PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY
HISTORICAL MUSEUM

"THE BRADLEY HOUSE"

EXHIBITS

Great Lakes Sailors and Great Lakes Boats: Life on the Lakes

A photo exhibit that gives visitors a glimpse into what goes on aboard the huge freighters that sail the Great Lakes. The exhibit also shows photos of the various types of ships operating on the lakes today.

A wide-angle view of the pilothouse of Grand River Navigation's Calumet

An engineer "making rounds" in the engine room of the Roger Blough, flagship of the Great Lakes Fleet. He is standing on a catwalk between the ship's two massive 16-cylinder diesel engines.

Philip R. Clarke passing the Renaissance Center on the Detroit River

Permanent Exhibits

While these exhibits are “permanent,” changes are frequently made to them to display new items and maintain the interest of frequent visitors to the museum.

Victorian Music Room

This room was undoubtedly designed by George Radka to be the home’s master bedroom. However, the Bradley’s reportedly used the room as a sitting room, because it was lit in the evening by the setting sun. The Bradley’s were fond of retiring to the room after dinner to read and listen to the radio. Note that there is a buzzer button in the wall just to the right of the windows. The buzzer would have been used to summon the maid.

Our Music Room is arranged as a typical parlor from the Victorian or Edwardian periods in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, we would call such a room a “family room.”

In the center of the room is round table with carved cabriole legs that were popular during the Victorian period. The table is set with water service, with the drinking glasses topped with decorative and hygienic covers. Also on the table is another of the museum’s fine collection of stereopticon viewers, along with a small assortment of Keystone stereo slides. On the right of the table is a photograph of George Radka, the young contractor who designed and built this house.

The suite of furniture in front of the windows is in the Eastlake style that was popular in the 1870s to 1890s. Eastlake was an English architect and designer who developed the style with its rectangular forms and geometric patterns.

On the wall to the left of the door are large, framed photographs of Fredrick and Wilheminia Bertram. Fredrick Bertram arrived in Rogers City from Germany in 1875. He was a lumberman and merchant.

On the wall just to the right of the door is a cherry music cabinet that was loaned to the museum by Frederick D’Vincent. The D’Vincent’s were early settlers in the area, and Mr. D’Vincent’s father, Vincent D’Vincent, is often credited as having founded the village of Posen. On top of the music cabinet is a domed radio, typical of one that might have been used by the Bradley’s. During the period that the Bradley’s lived here, listening to radio broadcasts from powerful “clear channel” radio stations in Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Boston. It was the only way they had to stay in touch with what was happening elsewhere. When Michigan Limestone began building homes for company employees in 1916, Bradley made sure that all the homes were equipped with tall radio antennas on their roofs.

In the chair next to the music cabinet is a rare “Markophone.”

On the right wall at the back of the room is a photo of William Rice, another early resident. Rice was an attorney, and purchased a large two-story building at the corner of Second Street and Michigan Avenue for use as a home and office. That building is still in use today, and one of the oldest structures in Rogers City.

The pedal organ on the right wall was a present to Emma Schmekel in 1901 on the occasion of her confirmation and 12^th birthday. The organ was used for many years at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

The wicker “Go Fast” baby stroller was purchased in Detroit in 1892 by Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Meyer. It was used for each of their nine children.

In front of the rocker to the left of the doorway is a spinning wheel. Spinning wheels like this were used to spin sheep’s wool into yarn that could then be used to knit sweaters, shawls, scarves, mittens, hats, and the like.

This room has been described as “fussy and cluttered,” just the way parlors would have been decorated during the Victorian era.

Off the Music Room is a large and attractive bathroom, intended as the home’s master bath. It is also directly accessible from the Larke Bedroom, which is on the other side of the landing.

Bertram Sisters’ Millinery Shoppe

The right side of this room that was formerly a bedroom now represents the “Bertram Sisters’ Millinery Shop, and most of the items on display came from the store they operated for many years at the corner of Erie and Third streets. Prominent in the exhibit are some of the more than 200 hats in the museum’s collection, many of which came from the Bertram Sisters’ shop.

One Room Schoolhouse

On the right, at the far end of the room, is an exhibit showing the typical arrangement in the one-room schoolhouses that existed throughout the county for most of its history.

Larke Bedroom

Friedrich Denny Larke was one of the founders of Rogers City. An immigrant from England who had worked as a fur trader for the Hudson Bay Company for a season, Larke first came here in 1868 as a member of a government survey party headed by William Rogers, for whom the community was eventually named. Other members of the survey party included John Raymond, a young French-Canadian, and Albert Molitor, a German immigrant of aristocratic bearing who had served as an artillery officer in the Civil War.

When, in 1869, Rogers and Molitor purchased a large parcel of land at what is now Rogers City and formed the Rogers-Molitor Lumber Company, Larke went to work for them. One of his first duties was to recruit a large number of German and Polish immigrants to come north to work as lumberjacks and run the company’s sawmill.

In 1876, the talented Larke started the county’s first newspaper, the Presque Isle County Advance, which still serves the community today. Large also started Larke’s Drug Store at the corner of Third Street and Huron Avenue, in the building now occupied by Grulke Hardware.

Nobody was a stronger advocate for Rogers City than Friedrich Denny Larke. He fought to make Rogers City the county seat, he tried on numerous occasions to develop a commercial limestone quarry on the present site of the Calcite Plant, and he fought to have a railroad line extended into town. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have continued his legacy of community involvement.

On the left wall of the Larke Bedroom is a striking photo of Larke and his wife, the former Augusta Streich.

This bedroom suite belonged to Friedrich Denny and Augusta Larke. All nine of their children were born in the bed.

Country Store

This room was another guest bedroom. It now houses the museum’s Country Store, displaying many items that would have been found in a typical general store during the early part of the 20^th century.

Between the Country Store and the Toy Room is a small section of hallway that had doors at each end, allowing the maid’s quarters to be closed off from the guest bedroom. The section of hallway now contains a small exhibit regarding the murder in 1875 of Albert “Baron” Molitor. Including in the exhibit is a revolver that was reportedly carried by one of the men who murdered Molitor.

On the shelf above the Molitor exhibit are several books containing eulogies delivered in the U.S. Congress upon the death in 1947 of Congressman Frederick Van Ness Bradley, son of Carl D. Bradley. Congressman Bradley moved to Rogers City with his parents in 1910. After graduating from Cornell University in 1921 he went to work in the purchasing department at Calcite. He was elected to Congress as a Republican in 1938, and served as our Congressman until his death. He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery here in Rogers City.

One of his campaign posters is on the wall in the Country Store, just above the old wall-mounted telephone.

Native American Room

The Native American Room was a maid’s bedroom, occupied by Elna Heward during much of the time that she worked for the Clymer’s. While the room is quite small by today’s standards, it was private, and Mrs. Heward felt it was quite adequate.

Most of the Indian artifacts on display were collected by August Sellke of Hawks during the 1930s. A surveyor, he traveled extensively throughout the U.S. The arrowheads, stone tools, bow, quiver, moccasins, and baskets decorated with porcupine quills are particularly fine examples of Indian artifacts from the 1850-1930 period. The room also includes many fine examples of Indian baskets.

Just inside the doorway of the Indian Room is the small portable Post Office that was once used in Hawks. It was donated to the museum by Mrs. Ed (Martha) Prell.

Bradley Transportation Line Exhibit

On the other side of the stairwell is a room containing maritime and lumbering exhibits. The maritime side of the room contains photos of all of the boats that sailed for Rogers City’s Bradley Transportation fleet, and information about the sinkings of the Steamer Carl D. Bradley and Steamer Cedarville. Many sailors from Rogers City lost their lives in those two casualties.

The highlights of the maritime collection are the detailed models of the Steamer Carl D. Bradley and Steamer John G. Munson. The model of the Bradley was built in 1927, the same year that the giant freighter was launched. The model was commissioned by employees, business associates, and friends of Carl D. Bradley, president of Michigan Limestone and the Bradley fleet. It was presented to him at a banquet in Detroit in December of 1927, just a few months before his death.

Also of note is the majestic color print of a watercolor by Robert McGreevy, showing the Steamer Bradley coming into its homeport of Rogers City for the first time. McGreevy’s paintings of Great Lakes ships are noted for their historical accuracy. This print was presented to the museum by the artist, a frequent visitor to Rogers City.

The Steamer Munson was built in 1952 at Manitowoc Ship Building at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The model of the ship was commissioned by the shipyard and presented as a gift to Michigan Limestone. The model was built in Norway.

The glass display case includes some interesting maritime artifacts, including a gyrocompass repeater, gauges from a steam engine, and a brass “message tube.” In the days before radio communications, each ship on the lakes carried a message tube containing the vessels most recent crew list. The tubes were designed to float free if the ship sank. They often provided the only source of information on the crewmembers who were serving aboard a ship when it went down.

Lumber Industry Tools

Along the back wall of the Pioneer Room, there are a variety of tools used in the lumber industry, the mainstay of the county’s economy from 1870 until 1912.

Pioneering Tools, Equipment and Utensils

The west wall of the room contains many tools and appliances used by early residents of the county. In the far corner is a display of kitchen utensils and kitchenware, including some popular McCoy pottery and a Caloric gas stove.

To the left of the kitchenware is a cider press, or cider mill, a mechanical corn sheller, a barrel-type butter churn, a cabinet-style butter churn, and an “Old Faithful High Speed Washer.” Clothes were washed by cranking the lever on the left side back and forth, moving an agitator inside the washer. The system was still quite labor intensive, but far easier than the old method of washing clothes on a washboard like the one leaning against the washing machine.

To the left of the washing machine is a variety of woodworking tools and farm implements.

Native American Birch Bark Canoe

The birch bark Canoe in the center of the "Pioneer room" in the Basement, was built in the Onaway area around 1920. It is an excellent example of the canoes that were used by American Indians throughout the Great Lakes region, and embodies the same building techniques and materials used by the Indians.

Native Wildlife

The display case beneath the birch bark canoe, and the case on the wall to the right, contain mounts of various animals found in northern Michigan. The mounts were prepared by award-winning local taxidermist Jan Van Hoesen.

Living Room

During the Bradley’s tenure here, the living room and adjoining dining room were the center for many social and cultural activities in the community. The Bradley’s did much entertaining of Michigan Limestone investors, Calcite managerial personnel, customers, and leaders of the mining, shipping, and steel industries. We also know that the Bradley’s were actively involved with numerous local organizations, and often hosted get-togethers in their home. In the Calcite photographic collection here at the museum, there are photos showing book club and Eastern Star gatherings, along with card parties.

The only furnishings of the Bradley’s that have survived are the two etchings on the west wall. Both date from the 1880s. Mrs. Bradley sold the etchings to a local resident before she left for Chicago, and they were later given to Jean Adrian as a wedding gift. She, in turn, donated them to the museum.

The wall to wall carpeting that extended throughout the main floor was recently removed in the Living Room, returning the room to the appearance it had when the Bradley's lived in the house.

The furniture in the living room all dates from the 1920s and is similar to that used in the house during the tenancies of the Munson’s and Clymer’s.

The white eider down sofa and matching armchair were a gift to the museum from Gwen Larke Pike. They were purchased by her parents, Lawrence and Colette Larke, in 1928.

The Victrola on the west wall was originally owned by the Covey family, and was donated to the museum by Mrs. Clarence Platz. It dates to about 1906.

The beautiful burl-topped table with inlays that stands in front of the windows is what’s called a “marriage.” The top from one table was “married” to the base from another table to create this piece.

The chair that seems to have lost one of its arms is a relic from an era when military officers carried swords. Leaving the arm off the left side of the chair made it easier for an officer to sit in the chair without having his sword get tangled up in the arm of the chair. These chairs reportedly gained in popularity during the Civil War era.

The grand piano has been loaned to the museum by Judy McFalda and Ben Kuznicki. We know, from photographs, that the Bradley’s had a similar piano that was located where this one is.

The porch on the west side of the home is one of three on the house. There is a virtually identical porch on the east side of the house, in addition to the porch on the front of the house that we are now using as a gift shop. You’ll notice that all three of the porches have a seemingly unusual design feature—a railing, or banister, inside the porch, that doesn’t seem to serve any real purpose. The porches were designed, however, so that the windows and screens could be removed in the summertime, if desired. In those instances, the railings served their normal, very practical, purposes.

As you go from the living room into the dining room, note that the two rooms were separated by a pocket door with beveled glass panels. The door would probably have been closed after dinner, when the ladies present would have adjourned to the living room for stimulating conversation, while the men would have lit up their cigars and pipes and enjoyed a brandy or Scotch. The sliding door would also have been closed after dinners to allow the maids to take away the dirty dishes and linens without disturbing the Bradley’s or their guests.

Dining Room

The mahogany dining room suite, composed of the table with four extension leaves, six side chairs, an armchair, the small serving table, the linen press, and the hutch with a glass front, was acquired by the museum in 2005. The backsplash of the linen press bears the logo of Michigan Limestone & Chemical. It is believed that the set was built for Michigan Limestone by John A. Colby and Sons of Chicago. The owner of the suite believed that her grandfather, Leo Greka, had purchased it from Mrs. Bradley when she left Rogers City in 1928. For many years, the suite had been used in the Greka home on 1^st Street, adjacent to the bar Mr. Greka owned. Few people seem to have noticed the Michigan Limestone logo, or known that the furniture had been built for the plant.

While the furniture definitely has an interesting history, further investigation seems to suggest, however, that it was never owned by the Bradley’s, nor used in this house. Photos taken when the Bradley’s lived in the house, show a style of furniture very different than this dining room set. Their furniture, including their dining room table and chairs were much lighter in construction, with turned, spindle legs.

In 1925, which is about the time this furniture was built, Michigan Limestone was putting a large addition on their office building at Calcite. The addition was to house the plant’s chemistry lab and a new dining room. Photos of the dining room in use at that time show what appears to be plain oak furniture that was well worn. It had probably been in use by office personnel at Calcite from the time the plant began production in 1912. It seems quite logical that Michigan Lime would have purchased new dining room furniture for use in their new dining room.

Unfortunately, a fire started in the new addition before it was quite complete, destroying, not just the addition, but the entire office building. With no further need for the furniture, it could have been sold around the time of the fire. It’s also possible that it was purchased by one of the managers at Calcite for use in his home.

The granddaughter of the man who ultimately purchased the suite, thinks her grandfather purchased it from someone whose name began with “W,” who lived on Lake Street. The only person who fits that bill was George Wing who served in a variety of capacities at Calcite . . . and who lived on Lake Street for many years. Wing could have used the dining room suite in his own home, or, if Calcite had merely stored it after the office burned, he could have been asked at some point to sell it.

Regardless, it’s a unique dining room suite, and one that seems well suited to use in the Bradley House.

The glass-fronted hutch holds some of the better china owned by the museum. Quite a number of the pieces were owned by the Larke family, including the red-patterned pieces on the lower shelf. They were reportedly acquired from “the Ford family.” The numerous Wedgwood pieces in the “Farm” pattern reportedly belonged to the Bradley’s. When Mrs. Bradley left Rogers City, the dishes were acquired by Nina Ferdelman. Mrs. Ferdelman’s husband Otto had worked for Mr. Bradley at Calcite. The museum acquired the pieces on exhibit after Mrs. Ferdelman’s death.

The glass-fronted bookcase along the west wall holds photos and other objects that have recently been donated to the museum. Things in this case change frequently.

The heavy marble clock on the fireplace mantel belonged to Paul H. Hoeft, and was donated to the museum by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Whiteley. Harry Whiteley is Mr. Hoeft’s grandson.

The mannequin is outfitted in one of the “Calcite gray” uniforms worn by the maids who were employed by residents of the Bradley house. According to the late Beth Monroe, two maids were reportedly on staff during the tenure of the Bradley’s, while Elna Heward says there was only one maid on staff during the residency of Mr. and Mrs. Clymer.

The maids did the cooking and cleaning, and waited on the residents during meal times. When the residents entertained large groups, additional maids would be “borrowed” from friends in Alpena who employed maids. Similarly, maids from the Bradley house would frequently be loaned out to friends who were hosting events.

A “handyman” was also available to maintain the yard and home. Andrew Santini, performed most of those duties during the periods when the Clymer’s and Valentin’s lived in the house. Many other Calcite employees were also called upon to work on the house at various times, to do painting, plumbing, or electrical work.