Collections

Papers and a plethora of photographic materials of Dick Moehl, documenting his interest in, preservation, restoration and tourism projects and successes with Michigan lighthouses, lighthouse groups and related organizations, Boy Scouts of Troop 4, Ann Arbor, and the Mackinaw area. Some of these materials continue or expand the GLLKA organizational records collection, which is separately cataloged and housed at the Clarke.

The collection consists of papers and a plethora of photographic materials of Dick Moehl, 1902-2017, and undated, documenting his interest in, preservation, restoration and tourism projects and successes with Michigan lighthouses, lighthouse groups and related organizations, Boy Scouts of Troop 4, Ann Arbor, and the Mackinaw area. The collection is organized by size and format, then alphabetically by topic within series. Some of these materials continue or expand the GLLKA organizational records collection, which is separately cataloged and housed at the Clarke. The major series of the collection include: Dick Moehl materials (mostly in Box 1); Subject files; Slides of Michigan lighthouses; and Oversized materials.

The Subject Files include: extensive documentation of Dick’s activities, allied organizations, and interests, including: Troop 4 Boy Scouts, awards, honors, history and lighthouse work, Eagle Scout projects and programs, GLLKA organizational records, records of the many historic, preservation, and tourism organizations Dick was associated with, St. Helena and Round Island light station projects and history, lighthouses (Michigan, national) preservation, restoration, dedication or re-dedication or re-opening events, Mackinaw/c city, Island, and County history, tourism, and current events, and general Michigan history or tourism topics or events.

Slides of Michigan lighthouses and Boy and Girl Scouts helping preserve and restore lighthouses, cruising, Michigan tourism, nature, Soo Locks, Mackinac Bridge, 1981, 2009, and undated.

There is also a slide box (Box 29) of thirteen Sony8 videocassettes, mostly of events at St. Helena Lighthouse, undated, 1989-1991, perhaps as late as 1993. These video cassettes can be viewed by connecting a Sony 8 or high 8 camera to a television screen.

Oversized Materials include: two lighthouse photograph albums, 1985 and 1986; and five Oversized folders of posters, notably a color photograph poster of the Boy Scouts at St. Helena Light with a pile of collected trash, 1993, drawings, including children’s art, a pennant, and architectural drawings of Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse Barn, by Northwest Design Group, Richard Newman, Architect, Preliminary Drawings A1.1-A1.3, S1.2, prepared for Mackinac State Historic Park, September 2004.

The 2018 addition to the Richard Moehl Collection, Acc# 76135, Boxes #30-34 and Oversized Folder #6, 1942, 2016, and undated includes: paper awards and certificates, notebooks and logs, correspondence concerning Moehl’s achievements and certifications, and photographs; five plaques awarded to Moehl; four trophies, The oversized folder includes a special tribute and a certificate.

Processing Note: During processing numerous duplicates and peripheral materials were removed from the collection (29.5 cubic feet). Over 3 cubic feet of personal materials and camera equipment were returned to Mrs. Moehl. Over 75 catalog entries were created for monographs and serials that were added to the Clarke’s collection. Also, some postcards and miscellaneous newsletters were added to the Michigan postcards collection and vertical files.

The collection contains copies of exhibits that Planisek created on a wide variety of subjects that are related to local history including: shipwrecks, lighthouses, Mackinaw City history, and Emmet County history. The bulk of the Boxes 1-4 is information gathered on the Enbridge Energy line 5, which carries oil under the Straits of Mackinac. The 2020 Addition, Acc#76337, Boxes 4-11 and Oversized folders #2-3, focuses on the work by Sandy Planisek and Dick Moehl planning, creating, and running the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum on the decommissioned United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Mackinaw (WLGB-83), moored in Mackinaw City.

The collection, 1998, 2017, and undated contains copies of exhibits that Planisek created between 1998 and 2017. These displays cover a wide variety of subjects that are related to local history including: shipwrecks, lighthouses, Mackinaw City history, and Emmet County history. The bulk of the collection is information gathered on the Enbridge Energy line 5, which carries oil under the Straits of Mackinac. Planisek was decidedly anti-Enbridge. Contents of this collection included newspaper clippings, photographs, online articles, letters and pamphlets. A folder of biographical materials is also included. A later addition includes oral histories (on CDs), 2017: a recorded presentation by Bob Sweeney, Executive Secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority about the Mackinac Bridge; Jim Tamlyn about the A-frame used to un/load the Chief Wawatam railroad cars in Mackinaw City, and a CD of related images; and a joint interview about how the Michigan State House really used to work, with Patricia “Pan” Godchaux, who served 1997-2002, and Pan’s campaign manager, Susie Stafford. The collection is organized alphabetically and chronologically in the order in which it came to the Clarke.

The 2020 Addition, Acc#76337, Boxes 4-11 and Oversized folders #2-3, focuses on the work by Sandy Planisek and Dick Moehl planning, creating, and running the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum on the decommissioned United States Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) Mackinaw (WLGB-83), moored in Mackinaw City. The ship was decommissioned in 2006. There are also materials related to the later working years of the WLGB-83 before it was decommissioned, and the new USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30). On the back of many of the photographs in the collection, the names and ranks of the ship’s crew are listed. Audiovisual materials including microcassette, Hi8, MiniDV, VHS, DVDs, CDs, and photographs are found throughout the addition. Oversized materials include a signed pennant and proposed master site plans. The addition is also organized alphabetically and chronologically. All boxes in the Addition are .5 cubic foot boxes.

Researchers may be interested in related collections by Richard L. “Dick” Moehl, the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, and those related to Mackinaw area history which are also in the Clarke Historical Library.

Most of the text collection was originally received on four CDs. For the convenience of researchers, we printed off all the contents of the CDs and organized the papers. For reference to the CDs, each document has been labeled in the upper right-hand corner with a number that corresponds to the disc from which it came, in order to keep some resemblance of the original order of the collection. The original CDs are filed under miscellaneous materials in the Enbridge collection. In the 2020 Addition, six items were separately cataloged and 3 cubic feet was returned to the donor as per the donor agreement.