Coopersville Area Historical Society & Museum
(home of the Del Shannon Memorial and the Del Shannon Room)
363 Main Street, Coopersville, MI 49404
Jim Budzynski, Curator  (616) 997-6978

info/voice mail:  (616) 997-7240

The Coopersville Area Historical Society has undergone several transitions over the years. Currently the City of Coopersville (owner of the museum building) is planning it's third expansion that will protect the InterUrban electric railcar Merlin by providing a totally enclosed structure and also provide space for geneology and historical research.

The first addition to the original musuem campus provided an open sided structure to protect the InterUrban railcar, Merlin.

On August 14, 2000 the Coopersville City Council paved the way for the second expansion to the museum. With Planning Commission approval, the museum commenced construction of an L-shaped structure on the north side of the existing Interurban Depot building. The 2,076 sq. ft. addition now houses a sawmill, print shop exhibit, a work area and additional storage space. Construction began in September 2000 with enclosure completed in December 2000.

Planning Commission approval came with a few surprises. To meet the state requirements mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) two 7' x 7' handicap accessible restrooms, a drinking fountain, and a utility sink had to be added to the plans. This also required heating and plumbing to be installed before the building could be opened to the public.

The photos above were taken in October 2000 and shows the addition framed and roofing materials in place waiting for installation by museum volunteers. A wonderful group of volunteers collaborated to move this project along. These include licensed builders, Historical Society members, and other volunteers from the community.

The building expansion, known as the "Sawmill Project" protected a century old "portable" sawmill (right) donated to the museum by the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission. The sawmill is surrounded by a G-gauge model logging train pulled by a Shay locomotive. The expansion also provided additional storage space.

The Historical Society would like to acknowledge some of the major contributors. A $2000 gift by Howard Dykhouse, owner of Best Packaging provided seed money to re-energize fundraising efforts following the initial fundraising auction held at the local VFW Post on April 27, 2000. Society member, Jim Bursma, of Homestead Timbers in Marne gave the Society an exceptional price to side the addition with wood instead of metal. MEIJER® stores of Grand Rapids donated an additional $500. Donations were received by other members and friends of the museum and are very much appreciated. Donor names are recognized in the finished Sawmill Building.

Below are photos documenting the construction progress. Click on the images to see larger photos and additional information.

Cement floors were poured November 11, 2000

Siding provided by Homestead Timbers of Marne was installed to beat winter weather

In addition to the building expansion fund a campaign has been initiated for a museum endowment fund. There are some very good tax credits for donations made to these funds. The Museum is a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so there are tax benefits for donations made to the Historical Society Museum. Call the City of Coopersville (616) 997-9731 or the museum (616) 997-6978 for details.

Photography courtesy of Jim Budzynksi, Budzynski Photography, Coopersville, MI 49404.