Area Museums Join Forces: Muskegon Heritage Museum joined Lakeshore Museum Center.

Muskegon Heritage Museum (MHM), an offshoot of the Muskegon Heritage Association, was “gifted” to
the Lakeshore Museum Center (LMC) to ensure its long-term legacy after the retirement of Allan and
Anne Dake, who have served as volunteer Directors of the Museum for 11 years. “Anne and I wanted to
retire for a second time to enjoy life and travel, without the worry of the day-to-day operations of
MHM”, said Allan Dake.

The Dakes and their team of 80 volunteers built an amazing soft touch museum filled with Muskegon’s
industrial history and products made by Muskegon businesses. “MHM is a natural extension of LMC’s
collection of Muskegon County’s history” said Annoesjka Soler, President of LMC. “The blending of
assets makes both museums stronger.” This has been in the works for over a year and became official
June 2, 2020. The MHM building and its contents were deeded to the LMC by the Muskegon Heritage
Association (MHA). It is hoped that the MHA will continue with its original focus on historical houses
and buildings in Muskegon.

LMC hired Kirk Bunke as site manager for MHM last fall. He transitioned into the day-to-day operations
role and inventoried the collection of MHM. Kirk worked with Allan and Anne to ensure all facets of the
MHM blend with the LMC. According to Allan and Anne, “We still plan to volunteer and interact with the
many volunteers and visitors of MHM.”

The history of Muskegon’s industries and businesses is a rich legacy and a sense of pride in the
community. The museum the volunteers built is another legacy of which we can all be proud. Despite
COVID closures, guests will see new exhibits this year when the Museum is able to open for the season.
Stay tuned to the website for opening dates.