- Video shows three museums participating in Free Museum Day on May 10.
- There are 13 museums participating, some of which are the Mann House in Concord, Conklin Reed Organ Museum in Hanover, and Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor
- You can find a full list of all participating museums here.
Each year, Jackson County's Free Museum Day is like jumping into a history book.
In Concord, the Mann House has been a state museum for 55 years.
This historical home was built in 1883, and every item inside is treated as an artifact.
"They decided their legacy, they had no children, would be the state of Michigan. They donated the house and all of its contents," explains Laurie Perkins, Site Historian.
The Mann House isn't the only spot with unique, antique instruments.
Donna Cartmell, President of the Hanover Horton Historical Society, shares, "Not many communities as small as us have a museum, and one that is unique as this."
Over in Hanover, 100 reed organs sit in the Conklin Reed Organ Museum. A museum where everything can be touched.
"This collection is one-of-a-kind because they are all playable," says Cartmell. "It's a hidden gem in Jackson County."
Speaking of hidden gems...
"Our cars are really beautiful, if you look at how large they are an unique they are," says Judi Ganton, Owner and Curator of Ye Ole Carriage Shop. "They were a lot nicer, actually, than a Model-T or a Model-A."
Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor is packed with cars made during Jackson's Booming Automotive Industry.
Cars, Coca Cola, and countless other Jackson artifacts are preserved in this museum. Ganton explains, "I think that, if you don't preserve them, you won't know that they even existed."
You can visit each of these museums, and several others, for free on May 10.
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