Behind closed doors
Quincy housing focus of Thursday eventBy Jane Nordberg
Article Photos
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP - Mining companies in Michigan's historic copper mining district didn't just provide a place to work, most also provided low-cost housing to their workforce. The story of company housing at the Quincy mine is the focus of a tour scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday as the next event in the Quincy Anniversary Series.
Kim Hoagland, architectural historian and a professor in Michigan Technological University's department of social sciences, will provide an overview of the reasons that mining companies provided housing to their employees and the way that the Quincy Mining Company approached the issue through the years.
"It gives us a chance to show the range of buildings Quincy used in their work force," Hoagland said of the variety of homes on the tour.
Attendees will visit eight houses in the four different locations, including small T-plan and saltbox homes for miners and trammers, as well as larger homes for employees farther up the management structure.
With homes ranging from 1850 to 1917, the buildings also depict a wide time span.
"It will be a mix of time and hierarchy," she said. "There's some grand homes and some not-so-grand worker housing."
Unlike a traditional home tour, the event will not be focusing on fine furnishings and decor.
"Instead, we're going to be looking at the number of rooms and trying to surmise what they would have been used for," Hoagland said. "Some of these homes are very minimal, but they're some of the oldest homes we have for company housing."
The tour will begin at the Martin House, a small company house next to the No. 2 hoist house on the Quincy Mine Site. Hoagland will give some introductory remarks about what to look for, and attendees will have a chance to look inside the Martin House and view some interpretive information developed by Hoagland and MTU students, with support from the Quincy Mine Hoist Association and Keweenaw National Historical Park.
The remainder of the tour will take the form of a "car pool tour." Participants will depart from the Martin House in their own vehicles, doubling up if possible, and travel to to three other neighborhoods built by the Quincy Mining Company. At those stops, Hoagland will provide additional information about the unique characteristics of each area.
Some of the homes are currently occupied, while others are undergoing rehabilitation.
"It's wonderful to see the new blood going into these homes," Hoagland said, "There are many young people coming in and respecting the original configuration of the house and doing pretty interesting things inside."
The event is free and open to the public, though participants are warned that some of the tour will include walking over rough terrain.
"I would suggest sturdy shoes and an adventurous attitude," Hoagland said.
This event is part of the 2008 Quincy Anniversary Series organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Quincy Mine Hoist Association, the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Quincy No. 2 shaft rock-house, and the 160th anniversary of the incorporation of the Quincy Mining Company.
For more information on events in the series, contact the Quincy Mine Hoist Association at 482-3101 or go to www.quincymine.com.
Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com
