graceshackman

Last week we had the opportunity to talk with local historian, author and teacher, Grace Shackman, about how Ann Arbor has changed over the years. Throughout the discussion, Grace looks back at articles she's written; how she got her start writing about Ann Arbor history; the importance of preserving local landmarks; and her memories of early Ann Arbor art fairs. Over 130 of Grace's articles are featured in Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now, a new website with full text searching and browsing access to articles on local history from the Ann Arbor Observer.

Ann Arbor Observer

Last month, we had the privilege of talking with Ann Arbor Observer editor, John Hilton, about the origins and development of the Observer, how Ann Arbor has changed over the past three decades, and the current state of the newspaper industry. John also recently joined us along with local historian and author Grace Shackman to talk about Ann Arbor history and help us launch an online collection of local history articles from the Observer dating back to 1982. You can read all of Grace's articles from the Observer online now in Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now.

(Due to technical difficulties, the quality of the audio isn't quite what it should be, but please listen in as John has many interesting things to say about Ann Arbor!)

How is your Ann Arbor history and geography? Where would you find these in Ann Arbor: Picnic Island, Lover’s Lane, Cat Hole, the Pudding Stone, Cascade Glen or the Botsford Homestead? Hint: they all appear on walks along the Huron River detailed in the new book Riverwalks: Ann Arbor by Brenda Bentley. (Ok, some of the names have changed.)

I wasn’t expecting what I discovered in this book. The detailed instructions, with maps, for 31 ambles around all points of the Huron River would be expected in a walking guidebook. It was the history, of the river and Ann Arbor’s relationship to it over the years, with beautiful, old-time photographs of early Ann Arbor locations, all woven through a story-like narrative, with the Huron River a larger-than-life presence holding it all together, which surprised and delighted me. This book makes me feel like I am living beside a treasure, which I want to explore and get to know better.

An excellent organization working to protect and educate people about the Huron River is the Huron River Watershed Council and we carry its publication the Huron River Report in our periodicals department.

To celebrate our beautiful river, hike (or row) on over to Gallup Park, on Sunday, July 12th for Huron River Day.

jassband

Travel back in time to the late 1950’s when a new jazz band made up of a motley crew of residents and students was formed in Ann Arbor. Known as the Boll Weevil Jass Band (aka The Weevils) they played gigs at fraternity and sorority houses and staged several public concerts. On Sunday, April 19, 3pm - 4:30pm at Malletts Creek Branch, music expert (and co-founder of the Weevils) Mike Montgomery will discuss Dixieland Jazz in Ann Arbor and play excerpts from Weevil recordings to illustrate the various musical conventions used, such as breaks, stop-time, after beats, double-time and changing keys.

Corea-McLaughlin

The University Musical Society and AADL invite you to participate in Then and Now: Community and Cultural Change from the Fusion Era to Today, an online exhibit in celebration of Ann Arbor’s community heritage from 1968-1975 and the return of Chick Corea and John McLaughlin to UMS on April 4. Both of these musicians have continually reinvented themselves over the years while maintaining an exceptional level of artistry and commitment to their music.

Help us to show Ann Arbor's parallel evolution in its cultural, musical, and community landscape. Do you have a photograph from that era or the present day that you’d like to share? We’d love to include it on our site. Go to pictureAnnArbor to find out how to submit your photographs online, or email AADL Productions at productions@aadl.org to arrange a time to submit your photographs in person.

Ann Arbor City Council Minutes

Ever wonder how much things in Ann Arbor have changed in the last century? Find out what life was like through the eyes of the body that's overseen it all, the Ann Arbor City Council, with the new Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Minutes archive. This collection features searchable and browsable sets of council minutes from 1891-1930, letting you see 40 years of local issues and legislation. And for all you genealogists, council minutes also contain a wealth of information about the individual citizens of Ann Arbor, whether they were making a request, receiving a citation, or working for the city. Take a look and find out that Ann Arbor hasn't changed that much: we've got speed limits (7 mph in 1902), public transportation fare disputes, and pigs still aren't allowed to run through the streets.

downtown_panel

Listen in as local historians Ray Detter, Louisa Pieper and Grace Shackman talk about the origins, challenges and rewards of putting together the Downtown Ann Arbor Historical Street Exhibits Program. You'll hear about what's coming up (hint: books and corsets) and how our schools are planning to work the exhibit into the AAPS curriculum.

Have you ever been to the Bentley to research local history? It is quiet as a tomb and you have to wear these white cotton gloves if you want to handle the old photos. It can be intimidating but it's also pretty cool. The whole environment is so reverential that the experience can be nearly spiritual. I highly recommend checking it out.

If you don't want to make the trip and just want to sit around in your jammies checking out old photos of Ann Arbor, you can look at some of the Bentley collection online. The material is cataloged according to professional standards and the information is very useful. Which is great, unless you like to browse sites with a little more personality.

Henry Frieze

AADL is pleased to present a new collection, The Ford Gallery of Ann Arbor Founders, based on the permanent exhibit located in the Michigan Theater. You can browse the exhibit panels, which include such topics as early settlers, women who made a mark on the community, and the people who made the parks. Click on any image for a larger view or "read this panel" for a text-only version. You can also browse all the founders by name and search the collection by keyword. The permanent exhibit was funded by the Ford Motor Company Fund, with the cooperation of the Michigan Theater and the Bentley Historical Library.

Dr. Cowie

Join us Sunday, November 16, from 2-4 p.m. in the Downtown Library's Multi-Purpose Room for a talk by Dr. David Bloom on the history of the University of Michigan Medical School. In preparation, consider taking a look at some of our online collections, including this panel about the history of medicine in Ann Arbor from our new online collection of Ann Arbor Founders, or search for the term 'medical school' in The Making of the University of Michigan, 1817-1992.