Specialties
The Beaver Island Historical Society operates two museums: The Print Shop and Marine Museum; an outdoor museum at Heritage Park, and maintains one historic property: Protar's Cabin and Tomb. The print shop houses collections depicting Native American history of the Beaver Island Archipelago, Strangites (a Mormon colony & James Jesse Strang: self proclaimed king), Irish Immigrants, Natural History, and Island Life. The Marine Museum collection depicts the Island's rich Maritime history of boat builders, commercial fishing, the Island Ferries, and local shipwrecks (e.g. Maragold, Carl D. Bradley, Niko and others). The Heritage Park collection houses the first Island generator, road grader, early farming equipment and more. Protar's Cabin is a log cabin built in 1832 and was home to Fedor Protar who served as a doctor and healer to the Island residents. Protar arrived on the island in 1893 and died in 1925. His nearby tomb is made of local stone with a bronze memoral in his image.