U-M Medical History Exhibit

Event Summary

Date(s): Sunday, April 26, 2026
Time: 12:00pm-4:00pm
Venue: Museum on Main Street
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Event Description

This free exhibit celebrates the Medical School’s 175th anniversary, and the 100th anniversary of the “Old Main” hospital that was U-M’s flagship for more than 60 years. It runs on weekends through April 30.

Kids and grownups can explore artifacts including 1800s surgical kits, a 1910s wheelchair, early scientific equipment used for studying germs and genes, and even a Survival Flight jumpsuit worn by the high-flying nurses aboard today’s medical helicopters. Plus lots of photos and fascinating facts about the people who became doctors, nurses and scientists at U-M, and served patients and made discoveries over the past 175 years.

UM Med School History Exhibit - Two women look at the exhibits about UM Medical School & "Old Main" hospital

Imagine what being a medical or nursing student, or receiving medical care, was like in the 19th and 20th centuries. Try to find clues in a scavenger hunt, color a helicopter coloring sheets, and try on a white coat and stethoscope and pose for a photo.

A toddler boy tries on a UM Medicine lab coat and stethoscope

Older adults, especially those who remember the “Old Main” hospital that stood until the 1980s, will also enjoy the museum, making this a great multi-generational outing.

UM Med School History Exhibit - Artifacts from the UM Medical School including microscope, scales, petri dishes, and a typewriter.

The museum is in an historic house on upper Main Street near Kerrytown, with parking available on nearby streets and municipal lots and structures. There’s an accessible entrance at the rear of the museum.

School groups and others can reserve free weekday tours too.

Event Details