Mason County Emporium and Sweets Shop

01/09/2025

01/08/2025

Our Winter Speakers Series is back! Starting January 9th at 7pm with our first speaker Rob Alway on the Railroads that built Mason County.

In December 1874, the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway reached Ludington. The railroad built towns that exist to this day including Custer, Scottville, Fountain, and Free Soil. Its terminus in Ludington started cross-lake freight service to Wisconsin, which evolved into the carferry service. Rob Alway will discuss how the F&PM impacted Mason County.

Event is FREE to members
Nonmembers $10

01/07/2025

ssbadger.com/blog/2025-150-years-of-cross-lake-service-from-ludington/

By Rob Alway The year 2025 marks 150 years of cross-lake service from Ludington, Michigan to Wisconsin. In 1875, the first steamships to transport goods across Lake Michigan were known as break-bulk freighters. Railcars at that time did not travel across the lake, so the…

01/04/2025

Our Winter Speakers Series is back! Starting January 9th at 7pm with our first speaker Rob Alway on the Railroads that built Mason County.

In December 1874, the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway reached Ludington. The railroad built towns that exist to this day including Custer, Scottville, Fountain, and Free Soil. Its terminus in Ludington started cross-lake freight service to Wisconsin, which evolved into the carferry service. Rob Alway will discuss how the F&PM impacted Mason County.

Event is FREE to members
Nonmembers $10

Get Tickets Here: https://masoncountymihistory.org/winter-speaker-series/

Zoom link available to members

01/03/2025

Take 60% off all Christmas merchandise!

More merchandise across the store, stop in today to get ready for next Christmas

01/02/2025

We are changing our hours for winter, we will now be open Monday-Friday from 10-4. Contact us today at [email protected] to schedule a research appointment!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year from everyone at the Mason County Historical Society!

12/31/2024

As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on all that has been accomplished this past year. This year, we hosted our first bus tour, taking guests on a journey through Mason County’s railroad history. We created new murals for our main office to dedicate towards the preservation of history and historian Rose Hawley. Our annual Historical Society Gala brought the community together for an evening of fun and raising funds for our mission.

History in Action Days at Historic White Pine Village provided hands-on experiences that brought the past to life, while the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum provided guided tours to both school groups and group tour busses. Behind the scenes, we made great progress in our collection improvements, including cataloging artifacts, relocating textiles, and digitizing photographs.

We have some exciting events planned for 2025 including our Winter Speaker Series which starts January 9th at 7 pm. None of this would have been possible without your support, thank you for being part of this journey with us!

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas from everyone at the Mason County Historical Society!

12/21/2024

One of the winter projects we have been working on is digitizing our archives! One of our projects is a collection of letters from 1936. The original documents will have less exposure to elements while improving access for researchers.

12/17/2024

Take advantage of all the sales we have at the Emporium! Grab a last-minute stocking stuffer from classic tin-style hot cocoa to Christmas tea towels and more. The Emporium will be open from 10-5 Tuesday through Saturday

12/17/2024

Visit us on Dec 18th for Late Night shopping at the Mason County Emporium and Sweets Shop! We will also be open Monday from 10am-5pm and Christmas Eve 10am-3pm