MCC Offering Trip to McCormick Museum and Gardens on Oct. 6
Muskegon Community College’s Center for Experiential Learning and the Tri-Cities Historical Museum are offering an Oct. 6 bus excursion from Grand Haven to tour the Robert R. McCormick Museum Mansion and Cantigny Park Gardens in Winfield, IL, outside of Chicago.
Participants will learn about a philanthropic family that made the Chicago Tribune a world-class newspaper. Gain a new appreciation of the sacrifices made by the men and women of the military at the 1st Division Museum. Enjoy strolling the estate gardens embraced in fall.
Tickets are $75 per person and includes motor coach transportation, park admission fees, and docents. Participant will be responsible for lunch which will be available at the park. The bus leaves from the Tri-Cities Historical Museum, 200 Washington Ave., Grand Haven, at 7:30 a.m. and return at 7:30 p.m.
Those interested can pay by cash, checks or credit/debit cards at the MCC Social Sciences Office, Room 242, on the main campus at Marquette and Quarterline. For more information, call the MCC Social Sciences Department at (231) 777-0380 or the Tri-Cities Historical Museum at (231) 842-0700.
The destination is the 30-acre former estate of Joseph Medill and his grandson Colonel Robert R. McCormick, publishers of the Chicago Tribune, with its ornamental landscapes and gardens. McCormick served in World War I and saw action at the Battle of Cantigny. After returning home, he renamed the estate in honor of the battle. In 1896–1897, Medill built a 35-room mansion, designed by architect Charles Allerton Coolidge, on the estate. Today the mansion is the Robert R. McCormick Museum, a historic house museum.
During World War I, Colonel McCormick served with the U.S. Army First Division, also known as the “Big Red One.” He provided an endowment for the First Division Museum, designed by architect Andrew Rebori, which includes exhibits and artifacts chronicling the First Division’s service history. On display outside the museum is the area’s largest collection of tanks and artillery pieces, known as “Tank Park” from the First World War up to the present day. Visitors are allowed to climb on the vehicles.
Interested in receiving updates about upcoming MCC Experiential Learning opportunities? Complete the online form below!
