual dinner meeting Thursday, Dec. 3.
Van Heest, one of Michigan’s leading maritime historians and shipwreck researchers, will present “History of the Great Lakes,” based on her new book, “A History of the Great Lakes in Twelve Shipwrecks.” The program will explore 250 years of Great Lakes history through a dozen shipwrecks, showing how these underwater discoveries reveal broader stories of conflict, settlement, innovation and change.
The annual meeting will take place at the United Methodist Church of Ludington, 5810 Bryant Road. Doors will open at 5:45 p.m., with dinner beginning at 6 p.m. The society’s annual business meeting and organizational updates will follow dinner, and van Heest’s presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Van Heest is co-founder and president of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association and has helped discover about 20 shipwrecks off Michigan’s west coast while participating in archaeological investigations at more than 50 shipwreck sites throughout the Great Lakes.
Her work combines archival research with underwater exploration, including side-scan sonar surveys, remotely operated vehicles and archaeological documentation. She has also spent years investigating the disappearance of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, which vanished over Lake Michigan in 1950 with 58 people aboard.
Van Heest has strong ties to Mason County. Through her Holland-based firm, Lafferty van Heest & Associates, she has helped shape the visitor experience at all three Mason County Historical Society sites. She led exhibit design for the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and the Rose Hawley Archives, designed the Heritage Trail interpretive signs at Historic White Pine Village and created the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame Museum exhibit, “Beyond the Game: The Value of Sports.”
An award-winning author, van Heest has written numerous books about Great Lakes maritime history, including “Lost on the Lady Elgin,” “Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501,” “Lost & Found: Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks” and “Buckets and Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader.”
Her newest book, “A History of the Great Lakes in Twelve Shipwrecks,” will be available for purchase at the meeting. Van Heest will also sign copies, providing attendees an opportunity to purchase signed books.
The Mason County Historical Society, formally organized in 1937, is a private nonprofit educational organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Mason County and its people.
The society operates Historic White Pine Village, the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, the Rose Hawley Archives, and the Mason County Emporium and Gift Shop. Through its museums, historical collections, educational programs and preservation efforts, the organization works to connect present and future generations with the people, places and events that shaped Mason County.
Rebecca Berringer, executive director of the historical society, said the annual meeting provides an opportunity for members and supporters to gather, reflect on the organization’s accomplishments during the past year and learn about plans for the future.
Tickets for the dinner and program are $40 per person. Reservations must be made by Monday, Nov. 23.
Tickets are available online.
For more information, call 231-843-4808 or email michelle@mchshistory.org.
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