Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center celebrates 125 years of NMU with new exhibit

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) – As Northern Michigan University celebrates 125 years since its establishment, a new exhibit is open to learn about the university’s history.

The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center’s latest exhibit is called, “Northern Tapestry: 125 Years of Stories.” The exhibition explores the unusual, unknown, odd and sometimes challenging experiences that have helped make it the university it is today.

Director and Curator at NMU’s Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, Daniel Truckey says the exhibit shows little snippets of NMU history that most people are unaware about.

“I mean, I think one of the things about Northern is that because the population of the Upper Peninsula is so predominantly white, is the belief that there haven’t been people of color at the university,” said Truckey. “When in fact, there always were people of color at the university. In the 1920s, we had four different black students who went to Northern and graduated from Northern who were from Marquette, from the town itself. Women athletes from the 1960s and ’70s who until the late ’90s, never even received a letter. They got no awards for being athletes at the university. It’s stories like that, that I came across while doing interviews with people and I think it was really fascinating, you know, some of the things that I learned.”

“Northern Tapestry: 125 Years of Stories” will be on display through February 1, 2025. The Beaumier Center’s hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Entry is free to the public.

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