Support the Benzie Historical Society
Donate Online Today
As a non-profit organization, the Benzie Area Historical Society relies on financial support from the community and people like you to fulfill its mission.
We are encouraged by the power of people coming together to protect what matters most as our world takes extraordinary measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We rely on the support of generous donors, and right now, we need you more than ever. Please make a gift today.
On behalf of the Benzie Area Historical Society, thank you for your interest. Your financial support is especially critical this year and will help ensure we remain able to preserve and celebrate Benzie County’s history, promote community pride and help envision a better future. Your donation will help the BAHS to continue to:
- Provide stewardship of our most valuable artifacts, the Benzie Area Historical Museum [circa 1886) and the Drake School (1891-1943);
- Preserve photographic, map, artifact and manuscript collections about Benzie County’s rich history;
- Host lectures, programs, tours, and special events to promote understanding of Benzie County’s past and present so that we can all better plan for tomorrow;
- Offer Junior Historians programming to all local elementary schools;
- Provide multiple opportunities for volunteer involvement;
- And much more.
We rely on donations from people like you to help assure we meet our mission. Please consider contributing using the link below.
The Benzie Area Historical Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. For more information, contact Barb Mort, executive director:(231) 882-5539.
Testimonials
“This was the most fabulous museum my husband and I have been to! Extremely informative.”
“A lovely museum! We are on our local museum board – and envious!”
-2021 Museum Visitor Surveys
“I am convinced that children who are able to experience a visit to Drake School have a far more thorough understanding of Michigan History than they could ever receive solely in their own classrooms. Drake School’s preservation and its current operation are invaluable gifts to this generation and generations to come. We are very blessed to have such an educational gem in our midst.”
-Janine Winkler, St. Albert the Great Science & Innovation Center, Immaculate Conception Elementary School
“During my research in 2018 for the Michigan Historical Commission marker #2335, acknowledging the historic importance of the Village of Thompsonville and the Thompsonville Junction, Andy Bolander was extremely helpful in providing me access to the Museum’s historic photographs of Thompsonville and the Thompsonville Junction. Digital copies of many of those photographs were included in the application materials for the marker and subsequently in the book.”
-Charles Kraus, Author
Thompsonville in Time, A Northwest Michigan Story 1890-2021, published in September of 2021
More Ways to Give
Gifts of Securities
If you make a mutual fund or stocks gift, instead of cash, you will likely enjoy greater tax savings: your cost to make a gift will be lower and the impact of your charitable dollars will be higher.
In-kind gifts
You can help BAHS reduce its expenses and be a better steward of gifts by donating goods or services. Examples include artifacts for our collections and exhibits, food and beverages for events, supplies for educational programming; the list goes on and on.
We’re incredibly grateful to receive financial support from the Benzie Sunrise and Frankfort Rotary Clubs, the Benzie County Community Chest, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
