The Tri-Cities Historical Museum (TCHM) occupies two buildings: the historic Akeley building, built in 1871 and located in the center of downtown Grand Haven, and the Community Archive and Research Center (CARC), established in 2016. 

The Akeley building’s first floor has permanent exhibits telling the story of the Tri-Cities in chronological order, from a Native American wigwam to a Victorian-era house. The second floor offers both small- and large-gallery space to feature rotating exhibits. Visit TCHM between May and September to experience the annual blockbuster exhibit, and year-round for ever-changing exhibits focused on local history, as well as an ever-growing collection of maritime artifacts celebrating our area’s long Coast Guard history. 

Today, residents and businesses of the Tri-Cities can explore the shared history of Spring Lake, Ferrysburg and Grand Haven, either by visiting the Akeley exhibits, or conducting research at the CARC with our Curator of Collections – and anyone, anywhere can view and search our catalog of objects, photographs, and documents on Collective Access, the Museum’s digital database of its more than 70,000 artifacts. More than 18,000 visitors annually – locally and worldwide – enjoy exploring the connections we create to local history.