Features

VIDEO: Point Betsie Lighthouse flyover

May 18, 2025

MI Travelogue is a presentation of Preferred Credit Union, www.preferredcu.org, located locally at 266 N. Jebavy Dr., Ludington. By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief FRANKFORT — Five miles north of Frankfort, in Benzie County, is Point Betsie Lighthouse. Built in 1858, the lighthouse’s 37-foot-tall tower rises 52 feet above Lake Michigan. The lighthouse still serves as an active navigational aid for vessels…

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The SS Pere Marquette, first steel car ferry on the Great Lakes

May 17, 2025

This Maritime History Blog is a presentation of the Mason County Historical Society’s Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, ludingtonmaritimemuseum.org, located at 217 S. Lakeshore Dr., Ludington. By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief The Flint & Pere Marquette Railway entered cross-lake freight service in 1875, one year after the completion of the railroad that terminated in Ludington (read related story here). In 1892,…

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Mason County Historical Society hires museum engagement manager

May 16, 2025

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief LUDINGTON — The Mason County Historical recently hired Caleb Ackerman as its new museum engagement manager. In the newly created position, Ackerman will be responsible for marketing, communications, membership management, and donor engagement. He will also be responsible for management of the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum. Ackerman is a graduate of Zeeland High School and…

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The Ann Arbor No. 1, first Lake Michigan car ferry

May 10, 2025

This Maritime History Blog is a presentation of the Mason County Historical Society’s Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, ludingtonmaritimemuseum.org, located at 217 S. Lakeshore Dr., Ludington. By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief The first railroad to offer car ferry service across Lake Michigan was the Toledo Ann Arbor & North Michigan Railway, predecessor of the Ann Arbor Railroad, with the debut of…

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Maritime History Blog: The Break-Bulk Freighters, predecessors to the car ferries

May 4, 2025

  This Maritime History Blog is a presentation of the Mason County Historical Society’s Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, ludingtonmaritimemuseum.org, located at 217 S. Lakeshore Dr., Ludington. By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief Construction of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway began in Saginaw, Michigan in 1859 and terminated in Ludington December 1874. From its inception the railroad’s executives envisioned transporting freight…

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Eats & Drinks

Eats & Drinks

Eats & Drinks