Beaumier Center Brings U.P. History into Focus This Fall

Northern Michigan University's Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is looking both to the past and the future this fall, with a photography exhibition documenting mid-20th-century Munising, an upcoming exhibit commemorating the centennial of the Barnes-Hecker mining disaster and programming celebrating the Upper Peninsula's cultural traditions.

The center's current exhibition, "Munising in Black & White: The Photographs of Mary Jayne Hallifax," features 60 photographs documenting community life in Munising, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. The images depict community events, street scenes, school activities and residents of the area. Many have not been seen publicly in decades.

Hallifax, a lifelong Munising resident, worked as a commercial and portrait photographer while also documenting the community around her for more than 70 years. She died in 2025 at age 96. Many of her original negatives were donated to photograph collector Jack Deo, who loaned the images featured in the Beaumier exhibition.

Dan Truckey, director and curator of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, said the photographs allow visitors to see a period of Munising history that cannot be recreated.

"I think it's just a neat look back at what life in the town was like during that time period," Truckey said.

Truckey said one photograph in particular captures the exhibition as a whole. A Fourth of July parade scene, which appears on the exhibition's poster and signage, shows residents gathered along the street as the parade passes through town. Details ranging from clothing to the vehicles lining the street help place visitors within the period.

For Truckey, however, the photographs reveal more than what Munising looked like.

"I think the greatest thing is just the community spirit that the photos show, which I think is still evident today, but maybe is not quite the same as it once was," he said.

"Munising in Black & White" remains on display through Oct. 3.

As that exhibition closes, the center will shift its attention to another chapter of U.P. history.

A new exhibition centered on the Barnes-Hecker mining disaster is scheduled to open Oct. 19 and remain on display through April 3, according to Truckey. The exhibition coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Nov. 3, 1926, disaster near Ishpeming, when 51 miners were killed after water and material flooded the Barnes-Hecker Mine. Historical accounts identify it as Michigan's deadliest mining disaster.

Truckey said the exhibition will explore both the disaster itself and its lasting impact on the surrounding community. The project is part of a larger regional commemoration of the centennial.

"We've been planning it for two years now," Truckey said. "So it's been a long time in the planning and just formation and kind of coming to fruition."

The Barnes-Hecker exhibition is part of a broader slate of Beaumier programming this semester.

The center is also involved in the inaugural Upper Peninsula Folklife Festival, which will bring traditional artists and cultural practitioners from across the U.P. and Upper Midwest to Marquette. Pre-festival activities begin Sept. 30, with the main festival scheduled Oct. 2-4 at NMU and community locations throughout Marquette. Demonstrations, performances and workshops are designed to showcase traditional arts and help pass skills and traditions to new generations.

Truckey said the festival, which has also been roughly two years in development, is one of the fall events he is most excited to see come together.

The semester's programming continues Nov. 13 with the 26th annual Sonderegger Symposium. Truckey said this year's symposium will address the Barnes-Hecker disaster along with the broader theme of "the power of place," exploring how places shape history, culture and heritage.

For NMU students, Truckey said the center provides an opportunity to understand the region beyond what they encounter in their classes or daily routines.

"It's just an opportunity for students to learn more about the place that they are living for the time that they're going to be here, whether they're from here or whether they're from someplace else," he said. "It's an opportunity for them to learn more about it and appreciate it on a different level."

That focus on helping students engage with the region also aligns with Grand Challenge 2 of NMU's Our Compass strategic plan, "Partnering with our Place," which emphasizes civic engagement and contributions to the public good of the Upper Peninsula.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center is located in 223 Harden Hall. Admission is free and the center is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.