Chelsea Historical Museum

About

Chelsea is a city rich in history & CAHS is proud to be a vital part of maintaining and sharing our community's history to current and future generations.

Story

History of CAHS:

The Chelsea Area Historical Society was founded in 1974, and incorporated as a Michigan non-profit 501c(3) organization in 1981. Since its beginning, CAHS has been a vital part of the Chelsea community by contributing to community events like the Chelsea Community Fair and anniversary celebrations, such as the recent 175th anniversary; by providing historic tours, antique appraisal shows, and local history programs; by assisting area businesses and residents in their historic research; and by collecting and displaying Chelsea’s rich heritage. CAHS has also researched and purchased two Michigan State Historic Markers for Chelsea—one for the Welfare Building and the other for the 1880 depot.

Since its founding, CAHS has been a nomadic organization, meeting in various locations including the Public Library and members’ homes. Between 1988 and 2006, was kept alive by two very dedicated and hard-working women who shared a dream: Kathy Clark and Marge Hepburn. The society’s collection of artifacts, manuscripts, and materials could often be found stored in boxes under Kathy’s beds at her Cavanaugh Lake home. But as time went on, the friends’ dream began to take root. Monthly membership meetings and a small museum were maintained in the Chelsea Depot. The Depot Association offered display space for historical collections, and visitors began appearing increasingly frequently on Saturdays to play with an elaborate train set, study the antique clothing displayed on mannequins, and ask questions.

In 2006, a renewed interest in the organization took hold, and the Gourmet Chocolate Café on North Main Street offered display and storage space, bringing new life to the historical society. Our membership began growing, our monthly meetings featured educational and informative programs, we began digitizing manuscripts and photographs, and our outreach began in earnest.

In May 2010, without a home for our heritage identified, CAHS had to move the museum artifacts and collections into storage, and monthly membership meetings and public history programs were again held at the Chelsea Depot. Then in the fall of 2010, thanks to the generosity of Lynda Collins, we were able to lease the Archie Wilkinson House, where our collections have expanded significantly. During our stay there, we have :

•Completed a tour of the cemetery and a booklet for visitors.
•Created a walking tour of downtown Chelsea and launched another booklet project.
•Produced the 175th anniversary commemorative book.
•Quadrupled our collections of artifacts and photographs.
•Worked with local educators to incorporate Chelsea history into school curricula.
•Maintained regular weekly museum hours.
•Coordinated research and interview projects with the McKune Memorial Library.
•Adopted the Monitors, a history-minded baseball team.
•And began establishing a regional reputation. Thanks to the generosity of Howdy Holmes, the Purple Rose Theater, and other downtown businesses, we mounted a display of "Industry and Arts in Chelsea" at the Washtenaw County Historical Society in the Summer of 2010.

Today, CAHS continues to be a vital part of the Chelsea community. We are researching significant citizens of Chelsea’s past and are collecting, identifying, and digitally archiving collections of photographs. Additionally, since 2010, we have had an ongoing collaboration with North Creek Elementary School to enhance the education of Chelsea history to our 2nd graders by creating an in-the-classroom presentation. We continue to offer free public history programs to members and community residents alike in the Chelsea Depot and the Chelsea District Library. We have been contributing to the erection of historical markers in downtown, produced walking tour booklets for the Chelsea Community Hospital's walking path and for the Oak Grove Cemetery.

This year we face our greatest challenge to date: the search for permanent quarters for our collections. Our members share an ambitious dream for the future. We have a goal of being a contributing force in the development and growth of Chelsea as a vibrant city and great place to live. To that end, we envision having a building site in the downtown area to establish a permanent home for the organization’s offices and rich collection of area historical artifacts.

Mission

The mission of the Chelsea Area Historical Society is to gather and preserve the history of the Chelsea area for future generations. CAHS endeavors to properly collect, manage, display, and maintain area artifacts, archival information, photographs, genealogy records, and oral histories of local citizens. Through our museum and organization events, CAHS provides historical education opportunities for residents and visitors.