Heritage Center

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Heritage Center Projects

We are in the business of sharing the stories of our great community! Since 2006, we have completed over a dozen community projects, spanning three counties: Jackson, Adrian, and Hillsdale. We collected stories and photographs and shared them with our community, either in a museum, film, quilt, or booklet. After each project was completed, we walked away caring deeply for the people whose sacrifices and commitment helped make our community great.

Our students ‘write’ themselves into each story we tell at the Heritage Center. For example,  Scott Weatherwax (2016) was a pioneer in the Heritage Center work. For over a year he traveled to various counties, haunting archives and making new friends with genealogists and historians. Scott found photos of Eugene Weatherwax, working in his family store in the 19th Century – and letters from another ancestor, John Weatherwax, who was a local judge in 1830 – weeks later, Scott  found his sweet great-grandfather’s photo in a Jackson Junior College yearbook.

Please take a moment and look through the various project links below. Some of them include reflections, photos, and links to the booklets or films. Please contact us if you have a memory of one of these projects – did you work on the project or do you have a memory about the topic? Share Your Story with us!

“The Heritage Center brings stories back to life. It brings people home. I think that’s what the Heritage Center is about – coming home. We are finding out who is part of our story”

– Mackenzie Smith, JC alumni 2018

“One of the most enriching experiences of my adult life was spending time with the amazing people who are working to preserve the history of the greater Jackson area, while also giving students a chance to learn about themselves and the process of becoming a historian/researcher. This organization embodies everything positive I feel Jackson College has to offer. I hope you all take the time to look at the impact they are having on our world!”

– Scott Weatherwax