During the off season, board members have been busy revamping displays in the turn-of-the-century structure for its summer guests.

“We have really focused on the six exhibit rooms on the second level,” Board President Craig Jarvis said. “We have new stuff coming in all the time, as well as discovering new pieces in the attic.”

“Every year we try to make them new and fresh,” Board Treasurer Michelle Smokevitch said.

Several items have been added to the outdoor room that showcases a variety of sporting activities.

Craig Jarvis shows a display in the outdoor room of the Harbour House Museum in Crystal Falls.

In the children’s room, young visitors can check out the toys and items from the past — a fun addition this year is the Lite-Brite.

The handmade animated carnival “Brownie” has been cleaned and relocated to a new space upstairs.

“The carousel is going — it’s so cool,” Smokevitch said. “It’s unreal what this guy did with this piece.”

Other second-level rooms contain memorabilia of veterans, sports, ladies and mining and logging.

They are working on more school class composite pictures that will be on display in the lobby area.

The music parlor greets guests at the Harbour House Museum.

Smokevitch noted that a donation can spark a new project.

The house at 17 N. Fourth St. was built in 1904 for the Harbour family by local mason Fred Floodstrand. The two-story structure features a unique architectural steamboat-style construction with wrap-around porch.

In 1982, local philanthropist Howard Koob purchased the home and later signed it over to the society for use as a museum.

The first floor contains a music parlor, dining room, kitchen and grand foyer that are all furnished with items from the early 1900s.

The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites as “The Murphy Home.”

The Alpha Museum, 303 Center Court in Alpha, is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through August.

A full summer of activities is planned including special themes for each month.

June will feature “Paddington Bear” throughout the month, along with telling the story of orphan trains of the 1940s.

On Sunday, the museum will host a Teddy Bear Picnic starting at 2 p.m. Families are invited to bring their favorite stuffed friend, blanket for seating and sack lunch. They will present a program about Paddington Bear during the picnic and offer an activity. The museum will also have a marmalade snack for the children.

The first Rhubarb Festival is slated for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 29 on the museum grounds.

“This is a new event and we already have at least 12 vendors,” Jarvis said. The vendors will be on Fourth Street, with that street blocked off to traffic.

Jarvis will be doing the grilling and hopes to offer some specialty items. They will have music, a bake sale, crafts and activities as well.

“It will be a fun event,” he said.

July will be all about “Barbie.” For the month, Evelyn Gathu and Jade VanHaitsma will display their collections.

A special Barbie craft event is planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 7. They will be able to make accessories, earrings and more.

The theme for August is “Anne of Green Gables.” The museum will offer a silhouette project every Saturday and Sunday, except for Fungus Fest weekend.

On Aug. 4, the museum will host a Victorian and Straw Hat contest. The community is invited to come with their headgear to be judged at 2 p.m.

Fungus Fest takes place Aug. 24 and the museum will serve food from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including Fungus burgers.

A mushroom cook-off will also take place at 1 p.m., Jarvi said. All rules and forms will be posted on the website closer to the event.

It’s “Little House on the Prairie” for September. The museum will offer prairie crafts, including no-sew rag dolls, button crafts and fabric bookmarks every Saturday and Sunday.

Children and adults are invited to enter a Quilt Contest on Sept. 22. Each category will be judged at 2 p.m.

The society will assist local residents with researching family or community history projects.

Members are available to do private tours of the museum as well, Smokevitch said. “I love doing them — they are so much fun,” she said. “It’s more hands-on for me.”

They also remind the community they have ongoing fundraisers to support their mission of maintaining the museum. Those interested in the brick paver project, gravestone cleaning or Rada Cutlery should go to their website at www.crystalfallsmuseum-harbourhouse.org.

The museum’s summer hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Starting in September, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The museum will close after the annual Crystal Christmas event.

Anyone interested in scheduling a tour can call the museum at 906-284-3405.

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The Alpha Museum, 303 Center Court, is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays from June through August.

They will also be open all day on the Fourth of July or by appointment by calling 906-367-6449.

This three-room museum may be small in size but is huge in heart, said Sharon Eaton, society member.

Visitors are provided with a look into the past and are often accompanied by community members who will share their memories of Alpha and the surrounding Mastodon Township area.

Items of interest include a room of large senior class pictures from the Alpha High School, which operated from 1915 through 1967, along with photos of their championship sports teams; trophies in basketball, track, tennis, and baseball; as well as debate team awards.

Other exhibits include mining tools, photos and maps from “Alpha’s heyday” as a mining community, farming tools and memorabilia from the Alpha Veterans of Foreign Wars that is now disbanded.

Everything is arranged, allowing visitors to easily imagine life as it used to be in this community, Eaton said.

A popular exhibit is compiled from movie excerpts spanning from Alpha’s 50th Golden Jubilee in 1964 and the 75th Diamond Jubilee in 1989.

“Alpha Memories,” an eight-minute video that highlights footage from Alpha’s more-than-century-old Fourth of July celebrations, VFWs and Rifle Club events, deer and rabbit hunts and ice fishing parties, all of which were once traditional. The film is available on USB or DVD format for a $10 donation.

For those seeking a more detailed history of the area, the museum has published a history book set, “Alpha-Mastodon, The First 100 Years.” The two volumes contain 660 pages with more than 800 photos and historical information, including charts and diagrams, along with stories and memories as told to the author, along with maps and documents.

The project took a local resident three years to compile and includes 180 local sources and interviews. “These volumes represent a chronological story of living and working in the area from 1890 to 2014,” Eaton said. “Young and old alike are sure to enjoy it.”

The set is available for $55.

All proceeds are used to support the museum’s mission to preserve Alpha and Mastodon Township area history and maintain Alpha’s First National Bank building on the historically recognized 1914 traffic circle.

The non-profit depends on proceeds from fundraising and annual memberships as well as contributions.

There is no charge for admission but donations are welcome.

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The Amasa Museum, 208 W. Pine St. in Amasa, was the former township hall built in 1894.

Visitors to the museum will find displays of mining and logging activities that were important to the foundation and growth of Amasa, a major hub for logging and transportation in the early 1900s.

The museum’s many rooms contain a collection of artifacts, photographs, documents, clothing, tools and household items highlighting the history of Iron County’s Hematite Township.

They also have an extensive collection of school items from the Amasa School.

The historical society opened the museum in 1997 and continues to work on preservation by adding new pieces to the exhibits.

The museum will be open for the annual Fourth of July celebration or by appointment. Those interested can call 906-822-7210.

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The Beechwood Historical Society’s mission is to preserve and share Beechwood heritage with present and future generations.

The society has a collection of artifacts, photographs, documents and other historical items related to the Beechwood area. The hall is at 178 Beechwood Store Road in Iron River.

The historical society will host an “Old School” Gallery-Style Art Show, featuring local artists, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Beechwood Hall, 178 Beechwood Store Road.

Featured artists include Judy Carlson, Billie Jo Waite, Gary White, Scott Pearson, Dawn Kruzinski, Barbara Sheill, Lynette Kosky and Harlie Melstrom.

There is no charge, but donations are welcome. They will also have refreshments.

In addition to the art show, the non-profit organization hosts several fundraisers throughout the year at the hall to support the society’s mission.

Terri Castelaz can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 241, or tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com.