Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette A new Fort Wilkins exhibit telling the story of the 19th century military post becoming a state park is in display in the 1844 west mess hall.

GRANT TOWNSHIP – Fort Wilkins Historical State Park is opening its 2025 season with a new exhibit, and an expansion of another one. The new exhibit, “Fort Wilkins Becomes a State Park,” tells a bit of the fort’s history since 1923.

“The exhibit tells the story of Fort Wilkins becoming a state park,” said Barry James, administrator at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum, Negaunee, and historical exhibits and interpretation at Fort Wilkins State Park, Copper Harbor, “talking a little bit about how the fort became in disrepair and Houghton and Keweenaw counties purchased the property and turned it over to the state, and the state making it a state park and really starting to construct and repair buildings in the 1920s and into the 1930s with the WPA and the CCC.”

Originally intended to be completed two years ago, the project was unavoidably delayed. “We were behind because of budget constraints and material costs,” said James. “We were finally able to raise funds and complete the exhibit, and we installed it last week.”

The new exhibit is located in the building that was built as the west mess hall and kitchen. The building formerly contained displays relating to native plants, but has been closed to the public for several years. “It’s good to have this building open,” said James. “It’s been shuttered for over two decades. It’s good for buildings to open to the public and be able to go in and use them. I think we’ve done a good job with the space, the themes that we primarily cover within it are the fort becoming a state park.”

Displays in the exhibit include the story of the Work Projects Administration (WPA) and its influence and contributions in restoring the park; a tribute to past park managers and some of the work they did with period rooms and interpretation; and about the Dept. of Conservation work that was done in the 1950s, and the exhibits that were displayed during earlier periods of the park’s years.

James said in addition to the state park history exhibit, the expansion of the archaeological exhibit, “Clues to the Past,” has been expanded to include more artifacts collected from archaeological investigations conducted over past years at the fort.

“We included a stratigraphy closet to share with the public different periods within the fort’s history and what sorts of objects were found during those times,” James said, “and also a larger component about the importance of leaving objects in place, not picking them up and taking them out of their context.”

A display featuring finds from an underwater archaeological project of Lake Fanny Hooe, near the fort’s parade ground. The project was conducted in 2019.