Over the holidays I was able to mark one of my favorite Heritage Hall traditions—changing out some of the contents in the exhibit cases. It’s been three years, and I still smile when I see someone read a label or pause for a closer look at the items on display. And just because you’ve seen the exhibits once doesn’t mean you’re done! We change out at least something in every case at least once a year.
The biggest changes take place in the Period Office Case, which is annually redressed to reflect one of the departments, boards, or commissions that were originally headquartered in our Capitol between 1879 and the 1960s, when the Legislature kicked them out and impatiently asked them to move elsewhere. (Also yes, some of those entities left much earlier—it’s complicated.)
Throughout 2026, in conjunction with the national America 250 celebration, the office is dressed to look like the workspace of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society Museum, which was located in the east wing of the fourth floor from 1879—1922. The museum first originated in the Michigan State Library in 1873 and its items were exhibited in library space in the old State Office Block from 1873-1878. In 1878, the Pioneer Society (whose board included State Librarian Harriet Tenney) secured two rooms in the east wing of the fourth floor of the new Capitol.
Like many Victorian institutions, the Pioneer Society Museum was very much a volunteer effort . . . and those volunteers accepted virtually EVERYTHING offered that had any remote tie to Michigan. Including taxidermy. Which is why I asked the Secretary of the Senate’s Office for a one-year loan of the stuffed turkey affectionately known as Wayne.
The most significant new-to-us item in the case is the walking stick, which was donated to us by the descendants of Governor Winans last year. It is his personal walking stick, which dates to his time in California where he prospected for gold and ended up serving as a significant banker and local developer. Winans, a Democrat, served in the Governor’s Office 1891-1892.
Those of you who are into political ephemera and vintage Capitol souvenirs should stop by the Our Capitol case, which contains many “new” items from the mid-twentieth century, including some cufflinks from Governor Milliken, a bicentennial mug, and a pitcher celebrating Lansing’s old Fisher Body auto plant.
The Our Capitol case also includes a few items on loan to us from Dan Templin, whose father, MSP Trooper Ken Templin, served as Governor Kim Sigler’s security officer and, after retiring from MSP as a detective, served as a Senate sergeant at arms in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
-Valerie Marvin, Capitol Education & History Director
