Battle Creek Public Schools is probably the first school district in the nation to own and operate a museum. Collecting began during the Civil War and when Battle Creek Central High School was built, it incorporated a "museum room" to house its collections. In 1934, they had outgrown the space and Edward Brigham Sr. founded the "Kingman Memorial Museum of Natural History" with a generous donation from the widow of Michigan Senator Kingman. Fast forward to the 1990s and BCPS could no longer afford to keep the doors open and ceased funding. After much wrangling and an extended court battle, the Kingman Museum Initiative was successful in establishing a not-for-profit organization and took over the facility and reopened the doors as Kingman Museum in February 2003. We are an exhibition and education facility and seek to educate families of all ages.