Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Situated between Otter Lake and Keweenaw Bay, the Hanka Homestead Finnish Museum is a well preserved Finnish homestead owned by its namesake family from 1896-1966. This was a time of significant prosperity for the Upper Peninsula, as the mining and lumber industries were thriving. The opportunity for work and the availability of land, which was still relatively unsettled in the region at the time, attracted Scandinavian and other immigrants to the peninsula. The 40 acre farm features eight buildings dating to the the late 1890s. These include the farmhouse, barn, sauna, and woodshed. Visitors will learn how Finnish immigrants lived on a rural farm and maintained their ethnic traditions so far away from home. Restorations of the buildings began in the 1980s by local enthusiasts who wanted to preserve this history. The farm is a Michigan State Historic Site and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Images
One of the old structures at the farm
Wider view of the farm
View inside the sauna
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_and_Anna_Hanka_Farm
http://www.hankahomesteadmuseum.org/about-us/