Help Support Local History!

In May 1948 the newly formed Historical Society of Greater Lansing held its first annual meeting and in 2023 HSGL will celebrate that 75th Anniversary milestone. The Board of Trustees wants to thank everyone who joined us this past year on walking tours, special programs and our Facebook Page which is near to eclipsing 20,000 “Friends.”

If you were one of the hundreds of area residents who joined us at the Durant Motor/Harry’s Bar tour or the North Lansing/Elderly Record tour and listened to some of the dramatic stories we appreciate your support coming out of the Covid blackout. Everyone was fascinated to hear stories about everyday people along with learning about architectural history. Late last year we also launched a pop-up exhibit on the history of I-496 and its impact in the windows of the former Knapps Department store. We will continue to use innovative techniques to tell the story of Lansing in accessible ways.

We also have some exciting news about a new relationship with Lansing Community College (LCC). We are honored to enter a partnership allowing us to use and work in the historic Rogers-Carrier House located on Capitol Ave on the LCC campus. HSGL is honored to be a part of preserving this home and the legacy of Lansing Architect Darius Moon who designed it.  We will be using the space for exhibits, a research center on local history for LCC and for meetings and programming. Most importantly, we are excited about developing a productive relationship with with students and faculty.

We have a full flight of programming and exhibits planned for 2023 including “By the Yard,” a major look at panoramic photography which will open in late January at the Library of Michigan. Also, look for programs on the history of Coral Gables, Kewpees and Beggars Banquet along with programs on historic photography and REO Newsreels from the 1920s. Also, by popular demand we will offer a program on Lansing Disasters: “Fires, Floods and Snow” and a program on Lake Lansing Amusement Park. Of course, we will return to a full line-up of summer walking tours including new tours of Old Town, REO Town and Downtown.

One of our goals has been to offer our wide array of programming for free and we are supported mostly through small donations which were severely restricted during the lockdown.

We work hard to keep our programming free and must rely on memberships and small donations to pay for off-site collection storage, web hosting, sound equipment, printing for exhibits and other routine expenses. Though we are all volunteers we can’t fund and do this work without your support.

Help us to continue to tell the forgotten and often overlooked stories of Lansing by visiting our website, www.lansinghistory.org where you can click on the Donate button to make a contribution. You can also send a check made out to HSGL at P.O. Box 12095, Lansing, MI 48901. HSGL is a non-profit 501 C-3 organization and your donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by the IRS.

Thank you for your support.

Bill Castanier
President HSGL