“If only the walls could talk!”

Welcome to the PIGEON HISTORICAL SOCIETY website. Comprised of the Woelke Historical Research Center, Depot Museum, and Berne Junction Mercantile, we endeavor the preserve, promote, and distribute the history of the Pigeon area, Here you find museum location, hours of operation, links to the quarterly newsletter, membership information as well as special events.

 

Pigeon Historical Society

Organized September 7, 1976

The Historical Society

The Pigeon Chapter of the Huron County Historical Society was organized on September 7, 1976. Officers elected to serve until January l, 1977 were Ethel Corrion, President; Dryden Haist, Vice President; Roberta Richmond, Secretary; and George Dunn, Treasurer.

Mrs. Corrion appointed a membership committee, a project committee, and a site committee at that meeting. It was voted to hold monthly meetings at the Pigeon District Library.

In November of that year, the First United Methodist Church parsonage was leased for a museum for $1.00 from the church Board of Trustees.

In January of 1977, Dryden Haist was elected President; Eleanora Eicher, Vice President, Roberta Richmond, and George Dunn continued in their respective offices.

A constitution and bylaws were adopted and Mr. Haist made several more committee appointments. At a special meeting, the president presented the Village of Pigeon Ordinance No. 64, which gave the Historical Society status as an auxiliary to the Village of Pigeon. The primary responsibility of the Society was to administer and maintain at village museum. There were forty-four charter members.

 

The Depot

The Pigeon Historical Museum occupies the former Pigeon depot, which was constructed in 1908 as a joint venture of Pontiac, Oxford, and Northern and the Pere Marquette railroads.

The original depot in Pigeon, which was moved from Berne was in such poor condition that in May of 1907, the office was to serve as a depot until the P. 0. & N. and the Marquette could agree on plans for a new station.

After many delays, Governor Warner became involved in the dispute between the two railroads. On October 15, 1907, he wrote to George H.A. Shaw, editor of the Pigeon Progress, stating “The (Michigan) Railroad Commission just ordered the erection of a Union Depot at Pigeon within sixty days.” 

However, the two lines continued to disagree on the location of the freight rooms and other aspects of the depot’s design until a second order by the Railroad Commission on June 9, 1908, demanded that bids for the construction of a new depot be taken and a contract let. 

The lowest bidder was L.W. Case of Cass City. Leipprandt Bros. of Pigeon was awarded the hot water heating contract. The new depot was opened to the public on October 28, 1908.