STREETCAR NO. 20
Understanding History, Connecting Community
A Restoration Experience

What is it?
Streetcar No. 20 is the focus of a community wide restoration project. The streetcar was found in January 2008 on Green Garden Road. Made entirely of wood, it is believed to be one of Marquette County’s earliest streetcars. The museum plans to tell its story by placing it on permanent exhibit outside the new museum upon completion.

Streetcar No. 20 is also the name given to the partnership between the Marquette County History Museum and Marquette County schools. This unique education opportunity connects young people to local history while providing a “real world” experience through restoration and exhibit design.

Why restore the streetcar?
The streetcar is an important part of transportation history and its success corresponded with the rapid development of Marquette County during the late 1800’s. Visitors will be able to board the restored streetcar and learn its history through first-person accounts, artifacts, as well as a virtual tour of the streetcar’s route in old Marquette. The exhibit will also include the streetcar’s impact on Upper Michigan, highlighting the Negaunee and Ishpeming system, as well as examining present day transportation and energy issues.

Who can help?
This project needs a large volunteer core that will include partnering schools, individuals, and community organizations. We need people with skills in restoration, carpentry, mechanics, research and conducting oral histories. We also welcome those passionate about history and interested in learning.

What will partnering schools actually do?
Teachers interested in partnering will develop student projects with museum staff that contribute to the restoration of the streetcar and its exhibit. Projects may include research, community outreach, oral histories, documentation and much more. Projects may differ with each partnering school.

Who’s partnering now?
Museum staff and teachers from Graveraet Intermediate School, Bothwell Middle School and Marquette Senior High School have developed projects that integrate with social studies, visual art and language arts curriculum. Fifth grade students from Graveraet will conduct primary research on the history of transportation in Marquette County. Special attention will be given to the development of the streetcar system in Marquette as well as routes, stops, and businesses in operation during the streetcar’s height of popularity. Students will also examine how people’s lives in the community were affected by the streetcar and how they were used. Research will culminate in a musical written and performed by fourth grade students. Eighth grade students from Bothwell Middle School will collect and transcribe oral histories of those who remember riding streetcars. Interviews will be compiled in a book and CD to be used in the museum archive and school library. They will also create a map of the streetcar’s routes in Marquette during the late nineteenth century. Marquette Senior High School will create a promotional video to help increase awareness of the project in the community. They will also document the restoration to be used in a film for the exhibit.

All schools will incorporate technology such as creating podcasts, digital video storytelling, interactive presentations and web logs. Students will communicate with students from other partnering schools and the community through wiki sites, museum blogs, presentations, field trips, group discussions, and local media.

How do I get involved?
For more information call Museum Educator, Tiina Harris at 226-3571 or email tiina.harris@sbcglobal.net Thank you for your interest in the project.