Spring 2009 Newsletter - North Berrien Historical Society

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In 1894 during a speech at Elkhart, Indiana,

Simon Pokagon recalled meeting Abraham Lincoln.1

The Chief’s meeting with the President was part of a

long campaign by his people, the Pokagon Potawa-

tomi of Southwest Michigan, to receive the full pay-

ment due to them from decades-old treaties with the

federal government of the United States.

Pokagon first recounted an 1837 visit to the

capital made by his father Leopold

Pokagon and other leaders of the tribe.

They traveled by pony, stage, and the

newly completed rail line between Bal-

timore and Washington on the three

week journey. Simon did not state the

party’s success in their visit, but the

“Great Chief” they sought to meet with

was Martin Van Buren. President Van

Buren was known for closely follow-

ing the policies of the Jackson admini-

stration in which tens of thousands of Indians were

removed to the West. Leopold Pokagon signed the

1833 Treaty of Chicago with the promise that his peo-ple could stay in Michigan, but pressures to remove

them persisted until a Michigan Supreme Court Jus-

tice affirmed their right to stay. In 1843 annuity pay-

ments began for the Chicago treaty, but they totaled

only a fraction of what the agreement had stipulated

to the Potawatomi of Southwest Michigan.

Twenty-four years later in 1861, Simon Poka-

gon followed his father’s path to Washington to again

request the full payment that his people now desper-

ately needed. This time the journey was entirely by

rail and took less than two days. In his Elkhart ad-

dress Pokagon gave a detailed description of his

meeting with the President:

“I went to see the greatest and best chief ever

known, Abraham Lincoln. I was the

first Red Man to shake hands and visit

with him after his inauguration. He

talked to me as a father would to his

son and was glad that we had built

churches and school houses. He had a

sad look in his face but I knew that he

was a good man, I heard it in his voice,

saw it in his eyes and felt it in his hand

shaking. I told him how my father

long ago sold Chicago and the surround-

ing country to the United States for three cents per

acre and how we were poor and needed our pay. He

said he was sorry for and would help us what hecould to get our just dues.”

With the Confederacy gaining momentum and

warfare increasingly unavoidable in 1861, Lincoln

could not immediately heed Pokagon’s request. In-

deed, he had other more pressing questions of Indian

(Continued on page 3)

When Pokagon met Lincoln

NORTH BERRIEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER

Vol. I, No. 1 Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet Spring 2009

300 Coloma Ave./ P.O. Box 207, Coloma, Michigan 49038 www.NorthBerrienHistory.org

Simon Pokagon (1830-1899)



Spring has finally arrived and with it some ex-

citing changes here at the museum. You will notice

that we are unveiling a new layout for the newsletter

in this issue. The newsletter will be printed quarterlyin an eight page black and white format with more

space allotted for history articles. Thank you to Sally

Williams for her years of excellent service to the

NBHS newsletter.

Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America opens

April 3 with events scheduled throughout the month.

The museum is scheduled to be open Tuesday through

Saturday, 10am to 6pm during the exhibit for the con-

venience of our visitors.

The framed images of downtown Watervliet

that hang in the downtown Watervliet Fifth Third

Bank have been donated to the museum. Thank you to

Debra Shannon at Fifth Third for arranging this valued

donation.

North Berrien Historical SocietyBoard of Directors

Scott Young PresidentBennet Leedy 1st Vice PresidentKandyce Hayes 2nd Vice PresidentCindy Young SecretaryShirley Boone TreasurerRay Mays Assistant TreasurerKarin Miller DirectorPauline Morris DirectorSherry Polashak Director

Sally Williams Director

Staff

Alexander Gates Director / CuratorTracy Gierada Director of EducationGwen Elsner Office Manager

300 Coloma Ave., P.O. Box 207

Coloma, MI 49038

(269) 468-3330

www.NorthBerrienHistory.org

[email protected]

The mission of the North BerrienHistorical Society is to preserve anddistribute information regarding the

history of North Berrien County. Wewish to promote, encourage learning,

and disseminate knowledge of thearea’s cultural and architectural legacy.

Page 2

From the Director’s Desk By Alexander Gates

Education NewsBy Tracy Gierada

My position as the first education staff person

for the North Berrien Historical Society has started off

very well. I appreciate the kind welcome I have re-

ceived from the NBHS Board, members, and others in

the community. I am excited to be moving forward

with outreach efforts and the beginnings of developing

new educational programs at the museum.

The Lincoln exhibit comes to us with a set of

“learning kits”, and I have met with the teachers at

four schools in Coloma and Watervliet to share infor-

mation about what we have to offer. I have already

conducted programs for the third graders at Watervliet

North using these new resources, and a number of ad-

ditional school groups are scheduled to visit the ex-

hibit in April.

We are offering a variety of programs to com-

plement the Lincoln exhibit, including a book discus-

sion, Youth Story Hours in Coloma and Watervliet,

and a Spring Break program for all ages. I hope you

will take advantage of these special opportunities!



Page 3

affairs to demand his attention, especially the alliance

of Confederate forces with Choctaw, Chickasaw, and

Cherokees in the South, and a violent rebellion of Da-

kotah Sioux in Minnesota. David A. Nichols 1978book Lincoln and the Indians highlights the ways that

Native American relations significantly shaped the

policy and direction of the Union effort in the Civil

War. Lincoln came to see during his presidency that

the federal “Indian System” was a brutally corrupt

bureaucracy, and vocally advocated for its reform.2

His compassion for the Potawatomi’s exploitation

was probably genuine, but his role in increasing their

annuity payments was likely minimal.

Simon Pokagon went on to say in his Elkhart

address: “Three years later I again visited the Great

Chief [Lincoln]; he excused the delay in our payment

on account of the war. He seemed bowed down with

care. At this time Grant was thundering before Rich-

mond for its final overthrow, while Sherman was

making his grand march to the sea.”

In 1866, persistent lobbying of Congressmen

and other officials in Washington finally paid off for

the Pokagon Potawatomi. With the help of the Senate

Committee on Indian Affairs they were awarded back

payments for land their forebears had surrendered

over sixty years before.

The funds were released under the conditionthat the Band consent that it was the final payment the

U.S. government would be required to make. Al-

though the terms of the agreement were protested, the

offer of $169.50 each in gold and silver coins was im-

possible to reject.3 Disputes over treaty rights were

not over, but in the wake of the Civil War this victory

was at least part of what Pokagon had sought from

Lincoln to help the Pokagon Potawatomi of South-

west Michigan.

By Tracy Gierada1 Published in the South Bend Tribune, October 10, 1894. Cecilia Bain

Buechner, The Pokagons (Facsimile of 1933 print by the Indiana His-

torical Society), Hardscrabble Books: Berrien Springs, MI, 1976, 60-61.2 David A. Nicholas, Lincoln and the Indians: Civil War Policy and

Politics, University of Missouri Press: Columbia, MO, 1978.3 James A. Clifton, The Pokagons: 1683-1983, Catholic Potawatomi of

the St. Joseph River Valley, University Press of America: Landham,

MD, 1984, 86-90.

(Continued from page 1)

When Pokagon met Lincoln

Mark your Calendars!

April 3 - May 1See page 5 for the full Calendar of Events around our featured exhibit

Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America.

Thursday, May 7, 7pm Volunteer Recognition Night at the North Berrien Historical Museum

Tuesday, May 19, 7pm

Ken Pott, Director, The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, St. Joseph, MI. Kenwill speak on his current exhibit, “Working Waterfronts: Planning and Preservingthe Maritime Traditions of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.” His talk will examinethe commercial history of Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River and its impact onthe North Berrien region.

Saturday, June 13 Port-a-Pit Chicken Fundraiser at the North Berrien Historical Museum

Coloma - Watervliet 100th Football Game

August 28, 2009 will mark the 100th game between the Coloma and Watervliet Football teams.A committee headed by Mark Hettig is planning events to honor the occasion. Former playersfrom both teams can submit their memories of the game at http://www.pantherstadium.net/100/ .The memories will be collected in a booklet to be added to the museum’s archive and the infor-mation gathered will be used in an upcoming museum exhibit.



April 3 – May 1, 2009 Special extended April hours

Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm

Please call ahead to reserve a group tour

269-468-3330

To celebrate the Lincoln Bicentennial (1809-2009) the North Berrien HistoricalMuseum is hosting Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America, a traveling exhibitionfrom the Abraham Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL.

Page 4

A world-class traveling exhibit featuring re-production artifacts from the Abraham Lincoln Presi-dential Library and Museum will be on display at theNorth Berrien Historical Museum from April 3 - May1, 2009. The public may view the exhibit or schedulea group tour free of charge.

The exhibit covers Lincoln’s childhood, hisself-education, his careers as a surveyor and lawyer,his family life, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, the1860 Presidential election, the Civil War, the 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, his as-sassination, and other importantperiods and events in his life.The reproduction artifacts on dis-play, all modeled from originalsin the Presidential Library andMuseum, include: Lincoln’s fa-vorite books; his son Tad’s toycannon; the nameplate from hisSpringfield home; his stovepipehat, which he used like a briefcaseto hold important papers; a Presi-dential campaign banner; an axethat Lincoln used to chop wood;the bloody gloves found in Lin-coln’s pocket the night of his as-sassination; and many otherunique and interesting items.

The traveling learning sta-tion exhibit is being displayed in40 public libraries and historicalsocieties around the nation fromSeptember 2008 through Septem-ber 2010. It was one of just two“We, the People” programs forthe Lincoln Bicentennial funded

by the National Endowment for the Humanities. TheNorth Berrien Historical Museum is honored to be theonly venue in the state of Michigan to be selected tohost the exhibition.

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a subsistencefarmer, came of age during a dramatic transformationin America’s economic life. Like many of his con-temporaries, he embraced a new emphasis on per-sonal initiative, risk-taking, and ambition. He wasonly 22 when he left his family home to find his ownway. After enduring a series of personal failures in

business, he became a prosperousattorney, devoted husband andfather, successful politician, andfinally, the 16th President of theUnited States. While Lincolnbenefited from close associationwith a number of powerfulfriends, his own talents and ambi-tions combined with hard work and a dedication to self-improvement to produce a uniqueAmerican specimen - the self-made man.

In conjunction with theexhibit, the North Berrien Histori-cal Museum has received four“learning kits” covering Abrahamand Mary Lincoln, Civil War sol-diers, and Slavery, which are nowa permanent addition to our educa-tional program offerings. Formore information about the Abra-

ham Lincoln: Self-Made in Amer

ica traveling exhibition, visitwww.PresidentLincoln.org.

Part of a kiosk from the traveling exhibition

Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America



EXHIBITION PARTNERS

Popcorn

provided

!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Lincoln Book Discussion

Wed., March 25, 6pm, Coloma Public Library

Moderated by Dr. Chris Paine of LakeMichigan College, we will discuss Lincoln

by Pulitzer Prize winning author DavidHerbert Donald.

Opening Reception

Friday, April 3, 5:30-7:30pm

Sponsored by the Coloma-Watervliet Area Chamberof Commerce. Opening Remarks by State SenatorRon Jelinek at 5:30.

Lecture: “Lincoln and Michigan”

Senator Tom George, MD

Tuesday, April 21, 7pm

Senator George will speak on Lincoln and his connec-tions to Michigan. Representing the 20th District(Kalamazoo), Senator George is a past president of the Historical Society of Michigan and has writtenand produced television documentaries about Lincolnand Colonel Joseph Westnedge.

Lecture: “Lincoln: A Full Measure of Greatness”

Dr. William Anderson

Thurs., April 23, 7pm

Dr. Anderson is the retired director of the Michigan

Department of History, Arts and Libraries and chairof the Michigan Lincoln Bicentennial Committee. Dr.Anderson is the author/editor of seven books includ-ing They Died for to Make Men Free: History of the

19th

Michigan Infantry; We are Sherman’s Men: The

Civil War Letters of Henry Orendorff; and The De-

troit Tigers: A Pictorial Celebration of the Greatest

Players and Moments in the Tigers’ History.

Drawing every week for a free annual membership tothe Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Mu-

seum. All events are free and open to the public.All programs take place at the North BerrienHistorical Museum unless otherwise noted.

Documentary Showings

April 4, 12-2pmThe History Channel: Lincoln

April 11, 12-6pmPBS: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided

April 18, 12-2pmA&E Bio.: Abraham Lincoln: Preserving the Union

April 25, 12-6pmPBS: Africans in America: Journey through Slavery

Lincoln Story Hour (Ages 5-8)

Hosted by Coloma’s own Lincoln (Richard Viet)Tues., April 14, 6pm, Coloma Public Library &

Wed., April 15, 6pm, Watervliet District Library

Spring Break with Lincoln

Wednesday, April 8, 1-3pm

Join Lincoln and other historic reenactors to learnabout the Civil War era through activities and

demonstrations. All ages welcome.

Coloring Contest (ends March 27) Visit any Coloma Branch Chemical Bank, EdgewaterBank, 5/3 Bank or Berrien Teachers Credit Union topick up a coloring sheet. Winners will be displayed atthe North Berrien Historical Museum Lincoln exhibit.

Page 5

WATERVLIETDISTRICTLIBRARY



Page 6

Public Programs and Events off to a great start in 2009Even as we gear up for Lincoln in April, the

North Berrien Historical Society has been busy hold-

ing programs and events to promote local history. In

January, we met at the Bainbridge Township Hall to

hear NBHS Director Alexander Gates speak on the

township’s namesake, Captain William Bainbridge

and his role in the American war with the North Afri-

can Barbary States in the late 1790s and early 1800s.

Several events brought new faces to the mu-

seum in February, which gave them the chance to tour

our current exhibit Hats, Caps & Bonnets: A History

of Headwear for the first time. This included the Co-

loma Lioness Club, who held their Feb-

ruary meeting here and heard a presenta-tion from new NBHS Education Coordi-

nator Tracy Gierada. Director Alex

Gates provided a tour of the exhibit to

the visiting Lioness members.

On Saturday, February 7, over a

dozen visitors came to participate in the

Victorian Valentines event and enjoy

refreshments like mini-cupcakes, cook-

ies, and candy hearts. After viewing the

museum’s display of Victorian andtwentieth century valentines, our guests created their

own. We also enjoyed a game of “Love Bingo”

which used symbols and translations of the word

“love”, including American sign language, Italian,

Spanish, German, Dutch, Turkish, Japanese, and Rus-

sian.

To help us celebrate Presidents Day, we were

pleased to welcome Steve Arseneau, Director of the

Museum at Southwestern Michigan College, on Feb-

ruary 17 for a talk on Presidential Memorabilia.Steve’s diverse and delightful collection of campaign

materials and collectables spans more than one hun-

dred and fifty years.

The Three New Things Reception on Febru-

ary 27 was enjoyable for all. Tracy Gierada shared

her ideas for developing new educational programs,

and Alex Gates walked us through the new website at

NorthBerrienHistory.org. One of the highlights of the

new website is a Curator’s Blog, where Alex will post

regular updates about his work with the museum’s

collections. A new exhibit of Recent Acqusitions wa

also unveiled, featuring a mix of artifacts including a

dress worn in the 1920s by Elise (Kietzer) Danneffel

of Watervliet and a “confidential” insur-

ance map of the Watervliet Paper Millcomplex from 1956.

Our March meeting brought Dr.

Joe Brandão from Western Michigan

University to the museum to speak to us

about early Native American life in

Michigan before 1783. Dr. Brandão

provided an excellent narrative of this

topic and illustrated his lecture with im-

ages and maps in a PowerPoint presenta-

tion. This St. Patrick’s Day Meetingwas well attended, and all helped wish a happy birth-

day to Alex Gates and enjoyed a lovely cake provided

by NBHS members Clifford and Ruth Tallman.

George and Martha Washington

(George and Maggie Richter) at

our February 17 meeting

Check out the new features of www.NorthBerrienHistory.org.

Construction is still underway on some parts of the new website.

Left: Ed’s Café Dishes in the

Recent Acquisitions Exhibit.

Ed’s Café was the longest

running business on Paw PawLake, serving its famous

chicken from 1926-1983.



Page 7

New Members

Debbie Friday - Coloma, MI

Dr. David Moss & Family - Coloma, MI

Robert & Elaine Gierada - Saline, MI

Donations Russell & Elaine Carlson

In Memory of Phyllis Sprague

Mary Adams Barbara Nichols

In addition to our regular stock

of local history books and images, the

Gift Shop at the North Berrien Histori-cal Museum is now offering a great se-

lection of merchandise to complement

the exhibit Abraham Lincoln: Self–

Made in America. Expand your knowledge of the

16th President by picking up one of our scholarly

books, quotations books, or “Great Speeches” books.

We also have Lincoln magnets and paperweights, Lin-

coln china ornaments, 6-inch

white busts of Lincoln, and no-

tated Civil War photo cards.For kids (or adults) you can

also purchase Lincoln coloring

books and activity books, and

presidential paper dolls. Be

sure to check out these new

items and support the historical

society by making a purchase at

our Gift Shop this spring.

Museum Gift Shop expands in

honor of the Lincoln exhibit

The North Berrien Historical Society is seek-ing information for upcoming articles and exhibits.We are looking for sto-ries, remembrances, orphotographs of Interstates94 and 196 to help mark the 50th anniversary of the Eisenhower Interstate

Highway System, whichwas signed into law in1956. Do you rememberthe first time you droveon the new highway?How did it change howyou got around South-west Michigan? Did it affect afamily business that once operated on US-12?Tell us your story! Contact us at [email protected] or (269) 468-3330.

1959 - 2009

Share your memories

Individual ($15)

I would like to

volunteer at NBHS

Additional tax-deductible contribution: $________

Name

Address

City, State, ZIP

Phone

New Member

Returning Member

Total Amount Enclosed: $________

Send your completed form along with your check to:

North Berrien Historical SocietyP.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038

Family ($50)

Student ($8)

Senior ($10)

E-mail

North Berrien Historical SocietyMembership Form

Thank you for your support!

Please check desired annual membership level.



Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet www.NorthBerrienHistory.or

P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038

NONPROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Watervliet, MI

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—–—————

Newsletter - Spring 2009

FREE EXHIBIT

April 3 - May 1, 2009Tues. - Sat. 10am - 6pm

North Berrien Historical Museum,

300 Coloma Ave, Coloma, MI

For more information visit

www.NorthBerrienHistory.orgor call (269) 468-3330

Celebrate the Lincoln

Bicentennial with the officialtraveling exhibit from the

Abraham LincolnPresidential Library.

Spring 2009 Newsletter - North Berrien Historical Society

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