The Region of Three Oaks Museum

Name: The Region of Three Oaks Museum
Address: 5 Featherbone Avenue, Three Oaks, MI, 49128, US
Telephone: +12693369688
Price range: $

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The Region of Three Oaks Museum

The Region of Three Oaks Museum is open 12-5 PM, Friday-Sunday, from May through October. K. O.

The Region of Three Oaks Museum collects and displays historical artifacts, papers and records that tell the story of New Buffalo, Chikaming, Weesaw, and Three Oaks Townships. An earlier museum, the Chamberlain Memorial Museum, was founded in 1916 by the E. Warren Foundation (the first foundation chartered in the state of Michigan). The museum contained some 80,000 artifacts, but was dissolved in

the 1950's, its collections transferred to Michigan State University. In 2008, a group of local citizens set about creating a new Region of Three Oaks Museum, mounting a capital campaign and building a new building on Featherbone Avenue in Three Oaks. The museum is just to the west of Elm Street-- adjacent to the Acorn Theater, one block from Vickers Theater and two blocks from Dewey Cannon Park. Our exhibits, focusing on area history, change frequently, and we offer programs on historical topics of local interest throughout the year,

Mailing Address: TROTOM, P. Box 121, Three Oaks, MI 49128-0121
Email address: [email protected]

09/02/2026

With hot summer weather back, here's a very early photo of Three Oaks' Boys of Summer-- the town baseball team. It was shot in a very small and somewhat primitive studio-- you can see walls and windows on the side. This might have taken place in the village's first photo studio, run by Fred Warren and then Susan Wagner Churchill in the 1870s-1880s.
If you want to beat the heat this weekend, the museum is open 12-5 Friday-Sunday, and on Labor Day Monday, as well. It's FREE, though donations are welcome-- 5 Featherbone Avenue.

09/01/2026

In the early 20th century, "poverty parties" became popular. Invitations were full of intentional spelling and grammatical mistakes, and had a snarky tone about poor folks.
Here's an invitation to one in Union Pier, year unknown.

08/30/2026

Susan Mitchell of Three Oaks, Miss Teenage America of 1984. Anyone know where she is today?
Museum's open Sunday, 12-5. Come for a visit-- 5 Featherbone Ave.

08/28/2026

We thought we'd seen most every product made by the Warren Company of Three Oaks. Then-- yesterday looking through the Michigan State University collection-- we came across the necktie made in Three Oaks!
Museum's open today and through the weekend, 12-5 PM, at 5 Featherbone Avenue. No tie required-- come as you are!

08/27/2026

Museum volunteers spent a busy day in Lansing, scanning old photos and documents, and looking for artifacts that will go in our new displays on the Warren family and Featherbone Company-- the ones that we'll put together in the new Warren Annex of the museum at 7 S. Elm St. Judy Jackson, Mark Baltes, Art Klute, and Nick Bogert all want to say a big THANKS to Lynne Swanson, the MSU Collections Manager, for all her help (Lynne is front and center in the group shot).
You'll be seeing some of what we found on this page in the next few days and weeks.
Meanwhile, the museum is open tomorrow and through the weekend, 12-5 PM, at 5 Featherbone Avenue.

08/26/2026

Here's the program for the Junior Class Play at Three Oaks HS 100 years ago-- "The Adventures of Grandpa". One cast member was Three Oaks High's greatest-ever athlete, Joe Savoldi, who starred for the Oakers, then Notre Dame, then the Chicago Bears, and then became a globe-trotting wrestler and eventually a spy in World War II. In this play, Savoldi played Officer McCormick, "Who seen his duty and done it."
The museum will be open 12-5 Friday and through the weekend at 5 Featherbone Avenue. No admission charge, and we've got interesting stories to tell.

08/25/2026

70 years ago, Laurent Novikoff died in New Buffalo. In his day, he was a renowned ballet dancer, partner to Anna Pavlova, the prima ballerina of the age. Novikoff moved to the US in 1927, becoming the director of the Chicago Opera Ballet. He retired to his home on Riviera Road in New Buffalo, lending his dance expertise to shows at the Michiana Summer Theater.

08/23/2026

An astounding picture just in to TROTOM-- Paul Oselka of New Buffalo, posing with a huge sturgeon caught in local waters in 1953. How huge? Michigan's DNR, in 2024, said a 125-pound sturgeon (6' 3" long) was the biggest ever caught in their yearly catch-and-release sturgeon survey.
The photo says Oselka's sturgeon measured 7' 1" in length and weighed 210 pounds.
Museum is open today, Sunday, from 12-5 PM. If you're casting about for something fun to do, come visit us!

08/22/2026

Saturday, August 22 marks the 200th birthday of George Blakeslee, who was Mr. Everything in early Galien history. Moving to town in 1856, Blakeslee owned a sawmill (making 1.5 million broom handles a year), ran the general store in town, farmed extensive properties, and served as Galien's postmaster and Justice of the Peace. He and wife Lydia had 9 children.
The museum's current exhibit on general stores has more on George Blakeslee. Stop in this weekend-- we're open 12-5 on Saturday and Sunday.

Address

5 Featherbone Avenue
Three Oaks, MI
49128

Telephone

+12693369688

Website

http://regionofthreeoaksmuseum.com/

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