Newberry is a village in Luce County. The village is located within the McMillan Township, at the very end. Between Newberry and the McMillan Township the two places shares some of the administrative responsibilities. According to the 2000 census the village’s population was 2,686 people. Newberry is surrounded by miles of state and national forests.
The village’s most important employer is the Newberry Correctional Facility, which was the U.P’s State Psychiatric Hospital. The hospital at one point housed up to 1,800 patients and was shut down in 1990. This is when Newberry hit the low-point. When this happened there were people who left to find new jobs. The economic blow was softened in 1995 when the west part of the abandoned hospital was used to build to Newberry Correctional Facility, which is a medium security state prison. The facility houses 930 prisoners and has over 300 employees.
The Luce County Historical Museum is a must see. It has something for everyone in the family. The old combination jail and sheriffs residence was converted to the museum. The jail/resident was constructed in 1894 and was used as the jail/resident for the sheriff for over 70 years. In 1975 the Luce County Historical Society rescued the building from demolition and restored it to the museum in 1976. The Sheriff’s office is now used for old office equipment; the lower jail cell is used as a fire proof library for records, books, maps, pictures and other valuable artifacts. The upper jail cells, which were used for women and children, are now being used to contain the original jail cell, a laundry room, and cells to hold miscellaneous artifacts. In the museum there is also a fire place mantle, a judge’s bench and witness stand all in the downstairs parlor. These items were saved from the old courthouse. In the Stateroom there are old newspapers, memorial book and pictures that are displayed. There are more rooms that would need to be checked out. Words cannot describe what the Historical Museum is actually like.
Newberry is an old lumber town. The village started processing lumber from surrounding camps as early as the Civil War. Newberry did not have the capital to develop into a manufacturing center, unlike many other lumber boom towns. This town was founded by men who built a railroad in the 1870′s from St. Ignace to the Marquette Iron Range. These men built the Vulcan Furnace Company to make charcoal iron. The Vulcan Furnace Company was up and running until 1945. The vice-president of the company, John S. Newberry, named most of the main streets in the village after family members. These family members have never lived in the village.
A place that is needed to visit no matter what time of year you come to Newberry is The Tahquamenon Falls. These falls are over 200′ wide and 48′ wide. There are nature trails that you are able to take right down to the falls. The Tahquamenon River was found famous in the Longfellow Poem “Hiawatha”. This water fall is the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi. There is also a lower Tahquamenon Falls that you need to visit. This fall is smaller but there is just as much to enjoy. The larger falls area offers a glimpse of Michigan’s pre-settlement forests. The forest is home to many different animals, some are black burnian warbler, red-eyed vireo, sawwhet owls, pileated woodpecker, and a whole lot more. The forest is also 1,500 acres. The smaller fall area offers a “Mainland Trail” and ¾ mile boardwalk through narrow conifer lowland. Something that you might be able to see is a Bald Eagle fishing the rapids for their food in the early morning.
Something else that is needed to be seen is Oswald’s Bear Ranch. This is the largest bear ranch, for bears only, in the United States. There are a total of four large natural habitats for the bears. The area is all safely fenced in and you are able to easily see the bears. Bring your camera and take as many pictures as you would like. If you would like you are even able to get your picture taken with a cub. It is a walking facility for most of the visitors, but a trolley ride is available for the elderly or for groups that are on the larger end. After you are done having fun with the bears, be sure to stop in at the gift shop and grab a souvenir so your visit will never be forgotten.
If you are in need of a place to stay when you take your vacation, you can stay are the popular Newberry gathering place, Zellar’s Village Inn. In the morning you can have the hearty breakfast to get you going and during the day you can get anything from Mexican foods, hot dogs, prime rib, homemade pies to pizza and even a buffet. There is dancing while the DJ plays all types of music and sometimes there is an occasional live music in the lounge. There are daily lunch specials and daily dinner specials. There is a little something for every one of all ages to enjoy.