Plan your visit

Location & Hours The Jim Crow Museum is located on the Lower Level of Ferris State University FLITE Library in Big Rapids Michigan. Ferris State University 1010 Campus Drive  Big Rapids, Michigan 49307  Donations Information about Big Rapids. "Using objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice"

Contact   Contact the museum at (231) 591-5873, or at [email protected]  The Museum is FREE and open to the public; therefore, the Museum is largely dependent on donations-financial and in-kind-to enhance its work. Self-guided groups of 15 or more are encouraged to schedule prior to arrival to ensure all accommodations are made. Parking permits can be obtained through Parking Services. Meter parking is also available in lot 5, FLITE Library

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***Attention***

The Jim Crow Museum is open to the public. Regular open hours are Tuesday through Friday Noon to 5pm.  Self-guided group tours are available by appointment during open hours.  Maximum group size will be limited—Please contact the Museum office at [email protected] or at [email protected] (not monitored closely) or call (231) 591-5873 for more information and to book a tour. 

Visitors to campus must have a guest parking permit, or park at a meter.

We look forward to seeing our patrons again and continuing our mission of "using objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.”

The Jim Crow Museum virtual tour is always available.  Please explore our virtual tour options to experience the museum and its collection.

In-person high school group tours are not currently available.  We welcome and encourage high school educators and students to take advantage of the following virtual educational resources: 

1. The museum has a virtual tour platform where visitors can explore the museum's exhibits at their own pace.  The tour also contains embedded audiovisual content.
2. For educators, there is also a companion lesson plan for the self-guided virtual tour.
3. Jim Crow Museum Virtual tour accessibility text narrative (PDF).
4. Please visit this page for information on additional educational options and resources, https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/education/curriculum/edcollection.htm 
5. A 25-minute video narrated by Dr. Pilgrim examines the main themes,  https://youtu.be/yf7jAF2Tk40 

Child Visitors to the Jim Crow Museum

Many of the artifacts and media pieces in the Jim Crow Museum contain explicit images of violence and nudity, offensive language, and other mature themes. Because of this, the Museum is strongly recommended only for those 12 years of age and older.

The Museum staff encourages all school-aged children be accompanied by a guardian or adult. Children younger than 12 must be accompanied by a guardian or adult.

All self-guided group tours are by appointment only.

Photography and Video Recording Policy

Visitors to the Jim Crow Museum are prohibited from photographing or video recording any portions of the Museum.

Exceptions to this policy can be made at the discretion of Museum staff and might include special events, scholars who have made arrangements in advance of their visits, and credentialed members of the press.

 

Day	Hours
Tuesday-Friday (Closed Mondays)	Noon - 5pm
Saturday-Sunday	Closed

Hours subject to change due to university schedule