Miller Empey Learning Zone

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Miller Empey is known as one of the first ornithologists in Michigan. He was born in Clyde, Michigan on August 22, 1870. In his mid twenties he found his passion after completing a correspondence course on taxidermy. Empey mounted his first specimen, a tiny Screech Owl which he found frozen to death near his home. The majority of the birds in Miller’s collection were killed in wildlife accidents; only a few specimens were shot. He strongly objected to the indiscriminate shooting of birds. Licensed by the State of Michigan and the Federal government for sixty-two years, Mr. Empey mounted more than 2,500 birds and animals until his death at the age of 88. The cabin in the center of the museum is a miniature copy of the workshop that stood behind Miller’s home in Freeland. His greatest joy was welcoming in both groups and individual children to share his collection with. It was his desire to have the collection remain in his hometown for the community to enjoy.

Ornithologist Bill Brandenburg who headed up in the cataloguing of the Empey collection stated: “This is the largest single grouping of native birds in a museum environment. Of the 370 native Michigan species, 250 are represented here. It is also the largest collection of nests and eggs. Miller was more than taxidermist, he was an ornithologist, artist, sculptor and naturalist.”

Upon Miller’s death the collection was loaned to the Freeland School to display. The community raised funds to buy furnishings for the room and display cases. The Miller Empey Natural Science Room was dedicated in 1962.

In 2007 the family of Miller Empey formed the Miller Empey Natural Science Foundation to educate, maintain, exhibit and preserve Miller’s Wildlife Collection. The Freeland Community Sports Association and the Foundation have worked together to build the Miller Empey Leering Zone. Schuman Construction provided a team to move, catalog and create the new museum and Frank Newmyer was the key designer for the natural habitat. The wildlife murals are the work of Paul Barker.

Along the museum, the Empey Learning Zone also houses a lounge area, learning center with computers and a conference/meeting room. The museum opened in May 2011.