YesterWays at the Monroe County Museum is a free hands-on drop-in activity that focuses on a skill or craft from times past, inspired by our Monroe County history. It's held every Saturday and Sunday at the County Museum from 11 AM to 3 PM. Each month, a different activity is offered, and participants can expect one-on-one instruction from museum staff in a fun, beginner-friendly make-and-take project.
Our March YesterWays is inspired by Monroe's early industrial history of paper making!
River Raisin's flowing water made Monroe an ideal location for several paper mills throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. One such mill was the McDowell Paper Mill, built in 1838. Located near Raisinville Road on the south side of River Raisin, it produced high-quality rag paper used by many newspapers throughout the Midwest, and locally by the Monroe Gazette, before its closure in about 1887. The 1864 Papermill school is a lasting memory of the mill we can explore today at Territorial Park on the River Raisin, built to educate children of the McDowell mill workers and surrounding community.
YesterWays participants will learn how to make sheets of decorative paper! Papermaking is an ancient and peaceful craft, and the results of doing it by hand can be varied and customized for scrapbooking, stationary, and more! After you shape and size the paper pulp, museum staff will press and dry it for about 30 minutes, after which your sheet can be taken home to fully dry.
YesterWays is free of charge, generally suitable for ages 8 and up, and there’s no appointment necessary.
Please note: no YesterWays on Saturday, March 28.
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