Future Home of the
Society's Discovery Center

The 1866 Old School House (The Douglas Union School), is now in the possession of the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society. This stately national landmark is the oldest multi-classroom school building in Michigan and one of the finest examples of 19th century school architecture in America.

Along with its six city lots of lawn and woods, it is to be transformed into a "Discovery Center" where Saugatuck-Douglas citizens and visitors can benefit in a multitude of ways from the area's rich history and culture.

Creating A Space for Discovering History and Bringing it Alive

The Back-In-Time School Room Experience - A row of school lockers containing artifacts of school life from different points of time since 1866.

The Creation Station Project - A workshop and exhibition factory where individuals and groups of all ages will be able to develop their own public exhibits.

The Discovery Room - A place for individuals or groups of all ages to view, hear, read, and talk about our history and environment using the Historical Society's extensive collections.

The Knowing Our Ancestors Project - A designated area for researching family genealogy.

A Center for Visitors and Heritage Tourism - An attractive visitor center offering introductions to the greater Saugatuck-Douglas area and to the activities and resources within the Old School House.


Learning, Growing, Exploring: Dedicated to the Community

The Historical Society Archives - A safe, climate-controlled home for the Society's ever-expanding collection of historically important objects, paper, memorabilia, artwork, and photographs. A workshop and exhibition factory where individuals and groups of all ages will be able to develop their own public exhibits.

The Historical Society Tech Center - A large and efficient new production space to support and digitize the growing historic information collections.

The Skills Learning Center - a place for people to gain skills and experience in working with archives, digital imaging technology, oral history interviews, historic building surveys, historical research, and museum management.