WE’RE POISED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL In 2017, the Embrace. Preserve. Cherish. capital campaign was successfully initiated with the establishment of preservation funds at the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, including an endowment, to provide for the care and protection of the Museum at Harsha House, Train Depot and South Pier Lighthouse, and lay the groundwork for the care, protection and display of the Society’s collections. Our extensive renovation and restoration work on these historic structures has not only earned us a Michigan Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation but also solidified our reputation as a leader in community stewardship. THE LEGACY OF BOB MILES — AND HIS LIFE’S WORK In naming this new endowment, we honor Bob Miles — Charlevoix’s preeminent photographer from 1931 to 1972, whose life’s work and collections form the core of the museum’s holdings today. His contributions to the Charlevoix Historical Society, culminating in the landmark publication Bob Miles’ Charlevoix (1976), reflect a commitment to excellence and community that continues to drive our work. His legacy reminds us that the work of preservation and storytelling, done with care, artistry, and ambition, endures. The Bob Miles Operating Endowment will ensure that this organization has sustained resources to continue that work — telling Charlevoix’s story, preserving its heritage, and solidifying our role as a cultural institution for generations to come. We are launching the Bob Miles Operating Endowment campaign in connection with the 2026 publication of The City on Three Lakes: A Maritime History of Charlevoix & the Surrounding Region — a monumental visual and historical record of a community defined by water. Comprehensive in scope and exceptional in craft, the book is both a reference and visual archive, and a testament to what the Charlevoix Historical Society is capable of at its best. A LANDMARK BOOK AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LEGACY
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