2021 Exhibits 

Fred Warren's Amazing 
Calculating Engine
 

For the first time in nearly 70 years, the computing device invented in Three Oaks in the 1870's is on display here!

The Smithsonian says it may have been the first working mechanical calculator invented in the US, and its creation is literally a race-against-death story. Fred Warren, something of a frontier genius, also took the first photographs of the area and published Three Oaks' first newspaper.

FIRE!
 

150 years ago, fire ravaged Michiana and much of the Midwest (you may have heard of a fire in Chicago that year). Learn how the roaring wildfires of 1871 led to the creation of local fire-fighting companies, and also see photos of more recent fires that devastated New Buffalo and Galien.

The Dentists of 103 N. Elm
 

We've set up a 1935-era dentist's office in the museum (denta-phobes might not want to look closely at some of the more primitive dental tools of years past). And we drill down deep into the history (130 years!) of dentists who have practiced at 103 S. Elm.

Crossroads-- The Martins and Minnichs

As part of our series on how local roads got their names, we profile the Martins, who have been holding family reunions in Michiana since the 1860's...

And the Minnichs, Chikaming residents whose son chronicled their farm life. The landfill at the farm site is still yielding artifacts!

Marx Music Company

The Marx-o-Chime Colony produced odd musical instruments in a factory in New
Troy for decades, instruments sold by
traveling salesmen who promised
customers "anyone can play" Marx instruments. 

 See the Uke-lin, the Hawaiian Tiple, and many others, and hear how they sounded.

Three Oaks-- Then & Now 

A series of fascinating photo montages created by museum board member Randy Miller, juxtaposing the modern village with the Three Oaks of horse and buggy days.