17-ton Copper Slab Gets A Roof Over Its Head

It’s a piece of copper that is so big, it needs a roof of its own.

A pavilion to shelter a world-record setting slab of native copper was dedicated outside the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum Monday.

The 17-ton slab had been on display at the Quincy Mine Hoist after it was discovered on the bottom of Lake Superior.

Museum Executive Director Ted Bornhorst talks about it.

The slab is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest native metal slab pulled from the bottom of a lake.

The structure was made possible by a donation from museum supporters John and Jane Matz of Traverse City.

The slab is on permanent loan from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.