HHAHS EST. 1977 Hanover-Horton Area Historical Society
Hanover, Michigan · Established 1977

Where history
still plays.

Nearly a hundred restored reed organs live in the old Hanover school, and they play whenever the doors are open. Come pull a stop and hear one.

Plan your visit Explore the collection

A parlor organ, drawn. The real ones are better — come on a Sunday.

Museum hoursSundays, 1:00–4:00 p.m., May through September
Where105 Fairview St., Hanover, MI
AdmissionAdults $5 · Family $25 · Age 6 & under free
This Christmas at the museum

Heritage Christmas

Saturday & Sunday, December 5 & 6 · 1 to 4 PM · Free admission

Santa Claus, the Prism Flute Group, dulcimer and reed organ players, a bake sale and decorated trees to vote on, at the old Hanover school.

See what’s onSponsor a tree for $50
Pull a stop

On an organ, each knob opens a different set of reeds. Same idea here.

The
Museum Nearly 100 organs Local
History Families & farms Heritage
Park Grounds & buildings What’s
On Events calendar Event
Center Rent the hall

The stops on the organs inside are labeled the same way.

The Lee Conklin collection

One man’s organs became a town’s museum.

The society was founded in 1977 to protect the 70-plus reed organs Lee Conklin donated to the community. The collection has grown to nearly one hundred restored instruments — and everything else we do grew out of caring for them.

16Michigan-made organs among nearly a hundred restored instruments
1977Year the society was founded to preserve local history
49Years of volunteers keeping the collection playing
What there is to see

Three places, one society.

The museum holds the instruments. The archive holds the town. The park holds everything that happens outdoors.

Ivory keys and labeled stop knobs of an antique reed organ

Conklin Reed Organ Museum

An extraordinary collection of antique reed organs, and the craftsmanship, music and people behind them.

Explore the museum
A collection of vintage photographs and prints from the Hanover-Horton area

Local History Collection

Photographs, artifacts, businesses, families, schools and stories from the Hanover-Horton area.

Explore local history
The path through the flower garden at Heritage Park, leading to the red Event Center barn

Heritage Park

Walking grounds, historical demonstration buildings, a working crop farm and the HHAHS Event Center.

Visit Heritage Park
Learn three rules

Most of what we do happens on the same day every month.

Learn these three and you will never need the calendar again.

HHAHS presents

Community Potluck

Third Friday of every month · 6:00 social, 6:30 supper. Bring a dish

Heritage Park Event Center

HHAHS presents

Organ Restoration Workshop

Fourth Friday and Saturday of every month, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. · Anyone interested is welcome

Herrick Building, Heritage Park

HHAHS presents

Board of Directors Meeting

Fourth Thursday of every month, 6:30 p.m. · Open to members

Heritage Park Event Center

Open Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., May through September. Tours by appointment year round. Add our calendar to your phone

What’s coming up

The calendar is the community.

Potlucks, workshops, luncheons and decorated trees. Everyone is welcome at all of it.

Nov 19

Board of Directors Meeting

Heritage Park Event Center · 6:30 p.m. Meeting Nov 20

Community Potluck

Heritage Park Event Center · 6:00 p.m. social, 6:30 p.m. supper Community Dec 05

Heritage Christmas

Conklin Reed Organ & History Museum Museum Dec 08

Hanover-Horton Small Business Group

Heritage Park Event Center · 8:30 a.m. Meeting
See the full calendar Rust ’N Dust returns August 21, 2027 for its 35th year
Out at Heritage Park The 35th Annual

Rust ’N Dust

Hosted by HHAHS at Heritage Park

The antique tractor and heritage show that takes over the grounds every August — pulls, demonstrations, music, wagon rides, and much of the township walking the field. The 2027 show is the 35th Anniversary Celebration.

About the show All events
35thAnniversary in 2027
Aug 21Next show · 2027
1–3 p.m.Museum open during the show
Two more reasons to come

The hall, and the school bus.

Renting the Event Center helps pay for everything else the society does. School visits are how the next generation meets the collection.

The Event Center hall set for a banquet, with long tables and rows of chairs arranged across an open floor plan

Rent the Event Center

Wedding receptions, showers, reunions, open houses, meetings and community events. One open hall with tables, chairs, restrooms and parking, on the grounds at Heritage Park.

Ask about a date
The museum’s restored vintage schoolhouse classroom exhibit

School & group visits

Guided tours by arrangement for schools, senior groups, music groups, clubs and reunions — the organs played, the restored schoolhouse classroom, and Heritage Park. Special rates for school groups.

Plan a class visit
Who runs this

Volunteers who know which floorboard creaks.

Members restore instruments, care for collections, welcome visitors, keep Heritage Park, plan events and serve on committees. It is their knowledge that keeps this history active.

Become a member Volunteer with us

Come in the front door. It’s the same one your grandmother used.

Stay in touch

However you like to get your mail.

The newsletter carries news from the museum, Heritage Park and the season ahead — in print or by email.

Most members choose this

By mail

The printed newsletter comes with membership, and members choose how they receive it. Membership never requires an email address.

Become a member
Read it anywhere

By email

Sign up for news by email, or read past issues online any time.

Read past issues

Support the society

Keep the organs playing.

Membership, volunteer hours and gifts pay for what preservation actually needs — from bellows cloth to heat for a century-old school building through a Michigan winter.

Donate Become a member Rent the event center