Marquette Maritime Museum

Marquette Maritime Museum: the Museum is open six days a week from mid-may to mid-october. During the off season, the board, staff, and volunteers work to update and create new events and exhibits for the coming season. Interpretive exhibits include: three historic fresnel lighthouse lenses (the best collection in the great lakes); the "went missing" freighter henry b. smith and legendary edmund fitzgerald; u.s. life-saving service and early coast guard; historic great lakes passenger ships; history of iron ore shipping from Marquette; area lighthouse history; and marine engine development. While the Museum is self-guided, docent tours are available upon request. The Museum operated in 2024 with five paid employees, twelve volunteer tour guides, and three student interns. Museum-sponsored school visits brought about 1,200 children and adults to the Museum and Marquette harbor lighthouse. Groups included local elementary schools and homeschool organizations, northern Michigan university students and young wildcat scholars, and summer camp participants. Field trip admission is complimentary for local school groups. Marquette harbor lighthouse: lighthouse park, which includes the Marquette harbor lighthouse, is a seven-acre tract transferred from the coast guard in 2016 to the city of Marquette, and the Museum operates lighthouse tours under an agreement with the city. The Museum continues to work to preserve and interpret the story of the 158-year-old Marquette harbor lighthouse. The iconic structure is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the great lakes and for many, a powerful symbol of Marquette. Recently, the city completed work restoring the second floor of lighthouse, which is now part of the tours. The Museum conducts three daily tours of lighthouse park, and our tour guides are well trained in the history of the lighthouse, the life-saving service station, coast guard, lake superior, and shipping. Special event sunrise, evening, and paranormal lighthouse tours are also available. Mcclintock annex (darter-dace memorial): the annex is named for captain david mcclintock, Marquette native and graduate of the u.s. Naval academy. During the height of the world war ii battle of leyte gulf, the largest naval action in history and a pivotal point in the pacific war, captain mcclintock's submarine u.s.s. Darter and her fleet-mate u.s.s. Dace played a key role in the victory. The Museum's annex highlights and interprets the contributions of the darter and dace crews to the pacific battle. The annex contains items relating to the battle, including a working wwii submarine periscope, computer-controlled battle diorama, and artifacts from the submarines and their crews. A replica of a full-size conning tower stands in Marquette's lower harbor as a memorial to the crew and their accomplishments. Ghosts of lighthouse point (golp): our annual fundraiser, held for three nights at the end of the season in october, is a notable example of how we fulfill our mission of protecting, preserving, and interpreting Maritime history while also giving back to the community. Golp's ghosts are based on real people from the history of Marquette and the great lakes. The volunteers and staff research their ghosts and stories so that tour guests not only have a fun halloween experience, but they also learn local Maritime history. This event also utilizes coast guard station Marquette, and staff and students from northern Michigan university's rotc and student veteran services programs. Although this event is a Museum fundraiser, it is also a community event, and we give back by collecting canned goods for the nmu food bank.

Other events include free children's art/history workshops in partnership with liberty children's art project; lake superior day, an educational and environmental celebration of lake superior; and Maritime history on tap, a winter lecture series held once a month in the winter at the ore dock brewing company. Topics range from Maritime music to shipwrecks to lake superior weather.