Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan

The Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan is a community museum serving Alpena County and surrounding counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Alpena is a port city on Lake Huron, and the art, science, and history presented by the museum is closely connected with the heritage of Northern Michigan and the Great Lakes. The museum includes a small planetarium.^[1]

History

The Besser Museum traces its core endowment to benefactor Jesse Besser (1882-1970), an Alpena manufacturer of machinery used to make concrete blocks. During World War II and following years, concrete blocks became essential materials of worldwide construction. Besser's 1964 gift enabled the creation of a community museum in Alpena, which was at first called the Jesse Besser Museum. The endowment enabled the museum to be professionally staffed and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The facility has retained its accreditation and has changed its name to reflect its outreach to many communities in northeastern Michigan.^[2]

An admission fee is charged.^[3] One museum artifact that is on free public display is the salvaged Admiralty-style bow anchor of the 19th-century steamship SS Pewabic, sunk in a tragic collision in 1865.^[4] The museum is working with donors to refit the planetarium as a place of digital star discovery. The refitted planetarium will feature full-dome digital sky theater capability.^[5]

References

Coordinates: 45°04′51″N 83°26′55″W / 45.0808°N 83.4485°W / 45.0808; -83.4485