The Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee is closed indefinitely after heavy snow caused structural damage to its main gallery roof. The roof is intact, but several of the trusses that bear the roof’s weight began cracking Saturday, Feb. 21.
“The museum’s roof system was built to handle significant snow loads, but this season’s heavy snow, combined with drifts caused by windy conditions, has proved to be more than the structure could bear,” said Tobi Voigt, director of museums for the Michigan History Center. The Michigan History Center, part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, co-manages the museum with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.
Additional snow from the most recent storm has been removed. Emergency stabilization of the compromised trusses will begin Monday, March 23.
“We are grateful to Mike Colleur from Colleur Construction and Will Rajala from WR Construction LLC for their teams’ hard work to clear the snow off the compromised roof,” said Troy Henderson, historian for the museum. “They did it all from a lift extended above the roof so as not to add additional weight. The depth of snow the crew removed ranged from 4 to 6 feet. It was a massive endeavor.”
The museum is a subunit of Van Riper State Park, which is coordinating the emergency response with support from the MHC. Work to stabilize the damaged trusses is a short-term measure intended to prevent full roof collapse. Next steps include a more thorough evaluation of the entire roof system to ensure no additional damage has been sustained and determine what long-term fixes are needed, up to and including roof redesign and replacement.
Once the roof is stabilized, museum staff will remove artifacts and exhibit casework from the museum’s main gallery and safely store them until the permanent repairs are completed.
“We were able to remove several important historical artifacts from areas we could access safely, including materials related to the Barnes-Hecker mining disaster,” said Barry James, historian for the museum.
The museum historians are working to reschedule spring programs and school field trips.
“At this point, we don’t know when we will be able to reopen safely,” said Henderson. “We remain committed to sharing Michigan’s rich iron mining heritage and are investigating opportunities for continuing programs and outreach on the grounds or in the community during the closure.”
The DNR is actively managing the emergency response. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
“We appreciate the community’s support during this time,” said Deb Gill, park supervisor for Van Riper State Park. “We take our role as stewards of our state’s history seriously and are doing all we can to mitigate this situation and keep our mining artifacts and stories safe.”
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