Collections

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The Dowagiac Area History Museum is the premier repository for historic artifacts from Cass County, Dowagiac and the Sister Lakes area. The museum utilizes the local history collection that Southwestern Michigan College acquired over the past 45 years. The collection consists of over 20,000 objects, photographs and documents that highlight the rich history of the area. Notable collections include:

  • Round Oak Stove Company
  • James Heddon’s Sons Company
  • Rudy Furnace, Premier Furnace and Dowagiac Steel Furnace companies
  • Dowagiac Manufacturing Company
  • Chapman Engine Company of Marcellus
  • Smith Hoist Company of Cassopolis
  • William Dick letters (Civil War Papers)
  • Papers of Major Gen. Irving Phillipson (WW I through WW II)
  • Papers of Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe (Korean War and early U.S. space program)
  • Artifacts of foreign newspaper correspondent Webb Miller

If you have artifacts you would like to donate, please contact the museum director at 269.783.2561 to arrange an appointment. The museum director and a committee will determine if the artifact(s) meet the museum’s collecting mission and are able to be accepted into the collection.