There are several ways that you can help the Pentwater Historical Society beyond visiting the museum or attending our events.

You can become a member, give your financial support, or donate artifacts.

We encourage and appreciate your participation and support of our mission to remind visitors and residents of the history and heritage of Pentwater and the role that the natural areas surrounding it played in evolvement of that heritage.

You can follow this link – Feedback/Donations – to donate and/or give us feedback.

If you have any questions please contact Debbie Deward 231-869-2230. Thank you.

Financially

Online:

Donate via Little Green Light/Stripe – Donate/Feedback

By Mail:

Pentwater Historical Society
P.O. Box 54
Pentwater, MI 49449

Donations are always welcome to assist the Pentwater Historical Society in Education, Preservation of Artifacts, and the operation of the Museum. Pentwater Historical Society is a Section 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit Organization. Donations are tax deductible. If you wish to support one of our projects, or our general fund, please donate online (via PayPal) or by mail.

Donations can be made in any increment that you wish at any time. If you would like your monetary donation to be used toward a specific project, please alert us to which project you are interested in supporting!

We are currently in the planning phase for an expansion of the museum, with opportunities to donate your expertise, time, or funds. For more information go to The Museum Expansion Update or contact a board member or our fundraising team via info@pentwaterhistoricalsociety.org.

Photographs & Artifacts

By Mail:

Pentwater Historical Society
P.O. Box 54
Pentwater, MI 49449

We are always looking to add to our collection in the hopes of preserving and sharing Pentwater’s rich history with generations to come.

If you have artifacts, photographs or other items of historical significance that you would like to donate to the Pentwater Historical Society, please contact us so we can make arrangements to meet with you!

Special Call for Historical Photographs

We are in the process of gathering historical pictures of the outside and inside of historical buildings and homes in Pentwater. If you have any older photographs of your historical home we would love to see them! If you would like to share inside pictures of your home currently we would love to see those as well!

You can email, mail, or drop off your photos to the Historical Museum. Please be sure to include the address and an approximate date of the photograph if you are able. All pictures will be returned so be sure to include your name and where to return the pictures as well!

Email to Info:
info@pentwaterhistoricalsociety.org
(Please put “Pentwater – Pictures” in the subject line)

Mail to:
Pentwater Historical Society
Attn: Museum Director
P.O. Box 54
Pentwater, MI 49449
(Please include your name and where you would like your photographs to be returned)

Drop off:
Pentwater Historical Museum
85 South Rutledge
Pentwater, MI 49449

Thank you for your willingness to share the history and all that Pentwater has to offer with visitors and citizens alike. We look forward to sharing your bit of history!

The Pentwater Historical Society encourages and appreciates your interest in volunteering!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The museum has opportunities for volunteerism for any age group. Opportunities exist for students’ community service, docents, Junior Docents, document scanning, filing, photographing, cataloging, etc. If you can volunteer one or two days a month, using your existing skills or new skills we teach you, you are always welcome at the museum. Some tasks (docent) are seasonal, others can be done throughout the year. Many of these jobs allow you to learn more about Pentwater and its past. It’s quite fun!!!!

Send email to info@pentwaterhistoricalsociety.org for more information.

Expansion Status

Funds raised: over $800,000 of the $1,500,000 needed.

Fundraising has been quietly progressing to bring an expansion building into existence and make it ready for exhibits. Over 80 individuals and organizations have come to see that the vision the board held in 2014 is still salient today and have made contributions of varying sizes to allow us to exceed the 50% mark of our fundraising.

Vision, Then and Now:

A place to review old memories and make new memories.

In the words of Ed Bigelow as written in a 2014 letter

The building will house the museum to tell the story of Pentwater’s heritage, but more than that, it will provide facilities to hold events for our members and the Pentwater community in general.

In the words of a major gift donor in 2025:

We gave to the project because it’s a way to give back to the community that we love and cherish.

Progress:

Design concepts and construction estimates have been received. The completed size of the building will depend on the donations received to complete our fundraising campaign.

Why:

If you also love and cherish this community, please give to make a better place and space for the whole community and our guests.

You can view two YouTube videos featuring design and program ideas here:

90 seconds: https://tinyurl.com/PTWMuseumExpansShort

10 minutes: https://tinyurl.com/PTWMuseumExpansLong

More info:

Send email to info@pentwaterhistoricalsociety.org for more information.

More Information

Note From the Board

Download the Expansion Pledge Form

How To Donate (pdf)

Check out this video on YouTube showing a virtual tour of the concept

Where were the first buildings in Pentwater?

The founders of Pentwater were E.R. Cobb and Andrew Rector. In 1853 they built two buildings – a boarding house near the current water tower and a lumber mill, both on the south end of Hancock St. Who was Charles Mears?

Lumber baron, Charles Mears, built the channel to Lake Michigan and placed his sawmill on its north bank in 1855. A store and boarding house were built next nearby. Mears called this site Middlesex and included all of the land east to Hancock street. Middlesex was absorbed into Pentwater when the village was formed in 1867.

In 1858 Mears established a ferry service across the channel. He also built a 660 foot long pier out into Lake Michigan from the north bank of the channel so that the largest boats on the lake could haul lumber to his yards in Chicago and drop off cargo for the village. In 1920, Mears’ daughter, Carrie, deeded 600 feet of beach north of the channel to the state of Michigan as the beginning of the present Charles Mears State Park.