Livingston County Museums

If you've been in Livingston County for a while, you're familiar with the number of museums in the Ann Arbor area - just about 30 minutes away.  But did you know about some of the local museums right here in Livingston County?  I have six to share with you, but I'll post three today and three next week.  In alphabetical order they are:

The Aeronca Aircraft History Museum.  Even some pilots in the area don't know about this online-only museum, which began in 2010.  Aeronca was the first company to build a commercially successful general aviation aircraft. They also built a popular trainer aircraft during WW II and some observation planes, too. These days, Aeronca builds components for large companies like Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed and Northrop Grumman. Their website has a large amount of pictures, schematics, manuals, videos and yes, apparel for sale.  They also have a great facebook page, too.  Contact them by facebook, email or the listed phone number.

The Florence B. Dearing Museum in Hartland.  Located right in the heart of the village, this museum is located in the old Township Hall. It's named for the Cromaine librarian that started the collection of items representing the history of the Hartland area. Operated by the Hartland Area Historical Society, hours are irregular. They can be contacted via their web site or facebook page.

The Hamburg Historical Museum. Located in a building that dates back to the 1850's, they thought they were losing their building a few years ago, but an arrangement was made with the Hamburg Township Historical Society, the Hamburg Township Board of Trustees and the Hamburg Township Library Board to save this museum. They operate a tea room, a 'Basement Treasures' gift shop and a model train area.  An active fundraiser is called 'Raise The Roof' to replace an old section of flat roofing.  This is a fairly new museum, too, started in 2004. Check out their facebook page.

Most of the museums are looking for new members and volunteers.  If you have an interest, contact them through their respective web sites.

Next week, I'll finish off with the Howell Depot Museum, the Refrigeration Research Museum, and the Arthur Secunda Museum.  If I've missed a Livingston County museum, please send the information to me and I'll recognize it, too.

Aeronca logo courtesy Wikipedia
Hartland logo courtesy Florence B. Dearing Museum facebook page