The Lincoln Park Historical Museum will open a special exhibit March 9 with a focus on the museum’s earliest collections.
When first opened, the museum occupied a newly built rear annex to the Lincoln Park Public Library. In the months prior to and following its formal opening in May 1972, the new museum began collecting pieces from local residents to form a display of the community’s history.
As the museum’s first curator, Jack Hinske, a retired Lincoln Park High School teacher, said the main purpose for the new museum was to provide a place for the community’s young people to learn about the history of their city.
In 1972, there were still many people living who knew first-hand the city’s history. It was the later generations who, it was felt, would benefit from the knowledge of these city fathers and mothers.
Many of the pieces that came to the museum reflected the earlier days of a farming community, a part of Ecorse Township, and the time when families including the LeBlancs, Goodells, Quandts, Monties and Bondies, had settled here.
Other items given to the museum helped to tell the story of the new community of Lincoln Park during its formation and booming growth in the 1920s.
Hinske is scheduled to attend the opening of the new exhibit, and will attend a meet-and-greet reception from 2 to 3 p.m. that day during the museum’s regular hours of 1 to 6 p.m.
The exhibit will remain on display through May 18.
The next museum event will be the Historical Society’s presentation on the long-time Lincoln Park landmark, Clemente’s Restaurant at 7 p.m. April 3.
The story of Clemente’s, which served the community for nearly 80 years, will be shared in a slide show and talk given by Ed Clemente, grandson of the restaurant’s founders, Natalina and Joe Clemente Sr.
Museum events are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary.
The Lincoln Park Historical Museum is at 1335 Southfield Road. For additional information, call 313-386-3137 or email [email protected].