Riverwalks

Brenda E. Bentley has enhanced walker’s enjoyment of the Huron River through Ann Arbor by writing Riverwalks Ann Arbor: Walking Loops Along the Huron River. The walks are introduced by a geological, historical, cultural, and natural history of the river. The book has interesting reproductions of historical maps; old postcards and photographs; new crisp, clear maps with contour lines, major roads, park areas, and elevations; and current photographs. Each walk is a loop. Sometimes they can connect with other loops. The walks start at Barton Pond and move east along the river to Parker Mill. The descriptions of the walks are enhanced by historical asides, among others, on the Public Land Survey System, the ice trade on Argo Pond, and Superintendent of Parks Eli Gallup.

Cobblestone Country Christmas

Sunday, Dec. 7th noon to 4 pm
2781 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor
(734) 994-2928
Suggested donation of $1.50 kids, $3 adults, $7 family for program support

Cobblestone Farm will be presenting a 19th century Yuletide celebration featuring live dulcimer music with the Village Strings, a chance to meet Father Christmas, see holiday cooking on a wood stove, and go on tours of the decorated farmhouse with costumed interpreters.
The museums will also have an exhibit commemorating Pearl Harbor Day (December 7th) and showing examples of a 1940's era Christmas. The gift shop will be open and the animals in the barnyard will be out for the kids to see.

For more information on an old fashioned "country Christmas," check out The Pioneer Lady's Country Christmas: a gift of old-fashioned recipes and memories of Christmas Past by Jane Watson Hopping.

germans

The Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibit will be unveiling three new plaques that expand on the history of the German community on Thursday, Oct. 2nd at 5 p.m. outside Sweetwaters Cafe at Washington & Ashley. The contributions of Germans to Ann Arbor are fully developed in the many books and articles available through the Making of Ann Arbor.

Cobblestone Farm

Sunday, October 12 at 12 (noon) to 4pm -- Located at 2781 Packard Road, Ann Arbor
Admission is $1.50 for kids, $7 for the family (Cobblestone Farm Members free – memberships available at event)
Hosted by Ann Arbor Department of Parks & Recreation and the Cobblestone Farm Association

Celebrate autumn with the 1850’s living history program! Experience the delicious aroma of cooking on the wood stove, a costume parade with prizes, or try your hand at pumpkin decorating. You can take pictures with the Headless Horseman or visit the animals in the barnyard. Play 19th century lawn games for children, take a tour of the farmhouse, or have cider and doughnuts! Want to learn more about the Headless Horseman? Check out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow or The Headless Horseman & Other Goulish Tales!

The Washtenaw County Department of Planning & Environment, The Washtenaw County Historic District Commission, and the Michigan Historic Preservation Network are offering a workshop titled Owning Property in Local Historic Districts: Benefits and Practice, featuring Kristine Kidorf, Owner of Kidorf Preservation Consulting. The workshop will cover the basics of local historic district commission processes, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, and the 25% Michigan rehabilitation tax credit.

This workshop will be offered Saturday, September 6, 10:00am to 12:00pm at the Washtenaw County Library Learning Resource Center (LLRC), 4135 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48107. Please RSVP to: miltonpungm@ewashtenaw.org or (734) 222-6878.

One of the newest additions to our ever-growing collection of AADL Videos on Demand is an event from December 2006 featuring Grace Shackman discussing her book Ann Arbor Observed. This event, from our Sunday Edition Author Series, features Shackman discussing the process of becoming a writer for the Observer, reading excerpts from her book, and answering questions. Over twenty-five years, Shackman's articles on all aspects of Ann Arbor and its history became a highly popular feature of the Observer. Download a high-quality version of the video or an audio version you can put on your iPod or mp3 player from our AADL Videos on Demand collection.

Click image for larger view (640 x 564) or here for a close up (1500 x 1321). A key to trails and historical markers appears below each map image.

We recently spruced up the Making of Ann Arbor site with a new design and some additional content, including a map of Indian trails in Washtenaw County taken from the 1927 book The Indians of Washtenaw County, Michigan by W. B. Hinsdale. This map and others are available on the Making of Ann Arbor maps page. Additional maps and atlases of Washtenaw county are available through the Michigan County Histories and Atlases digitization project.

guide

The best walking the town brochure, Guide to Ann Arbor Architecture, by the Huron Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is now the best walking the town Podcast. Twenty different podcasts on the Law Quad, Nickels Arcade, St. Andrew's Church to name a few, are available for your viewing and listening pleasure. After viewing the videos online, load them on your MP3 Player and start rambling.