With this story, MoodyOnTheMarket.com adds a recurring feature to the site–and welcomes a new MOTM Contributor. Jocelyne Tuszynski will focus on Things To Do and Places To Go, as well as Interesting People You Should Know in Michigan’s Great Southwest. Her first subject is the Niles History Center:
Not only does the Niles History Center stay active in the community in an educational capacity, they also provide the region with family-friendly events throughout the year. On Saturday, November 20th, 2021, the Holiday Open House will bring live reindeer to the mansion, as well as Santa Claus to the Niles District Library. Doors open at 10:00 am, and Rudolph and friends will arrive at 11:00am. The Winter Wonderland decor theme will be open to the public until 2:00 pm. Their Holiday Evening Open House takes place on Saturday, December 11th, 2021, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, and will focus on German holiday traditions. At 5:30pm they will be introducing a program called “Krampus: The Darker Side of Christmas in Germany.” Tour the museum and grounds and celebrate the holidays with Niles. These events are both free to the public.
The Niles History Center, located at 508 E. Main Street, inside the Chapin Mansion
On the corner of Main Street and 5th in Niles, sits the gorgeous red brick and patina-colored Queen Anne manor that has housed the Niles History Center since May of 2013. Worn with age and displaying intricate architectural detail, this stunning building is filled with opportunities to expand your knowledge of the Niles area. Built over 130 years ago for the Chapin family in 1882, the Henry A. Chapin mansion has been an important landmark in Berrien County, historically and educationally. In 1933, it was donated to the City of Niles, and remained home to the Niles City Hall until 2012. Today, they offer multiple informative programs to the public. Field trips for grades K-8, historic district walking tours, building tours, and library-integrated activities fill the mansion schedule every day. On their website, the Niles History Center offers virtual tours of the Chapin Mansion and Silverbrook Cemetery, as well as in-person group tours of the Fort St. Joseph Museum, Fort St. Joseph site, Ferry Street School, and the Niles Depot. Tours of the Historic Chapin Mansion are given every Friday at 1:00pm, and cost $5 per person.
Funded by the Michigan Health & Wellness Grant, the Niles History Center partnered with the Berrien County Health Department to create the Historical Bike Tour inside the city of Niles. Along this trail there are twenty-one stops, offering an abundance of information, records, and Michigan historical markers regarding the development of the Niles area dating back to the 1600s. To become a member of the Niles History Center and to learn more about daily offerings, visit their website, nileshistorycenter.org, or call 269-683-4700.
The Niles Depot Amtrak station is stop number three on the Historic Bike Trail
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
