Ypsilanti Historical Society facts for kids
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| Established | 1961 |
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| Location | 220 N Huron St, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 |
The Ypsilanti Historical Society (YHS) was started in 1961. It runs the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and the Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives. Both are located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States.
The YHS Museum and Archives are found at 220 North Huron Street. They are inside a beautiful old building called the Historic 1860 Dow House. This house is a Victorian Italianate mansion. It was built in 1860 for Asa and Minerva Dow. Asa Dow moved to Ypsilanti to become the first president of the Ypsilanti Savings Bank.
After Minerva died, Asa sold the house and moved away. The Ypsilanti Historical Society got the house in 1970. Before that, the City of Ypsilanti owned it since 1966. The city wanted to tear down old homes to build a shopping area. But local people protested this idea! This protest helped create the Ypsilanti Historic District. This district helps protect old buildings. Before 1966, the Dow House was in bad shape. It had been divided into many apartments.
In 2007, the Archives moved into the main house's newly fixed basement. The Archives were renamed the Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives. This was to honor Alvin Rudisill, who helped fund them. The Archives have a meeting space and a reading room. They also have special storage for documents and photos. This storage keeps items safe from temperature and humidity changes.
Contents
What Can You See at the Museum?
The Historic 1860 Dow House is set up like a traditional house museum. This means you can see how people lived long ago.
Exploring the Dow House Rooms
- Parlor: This room looks like it did around the 1880s.
- Sitting Room: This room shows how it looked in the late 1920s.
- Dining Room: See where families would have eaten their meals.
- Kitchen: This kitchen shows what cooking was like in the early 1900s.
- Bedroom: A bedroom on the second floor is also on display.
- Solarium: This sunny room was built with the house. It has a special floor for watering plants. It also has a roof vent to control the temperature for the plants.
- Library: This room has a beautiful stained glass window. It was made by Tiffany Studios in New York City. This window came from another old building nearby.
What Are the Archives?
The Rudisill-Fletcher-White Archives collect and keep important historical items. These items tell the story of Ypsilanti and its surrounding areas.
What Kind of History Is Stored Here?
The Archives have collections about:
- The history of Ypsilanti City and Township.
- Eastern Michigan University.
- The Willow Run Bomber Plant, which was very important during World War II.
- Local schools like Lincoln Consolidated Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools.
Discovering Historical Treasures
Inside the Archives, you can find many interesting things:
- Old family Bibles.
- Maps and atlases.
- City and county directories.
- Postcards and yearbooks.
- News clippings and obituaries from Ypsilanti.
- Ypsilanti newspapers on microfilm.
- Old tax records and court documents.
The Ypsilanti Historical Society also works with the University of Michigan Library. Together, they have put over 17,500 Ypsilanti photos online. This means you can see them from anywhere!
Connecting with History
The Ypsilanti Historical Museum is part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. This group helps protect and share the history of the auto industry in Michigan.
Ypsilanti Gleanings Publication
The Society publishes a magazine called Ypsilanti Gleanings. It comes out four times a year and has been published since 1973. In 2009, it won an award for "Communications" from the Historical Society of Michigan. You can read this publication online. It is available on the Internet Archive and the Ypsilanti Historical Society website.
