On Thursday evening, March 15, The Christman Company will host the Historical Society of Greater Lansing at their national headquarters, located at historic landmark Mutual Building on Capitol Avenue. Society members and other attendees will enjoy a talk by Chad Teeples, who was the Senior Project Manager of the Christman Company’s recent work on the Accident Fund Building. Teeples will give a talk on the history of the Christman Company, which was founded in South Bend, Indiana in 1894, and has had offices in Lansing since 1915. He will also discuss Christman’s ongoing work to preserve and restore historic icons across the country, including our own capitol building.
The event begins at 7 pm.
Matt VanAcker, the Co-Chair of Michigan’s Save the Flags project, will speak about the Michigan Capitol Battle Flag collection, including 240 battle flags carried by Michigan soldiers in the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I. Emphasis will be placed upon the Civil War collection, and most specifically, the flags with connections to Lansing. Approximately 90,000 Michigan soldiers fought in the American Civil War and almost 15,000 made the ultimate sacrifice. The bullet torn, blood stained battle flags that these men carried and died beneath were their proudest possessions, they stood for the Union, for their loved ones back home and also as the rallying point in combat.
After speaking at the Historical Society of Greater Lansing meeting on Thursday evening, February 16th, Matt will make the flag collection, now held at the Michigan Historical Center, available for viewing by the public Saturday morning, February 18th from 10 am to 12:30 pm.
Join us January 19th in the auditorium of the Downtown Branch of the Capital Area District Library as Lawrence Glazer, author of “Wounded Warrior: The Rise and Fall of Michigan Governor John Swainson” will talk about his award winning biography of the governor. John Swainson, Michigan’s 42nd governor, was once a rising star in Michigan politics who served in the State Senate, the Governor’s office, and on the Michigan Supreme Court. Yet Swainson was no stranger to tragedy. At the age of 19, while fighting in France during World War II, Swainson lost both legs in a land mine explosion. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of his life, though, happened many years later, when he was convicted of perjury, disbarred, and removed from the Michigan Supreme Court in 1975. Glazer charts the rise and fall of Governor Swainson in his book, revealing the truth behind Swainson’s conviction.
The program begins at 7 pm.
Browse the catalogue for our October 8 Silent Auction.
Join us for a tour of J.W. Sexton High School, Tuesday evening, November 15, 2011. The doors will open at 6:30 pm. The program will begin at 7 pm in the auditorium, and will be followed by tours of the building. The evening will close with refreshments in the social room. HSGL would like to thank Sexton Principal Dr. Reginald T. Bates, Assistant Principal Mr. Steven Lonzo, and the Sexton National Honors Society for their hospitality.
The Michigan Humanities Council has selected Detroit author Kevin Boyle’s Arc of Justice as their 2011-2012 Great Michigan Read book. The book tells the story of a murder trial that resulted when an African American doctor, Ossian Sweet, moved his family into a white neighborhood in Detroit in 1925. The trial became a landmark civil rights case, launching the career of future Michigan Governor Frank Murphy and serving as one of the highlights to the brilliant defense career of lawyer Clarence Darrow. Arc of Justice is the 2004 National Book Award winner for non-fiction, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Price.
On Tuesday, October 25, Boyle will speak on his book at Thomas Cooley Law School, located at 300 S. Capitol Ave. Refreshments will be served at 5:30, with the program following at 6:00pm. Books will be available for purchase and signing. This event is sponsored by the Capital Area District Library.
Thursday, Oct. 20, 7:00 PM
Covenants signed by white homeowners to keep African-Americans from moving into their neighborhoods affected maps created by local officials – maps that defined patterns of segregation for decades. Presented by Matthew Daley, Ph.D., an expert on Detroit’s rapid urban growth from 1915-1945.
Location: CADL Downtown Lansing Auditorium
401 S. Capitol Avenue, Lansing (corner of W. Kalamazoo St.)
Thursday, Oct. 13, 7:00 PM
Enjoy live music from the Arc of Justice era – the 1920s and 30s – performed by the MSU Student Jazz Ensemble. Co-sponsored by the Capital Area District Library & Traction.
Location: Mill Supplies Building
336 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing (corner of Museum Drive)
Please mark your calendars for HSGL’s upcoming fall fundraiser. The event, a silent auction, will take place on Saturday, October 8th, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Lansing’s downtown Comerica Bank, located on the corner of Washington Avenue and Michigan Avenue, has graciously offered to serve as a sponsor and host of the event. The evening will include a silent auction and light hors d’oeuvres. (Read More)
