Publications by Michigan History MagazineResent articles by the "Michigan History Magazine" from The Free Libraryhttp://www.thefreelibrary.comen-usFarlex, Inc.Sun, 15 Nov 2026 06:34:32 GMT360Free Online Libraryhttp://www.thefreelibrary.comhttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/static/TFLbyFarlex.gif17565Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 SHOWCASING THE TOWNSHIP'S RURAL PAST.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SHOWCASING+THE+TOWNSHIP%27S+RURAL+PAST.-a0880328988The historic two-story Byron Center, Michigan, town hall was built in 1876 and today serves as the home of the Byron Center Museum and Historical Society. The museum's main floor includes the old post office, a doctor's office, and a store. Displays on farming reflect the rural history of all 36 square miles of the township. There are collections of pictures, quilts, farm implements, and...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 AN ARCHITECTURAL TESTAMENT TO HISTORY.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AN+ARCHITECTURAL+TESTAMENT+TO+HISTORY.-a0880328987Built in 1842, the Dougherty Mission House is one of the oldest framed structures in Northern Michigan. Nestled on the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, Michigan, the structure was built by the Reverend Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian clergyman, with the help of Ojibwa Chief Agosa and members of Agosa's tribe. The Reverend Dougherty became the first non-Indigenous settler in the Grand...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 The Sabin-Judson House.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Sabin-Judson+House.-a0880328982In November 1878, the Lansing Republican newspaper reported that the architectural firm of Watkins & Arnold "exhibited plans for a beautiful residence now being erected on Seymour Street for W. D. Sabin ..."

Walter D. Sabin--a well-to-do Lansing, Michigan, hardware merchant--moved to the area in 1874 from Howard City, Michigan, and bought the land for his new house four years later....]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Red Squad Files: Spying on Pete Seeger Concerts.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Red+Squad+Files%3a+Spying+on+Pete+Seeger+Concerts.-a0880328981When the U.S. Postal Service issued a first-class stamp honoring musician Pete Seeger in 2022, it brought back memories from my youth. In 1956,1 was a senior at Redford Union High School in Redford Township, Michigan. When our student council was tasked with finding someone to perform at one of our monthly all-school assemblies, I suggested inviting Seeger.

]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 A PRISONER'S DREAM: Bub Merrill and the Bataan Deth March.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+PRISONER%27S+DREAM%3a+Bub+Merrill+and+the+Bataan+Deth+March.-a0880328979Surrounded by death in a Manchurian prison camp during World War II, Smith "Bub" Merrill dreamed of returning home to Michigan and being on the St. Clair River with the girl he left behind. For three and a half years, that vision sustained the young soldier as he endured countless cruelties at the hands of his captors. Faith in his sweetheart and his upbringing as a problem solver gave him the...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Oak Openings: The History of Michigan's Oak Savannas.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Oak+Openings%3a+The+History+of+Michigan%27s+Oak+Savannas.-a0880328978When settlers from the East Coast arrived in the Michigan Territory in the early 1800s, many were captivated by the landscape they encountered as they traveled west from the frontier post of Detroit, Michigan. Stately oak trees stood at regular intervals, like groves, in fields of vibrant flowers and grasses. The trees were predominantly bur--or "burr"--oaks, Quercus macrocarpa, and the...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 FLYING THROUGH BARRIERS: Alexander Jefferson and the Tuskegee Airmen.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FLYING+THROUGH+BARRIERS%3a+Alexander+Jefferson+and+the+Tuskegee+Airmen.-a0880328977Born in Detroit, Michigan, Alexander Jefferson joined the Army Air Force at the beginning of World War II, becoming one of the legendary original Tuskegee Airmen. He survived being shot down and becoming a POW during the war, then returned home to continue fighting for civil rights. Jefferson once stated, "God has given to each of us an opportunity... to be all you can be." That observation...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 MAKING A MARK: The Exterior Decorations of Lansing's Rosa Library.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MAKING+A+MARK%3a+The+Exterior+Decorations+of+Lansing%27s+Rosa+Library.-a0880328976The use of colophons--also known as printers' marks or printers' devices--to ornament libraries and newspaper headquarters is an American tradition dating back to the nineteenth century, but the colophons selected to serve as such ornamentation were usually from historical European printers. However, when Lansing's new Central Library--now known as the Rosa Library--was unveiled in 1964, its...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 DESIGNING A LEGACY: The Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DESIGNING+A+LEGACY%3a+The+Fisher+Body+Craftsman%27s+Guild.-a0880328975Before college degrees were widely available in the field of automotive design, the Fisher Body corporation faced a problem--how could it find and foster talented designers? The solution was the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild (FBCG), an organization aimed at recruiting young people with an interest in cars and teaching them about the world of automotive design. The organization held an annual...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 A Revolutionary Relocation: From Michilimackinac to Mackinac Island.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+Revolutionary+Relocation%3a+From+Michilimackinac+to+Mackinac+Island.-a0880328974In the midst of the Revolutionary War, Patrick Sinclair decided to move an entire Northern Michigan community. The lieutenant governor of the British post at Michilimackinac, Sinclair feared that the fortified town at the tip of the Lower Peninsula was vulnerable to attack from rebel or Spanish forces. That decision proved much harder to carry to fruition than Sinclair expected when he arrived...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 HENRY KEEP (1873-1965).http://www.thefreelibrary.com/HENRY+KEEP+(1873-1965).-a0880328973Henry Keep lived in Michigan for only 14 years, but he left his mark in the state as the first football coach of Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.)--now Michigan State University (MSU). He led the Aggies--not yet the Spartans--during the 1897 and 1898 seasons.

]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Spread the Word!http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Spread+the+Word!-a0880328972Before the age of smart phones and emails, friends, neighbors, and community members would use things like letters, newspapers, and postcards to share information with each other. From weekly newspapers delivered to doorsteps, to letters delivered through the frozen landscape by dogsleds, people sent messages using the mail. These snapshots of historic communication range from the tip of the...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 The Perry Hotel.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Perry+Hotel.-a0880328971For more than 120 years, the Perry Hotel has served visitors in Northern Michigan. Built in Petoskey, Michigan, by Dr. Norman J. Perry--a former dentist--in 1899, the hotel has undergone several name changes, renovations, and owners.

The hotel was almost converted into a hospital in 1919 after it was purchased by a pair of local doctors. However, leadership in Petoskey realized that the...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Kitch-iti-kipi: The Big Cold Spring.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Kitch-iti-kipi%3a+The+Big+Cold+Spring.-a0880328970The magical place with an equally magical name: Kitch-iti-kipi, meaning "Big Cold Spring" in Ojibwe. Enormous lake, brown, and brook trout glide through its icy depths, and minerals turn the lake bottom an emerald green. Fifty feet below the surface, 10,000 gallons of water per minute spew out of fissures in the bedrock, flowing out of the spring through a creek to Indian...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Welcoming 2026 and America's 250th Year.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Welcoming+2026+and+America%27s+250th+Year.-a0880328968The nation's 250th birthday--the Semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence--is on July 4, 2026, and Michigan is offering a robust slate of programming, community outreach, grant fulfillments, and more to celebrate. There will be a lot of activity in the coming months as historians and America250MI ramp up efforts this year!

]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 On This Date: The following dates celebrate America's Semiquincentennial anniversary and are nationally focused.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/On+This+Date%3a+The+following+dates+celebrate+America%27s...-a0880328962 Jan 3 The Battle of Princeton was a decisive victory for General Washington's Continental Army. (1777) Jan 10 Thomas Paine published his pamphlet, "Common Sense," which advocated for independence from Britain. (1776) Jan 29 The English Court of General Quarter Sessions held its last meeting in Detroit as the British began to give up control of Michigan. (1796) Feb 4 The British Parliament...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 BEYOND THE SONG.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BEYOND+THE+SONG.-a0880328955"Beyond the Song of Hiawatha: Reclaiming Indigenous Agency Through Pageants" by Karl Hele in the September/October 2025 issue was of particular interest to me.

As a native-born Detroiter, I was not aware that I was a "continuing participant" in the history of that Indigenous performing story. In the mid-1940s, the Boy Scouts of America Council in Detroit helped the Boy Scouts celebrate...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 MORE TO THE STORY.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MORE+TO+THE+STORY.-a0880328954I wrote the article "Crossing the Street: Memories of a Safety Patrol Captain in the 1960s" in the September/October 2025 issue. I would like to share a James Vernor Elementary School anecdote that I should have included in that article. One day, while I was captain, three students came up to me. They were two grades lower than me--fourth graders, maybe. Then, one of them said, "my father is...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 AN AMAZING BOAT.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/AN+AMAZING+BOAT.-a0880328952The article "Outfoxing the Competition: Fearless Powerboat Racer Gar Wood" by Kendall Wingrove in the September/October 2025 issue stirred my memory. I saw those boats with my own eyes. I touched those boats and admired them. We lived near Plymouth, Michigan, back then, and my father had a lumber yard in Detroit, Michigan. He got me interested in reading about Wood and his races for the...]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 COVER TO COVER.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/COVER+TO+COVER.-a0880328951After three days, and still a few weeks before its titular date, I finished reading the entire September/October 2025 issue of Michigan History magazine--and I enjoyed all of it. This is just about par for the course with your magazine, month after month.

]]>Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 Magazines, Motorcoach Tours, and More!http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Magazines%2c+Motorcoach+Tours%2c+and+More!-a0880328949Michigan History takes you on adventures to places across our beautiful state, and the copy in your hands is no exception! Coinciding with the start of our national Semiquincentennial, we are proud to feature an article dedicated to an aspect of our country's 250th anniversary in each issue throughout 2026. The first of those stories, "A Revolutionary Relocation: From Michilimackinac to...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 EXPERIENCE BRIGHTON'S CULTURAL HISTORY.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/EXPERIENCE+BRIGHTON%27S+CULTURAL+HISTORY.-a0867095723When driving through downtown Brighton, Michigan, travelers cannot miss the statuesque old town hall, built in 1879. Inside the large building at the end of the Mill Pond is the City of Brighton Arts, Culture, and History (CoBACH) Center. The center is the home base for three Brighton cultural organizations: the Livingston Players, the Brighton Area Historical Society, and the Brighton Art...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan Turns 50.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Community+Foundation+for+Northeast+Michigan+Turns+50.-a0867095718For more than 50 years, the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) has stood as an example of people working together to build strong communities through the power of giving. First called the Alpena Area Community Foundation, it was organized on July 3,1974, and serves Alpena, Alcona, Montmorency, and Presque Isle counties. The name became the Northeast Michigan Community...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 Play Ball! The Summer of 1962.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Play+Ball!+The+Summer+of+1962.-a0867095717It was early June 1962, and we all sat impatiently waiting for the bell to ring, signifying not only the end of the school day, but the end of the school year. Who does not have fond memories of the heightened anticipation of the onset of summer vacation? While that meant many different things to different kids, there was a group of boys living on Main Street in Coopersville,...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 A Mechanically Powered: Pachyderm.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+Mechanically+Powered%3a+Pachyderm.-a0867095716There truly is an elephant in the room at Stahls Motors and Music Experience in Chesterfield, Michigan. Among the 220 vintage automobiles, nickelodeons, and grand dance organs housed at the museum fives a rare mechanical pachyderm named Wendell that once delighted children with elephant rides.

]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 COOPERSVILLE'S FAVORITE "RUNAWAY": The Story of Del Shannon.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/COOPERSVILLE%27S+FAVORITE+%22RUNAWAY%22%3a+The+Story+of+Del+Shannon.-a0867095715Pop music historiographers tend to be well-versed in the Del Shannon saga, a remarkable rags-to-riches story in American rock 'n' roll lore. Chuck Westover of Coopersville, Michigan, changed his name to Del Shannon in 1961 after writing and recording "Runaway " with his bandmate, Max Crook. With its rumbling guitar and eerie space organ solo, "Runaway" was the biggest hit in America and...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 The Rose Estate: A Sanctuary of Legacy, Art, and Soul.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Rose+Estate%3a+A+Sanctuary+of+Legacy%2c+Art%2c+and+Soul.-a0867095714Nestled among Palmer Park's tree-lined streets overlooking the Donald Ross-designed courses of the Detroit Golf Club, the Rose Estate bears witness to the lives of two remarkable, trailblazing women. The first was the pioneering feminist and artist, Patricia Hill Burnett. The second was the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin. An architectural gem of steel, stone, and brick dating back to...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 A Place for All: The Origins of Gordon W. Lloyd's Little Wood Churches.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+Place+for+All%3a+The+Origins+of+Gordon+W.+Lloyd%27s+Little+Wood...-a0867095713Gordon William Lloyd was one of nineteenth-century Michigan's most prominent architects. While many of his designs were expansive and included stone or brick, an unusual request following the death of Lisette Denison Forth led Lloyd to create plans for a small church, constructed primarily of wood. Those plans would go on to form the basis of five small wooden churches scattered across the...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 THE LEGACY OF ANDREW I. BLACKBIRD: Forging Relations.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/THE+LEGACY+OF+ANDREW+I.+BLACKBIRD%3a+Forging+Relations.-a0867095712The life of Andrew J. Blackbird illustrates both the promise and the peril faced by the Odawa people in nineteenth-century Michigan. Blackbird tried hard to adapt to the settler colonial wave that swept through the region following the War of 1812, but he was also a champion of Odawa culture, which he tried to preserve through his writings, public presentations, and policy interventions. When...]]>Sat, 1 Nov 2025 00:00:00 One Hundred Years of Hospitality: The Doherty Hotel.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/One+Hundred+Years+of+Hospitality%3a+The+Doherty+Hotel.-a0867095711Operating as a family business for more than 100 years, the Doherty Hotel is one of Michigan's most famous hotels. The enterprise was founded by Alfred James "A.J." Doherty, an entrepreneurially minded resident of Clare, Michigan, who was involved in business and politics at the turn of the twentieth century. Through the years, the hotel has played host to plenty of colorful characters,...]]>