Mission Statement

The purpose of the Jenison Historical Association shall be to discover, gather, explore, disseminate and preserve knowledge about Jenison and its vicinity; to collect and classify property, objects, letters, pictures, records, documents and other information relating to the past of Jenison and its vicinity, its exploration, settlement, development, institutions and other activities; to publish and sell, print and produce books, brochures in connection with the foregoing.


The Jenison Historical Association shall administer and maintain, with the help of the Georgetown Township Board, the Jenison Historical Museum


History

In the 1960s a call went out from Georgetown Township for volunteers to be part of a group called “Save the Tiffany House”.   Tiffany was the name of the family who owned the museum at the time. 


At this time, the Michigan Highway Department purchased homes in Jenison for construction of the I-196 highway.  Homes in the area where the on-ramp to I-196 West is now located were purchased under “eminent domain” 1   This included the home now known as the Jenison Museum, along with all of the other houses in that block. All were to be demolished to make way for the highway entrance ramp.  


After several years, the group was able to convince the highway department to sell the house to the township for $1.


The “Save the Tiffany House” committee became the Jenison Historical Association in the early 1970s and the house became the Jenison Museum we have today. The museum is supported by Georgetown Township which includes lawn services, snow removal and major expenses such as repainting the exterior of the house or a new roof. The members of the historical association are volunteers who oversee the care and maintenance of the interior and artifacts of the Jenison Museum.


The historical association meets on the third Thursday of the month (except December) at 6:45 p.m. at the Georgetown Township Library.  Community members are invited to attend the meetings. Current Board members can be found here.

 

Footnote:

1 eminent domain -the power of the government, (federal, state, county, or city) to take private property for public use, even if the owner doesn't want to sell, but with the requirement of "just compensation".