Niles History Center

Please note - The Fort St. Joseph Museum and Chapin Mansion will be closed on Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Join us on Saturday, November 25 for a special Small Business Saturday Open House at the Chapin Mansion!

Work is wrapping up on the Niles History Center Roof Rehabilitation Project!  Many thanks to the Michigan SHPO and National Park Service for their funding assistance through their Certified Local Government Program.

The Chapin Mansion will re-open on Saturday, November 18. Please check back for updates on the project, hours and tour availability. 

The Fort St. Joseph Museum is open! Stop by and see some of the recent exhibit updates. Admission is free!

Current museum hours: 
Thursdays 10am-4pm 
Fridays 10am-4pm
Saturdays 10am-3pm 


The Niles History Center is located at 508 E. Main Street in historic downtown Niles. The Niles History Center includes the Fort St. Joseph Museum and the Chapin Mansion. 

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Join the Friends of the Niles District Library and Niles History Center! Membership Form 

Fort St. Joseph Museum

FSJ Museum

Located in the former carriage house of the beautiful Victorian period Chapin Mansion, the museum tells the story of Niles from the prehistoric era to the present.

Historic Chapin Mansion 

Porch view with doors

About the Historic Chapin Mansion

Henry and Ruby Chapin constructed their magnificent home in 1882.  Donated to the City of Niles in 1933, it served as City Hall and is now administered by the Niles History Center. 

The first floor of the Mansion is now ADA accessible thanks to the completion of our North Porch Project. Funding was provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Michigan-based crowdfunding platform, Patronicity, and a matching grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Public Spaces Community Places program.

Are you interested in helping to fund restoration projects at the History Center? 
You can help be a part of history! Contact Christina Arseneau for information on donations and legacy giving. 

Virtual Tours and Field Trips
Chapin Mansion Virtual Tour

Silverbrook Cemetery Virtual Tour 










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Have You Visited the Museum Lately?

If you haven't, we would encourage you to do so. Niles has a wonderful, wide ranging history that we can all be proud of. What other town can you think of that has a fort, the Underground Railroad, pictographs by Chief Sitting Bull and a railroad classification yard in its history? Not to mention Rudolph and a two-headed lamb. You'll find these stories and lots more at the museum.

See you at the Niles History Center!

Christina Arseneau, Director
269-845-4054 ext 4010
HCdirector@nilesmi.org 

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