SAGINAW VALLEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY

SAGINAW, MI

May 20, 2023: The "Bavarian Belle" docked at Frankenmuth, Michigan We're in Frankenmuth, Michigan; the <i>Bavarian Belle</i> is boarding passengers for its 6:30 PM tour, and I'm rushing across the bridge toward the dock at the north end of the RiverPlace Shops complex before I get left behind. Built in 1981, this charming Victorian-style paddlewheel steamer plied the Mississippi for nearly 20 years before its purchase and restoration by its present owners. Nowadays, it offers pleasant 45-minute sightseeing cruises along the Cass River to summer-season visitors to Michigan's &quot;Little Bavaria&quot;. — May 20, 2023: The "Bavarian Belle" docked at Frankenmuth, Michigan Credit: Carrotflower Productions International

The Saginaw Valley Historic Preservation Society is a non-profit organization located in Saginaw, Michigan, dedicated to preserving the historical heritage of the Saginaw Valley region. The Society was founded in 1964 and has been actively involved in the preservation and restoration of numerous historic sites and buildings in the area.

The Society's mission is to promote and preserve the history and culture of the Saginaw Valley through education, advocacy, and restoration projects. The Society is run by a dedicated group of volunteers who work tirelessly to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the region's rich historical heritage.

The Society's activities include organizing educational events and workshops, conducting research and publishing books and articles on local history, and working with local governments and organizations to protect and restore historic sites and buildings. The Society also operates a museum, the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History, which houses a collection of artifacts and exhibits showcasing the region's cultural, social, and economic history.

In addition to its preservation efforts, the Society also promotes tourism to the Saginaw Valley region, highlighting the many historical sites, museums, and cultural events that are available to visitors. The Society's work has helped to preserve the region's heritage for future generations and has made it a popular destination for history buffs and tourists alike.

SAGINAW VALLEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in SAGINAW MI. US MID #8402600912

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin).

May 19, 2023: Zehnder's and the Bavarian Inn, Frankenmuth, Michigan Facing each other across Main Street at the south end of downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan are Zehnder's <i>(left background)</i> and the Bavarian Inn <i>(right foreground)</i>, two longstanding titans of the local hospitality industry that each represent discrete chapters in the storied saga of the Zehnder family, who more than any other was responsible for putting the town on the tourist map as Michigan's &quot;Little Bavaria&quot;. It all started in 1929, when family patriarch William Zehnder, Sr. purchased the erstwhile Exchange Hotel and renamed it after himself - but it was across the street at the Bavarian Inn (our dinner destination for tonight) where the essential ingredients of today's Frankenmuth tourist experience were born. After a few formative years spent working at Zehnder's under the tutelage of his father and his uncle Ernie, it was William, Jr. who struck out on his own in 1950 with his purchase not only of the old Fischer Hotel across the street, but also the secret recipe for golden fried chicken that had earned previous owner Elmer Fischer considerable renown. Although chicken dinners remained Fischer's biggest draw, business was initially slow - the effect, experts said, of two essentially identical competing businesses operating in the same small town - and Zehnder soon found himself deeply in debt. Rather than throw in the towel, however, he took a gamble on the idea that a larger market was out there, and hatched a plan to help remake Frankenmuth as a regional tourist destination, playing up the Bavarian ancestry of the majority of the townsfolk. In 1958, Zehnder enlisted Chicago-based designer Robert Lederer to help remodel the place in an eye-catching mock-Alpine motif, and upon its reopening, the newly rechristened Bavarian Inn successfully set the town on the trend that endures to this day. The operation has since expanded to the scale of a full-fledged resort, but if all you're after is a family-style meal of fried chicken and/or hearty Teutonic comfort food, the original Inn (or, for that matter, the original Zehnder's across the street, with whom it's engaged in a good-natured rivalry) still serves it up in style.

Z490-24 - Bay City After performing the switchback move, LSRC 6435 leads the empty grain train through Bay City for Standish for loading.

Contact SAGINAW VALLEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY

SAGINAW VALLEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY
1001 HOYT AVE
SAGINAW
MI
48607-1721

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SAGINAW VALLEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY Information

MID #	8402600912
Name	SAGINAW VALLEY HISTORIC PRESERVATION SOCIETY
Alternate Name
Classification	Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	383510630
NTEECC	A80
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)	201212
INCOME	0
REVENUE	0
LAT/LONG	43.423427, -83.929656
CODES	FIPS State Code: 26 FIPS County Code: 145 US Census Tract: 000700 US Census Block: 3028