–From “Pre-1912 Street Names and Changes in the City of Grand Rapids” President Teddy Roosevelt implemented a nationwide spelling reform that changed Centre to Center, theatre to theater, colour to color, phantasy to fantasy and phantom to fantom–this might be a Who Wants to be Millionaire final question.

–In 1959 Michigan Department of Conservation published a 5 page pamphlet on Michigan turtles–there were 10 varieties! For a small pamphlet, it has a wealth of information.

–In the book “Memories : a collection of writing by Northview Senior Citizens & Northview Community Education Students” Majorie Nawara wrote a poem, “Education for Life” that I have made a copy of and read every day–I was so inspired.

Other treasures:

• “Camp Notes of a Union Soldier”–a moving read.
• “Gerald R. Ford’s visit to Poland”–part of his presidency I wasn’t aware of.
• “Great Beautiful Black Women” –portraits by Paul Collins.
• “Architecture in Michigan”–great Michigan architecture.
• “Atlas of Treasure Maps” –Wyoming Riddler has nothing on this.
• And finally, “Detroit in Baseball”, a souvenir booklet given to Opening Day patrons on June 12, 1939 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of baseball, all compliments of Walter O. Briggs, president of the Detroit Baseball Company–as a baseball enthusiast how cool is this!

The post You never know what you will find at the library appeared first on Grand Rapids Public Library.

In this program, Hodges will trace the evolution of the train station and the styles architects employed to both tame and exalt rail transportation.  Touching on news accounts, literature and film, Hodges will also consider the central role the depot once played as the nation’s principal crossroads – a much-used, much-loved public space that has no real analog in American life today.

The 2013 Michigan Notable Books program and tour are made possible thanks to generous support of the the Library of Michigan, the Library of Michigan Foundation, Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Humanities Council, Meijer, and the Michigan Center for the Book. Media sponsors are City Pulse, WKAR Public Broadcasting from East Lansing, Mittenlit.com, Gennara Photography, Kolt Communications, Inc., and Queue Advertising.

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courtesy of Terry Johnson

The Grand River has been making news lately due to the efforts of several local people and area organizations working towards restoring the original rapids (where else do you think the city’s name came from?).    Before we go forward on projects like this, it’s important to know a little bit about the past.

On Wednesday April 24, Tim Gleisner, head of the Grand Rapids History & Special Collections Department of the Grand Rapids Public Library, will be discussing the history of the rapids in the Grand River. In this talk Tim will discuss what the rapids were originally like when Europeans first arrived. From there he will explore what happened to the rapids. What did they originally look like? Why were they altered in the first place? When were the rapids removed? Where did the rock go that formed the rapids?

Several events will occur later this month during Earth Week.  Join us throughout the week of April 22-29 to experience a number of different events that focus on our local community and our interaction with the environment.

History of the Rapids — Wednesday, April 24 | 7:00 pm | Main Library | Level 4 | Vander Veen Center for the Book

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With 395 collections and counting, the GRPL Archives is full of unique and fascinating items – photographs, letters, furniture catalogs, maps, and so much more. The Grand Rapids History & Special Collections Department was established in 1904, upon the completion of the Ryerson Library. When planning the “new” library, board members ensured that a “Michigan Room” was set aside in which to preserve the collections.

Grand Rapids Study Class/Club Records (Collection 082)

The earliest collections came to the archives in 1905 and include the papers of John Lawrence, Rebecca Richmond, and the Old Residents’ Association, as well as Lewis G. Stuart’s collection of maps of the Old Northwest Territory. By the early 1950s, the archival holdings had grown to include the archaeological drawings of Thomas Porter; the papers of surveyor, politician, and land developer Lucius Lyon; the papers of city engineer and amateur archaeologist Wright L. Coffinberry; and John Ball’s personal papers.

For our newest exhibit, we thought we’d showcase items that are representative of our collection, but also uniquely Grand Rapids in nature. So, from the Austin Automobile Co. to the Zalewski’s dog, the Local History staff searched the archives for an interesting item for each letter of the alphabet. Come view the Archives A-Z exhibit, currently on display in the Grand Rapids History & Special Collections Department on the 4th floor of the Main Library!

This project was funded by the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation.

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Winter is winding down (we hope) and with Spring on the horizon, what better time to start thinking about Summer vacations? Join us Saturday, March 16 for an afternoon of programs that will inspire you to visit and explore some of the great places in our state. Doc Fletcher will present his program, “Paddle Now. Chores Later.” at 1pm, sailing enthusiast Deborah Gouin will discuss her book about the Les Cheneaux Islands at 2pm, and Dianna Stampfler of Promote Michigan will talk about ghost towns in Michigan at 3pm. Exploring Michigan: Rivers, Islands, and Ghost Towns – Saturday, March 16 – 1-4pm.

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Salvation Army Group

Recently a patron called asking if we could identify the location of where a picture was taken. She found a photo on our website that she said was strikingly similar to a photo of her grandparents’ wedding. The people in our photo were not in her photo but the trellis and decorations were all the same. She assumed that our photo was taken at the same church or hall. She never knew where her grandparents were married but she knew they were involved in the Salvation Army. She was convinced that it was at the same place as seen in this photo.

I decided to look at the original photo to see if there was any information written on the back identifying its location but there was none. The original photo belongs to the Robinson Studio Collection and so I checked to see if there were any other Salvation Army photos in the collection. I found one box filled with negatives of Salvation Army photographs. As you can see in the upper corner of this photo there appears to be words painted on the wall. I looked at several of the negatives and they showed scenes in a hall with a stage and above the stage were the words “Holiness Unto The Lord.” The lettering matched what is barely visible in this photo. But I still did not know if this was in a church or other hall. Finally I came upon one negative showing the hall that was kept in a folder labelled “Salvation Army 227 Pearl”.

Salvation Army Citadel, 1960

Next I went to the city directory for that time and it showed the Salvation Army Citadel and Headquarters at 227 Pearl St. NW. I then entered the address into Bing Maps and it put me at the valet parking entrance to the Amway Grand Hotel. It appeared the building no longer stood. It then occurred to me that we might have a photo of the building in our Real Estate Listing Cards. There I found a photo of what the building looked like from the outside near the time of its demolition in 1960. I also found a newspaper article from the Grand Rapids Press on July 1, 1960 with the headline “Citadel Gives Way to Modern Need–Parking”. After my discovery I called the patron back and let her know what I’d found. She was thrilled to learn where her grandparents were married and to learn a little bit more about her own photo. Now we just need some help identifying who the people are in our photo–anyone?

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“Annually the Michigan Notable Books (MNB) list features 20 books published in the previous calendar year that are about Michigan or the Great Lakes region, or are written by a Michigan author. Selections include nonfiction and fiction books that appeal to a variety of audiences and cover a range of topics and issues close to the hearts of Michigan residents.”

Here are this year’s selections:

• American Poet: A Novel by Jeff Vande Zande

• The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michigan by J. Alan Holman

• Balthazar Korab Architect of Photography by John Comazzi

• Bear Has a Story to Tell by Phillip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

• The Boy Governor: Stevens T. Mason and the Birth of Michigan Politics by Don Faber

• Canada by Richard Ford

• Death Dance of a Butterfly by Melba Joyce Boyd

• Detroit City Is the Place to Be by Mark Binelli

• Detroit’s Historic Places of Worship compiled and edited by Marla O. Collum, Barbara E. Krueger and Dorothy Kostuch, photographs by Dirk Bakker with a forward by John Gallagher

• Dust to Dust: A Memoir by Benjamin Busch

• Fishtown: Leland Michigan’s Historic Fishery by Laurie Sommers

• Imperfect by Jim Abbott/Tim Brown

• Ink Trails by Jack Dempsey and Dave Dempsey

• Kirtland’s Warbler by William Rapai

• Michigan’s Historic Railroad Stations by Michael Hodges

• Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

• Skeleton Box by Bryan Gruley

• Summer of ‘68 by Tim Wendel

• Woman Like Me by Bettye LaVette

• World of A Few Minutes Ago by Jack Driscoll

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History Detectives 2013 is just around the corner (January 19!), and this year’s line-up of programs has a little something for everyone! The morning sessions include presentations on early timekeeping and the pace of life before time zones in Michigan, the West Michigan Tourist Association and the tourist industry in Michigan, and the design and preservation of John Ball Park. The afternoon begins with a presentation on Eva McCall Hamilton who was elected to the state senate in 1920 and was the first and only woman to represent Grand Rapids in Lansing until the recent election of Winnie Brinks. Discover the history of and community surrounding Groce’s Barbershop and the influence the  Powers and Ball families had on Grand Rapids.

Parking will be available in the Library’s parking lot and additional parking will be available in the GRCC Bostwick Ramp for free for a limited amount of cars.

If you are staying for the whole day, consider ordering a Cherry Deli boxed lunch! The lunches are $7.00 and must be ordered in advance. Please call 988-5492 or email: rsvp@grpl.org by 5:00pm on January 15 to reserve your lunch – include your name and sandwich choice in your message, choose from turkey, ham, roast beef, or vegetarian.

History Detectives 2013 has all the makings of a great program for history lovers and for those who enjoy learning more about Grand Rapids! Maybe the best thing about this program is that the presenters are local people, in a range of different occupations, who share a common passion — researching and sharing their discoveries about our great city!

History Detectives is sponsored by the Western Michigan Genealogical Society, the Grand Rapids Civil War Roundtable, the Grand Rapids Historical Society, the Grand Rapids Public Library, the Grand Rapids Historical Commission, the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council, the Kutsche Office of Local History, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, and the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation. Lunches are sponsored by Cherry Deli, bottled water by Meijer, and afternoon cookies by Lomonaco Sicilian Cookies.

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Anew display at the Main Library features WWII letters

Sometimes objects are believed to resonate with the emotional record of the time that they were created. Actual letters can have a disturbing power to reach out from the past and move us. Art Johnson’s letter to his wife turned up at an estate sale, and our Local History Dept. solved the mystery of what ultimately happened… There is a display with Art’s letter at the Main Library, and some excerpts of it follow:

April 29, 1944

My one and only sweetheart,

Will write a few lines to let you know I am ok…

Yes, I am with a combat outfit and gitting my advanced training on the front lines, but there isn’t anything to worry about….

****

Now Darling I may not be able to write for a little while so don’t worry if you don’t git a letter for a week or so but I will write again as soon as I possibly can…
Well honey I must close now, & yes you asked how long I would be here. I don’t know a bit more about that than you…

****

The Jerry planes came over the other night and made a little error and bombed their own lines which I got a big kick out of, then the Germans threw up flairs to stop them and that gave our artilary a chance and they laid a big barrage in on them. The other night a German opened up on me with a burp gun and that got my temper up so I laid in on him with the machine gun and gave him a few bursts and I didn’t hear any more from him. I am close enough to them now that if I’m not careful they will be reading this over my shoulder.

****

I believe in you and always will no matter what happens. Well honey tell Butch to be a good boy and dady will be home someday to take care of him and you…

Your loveing husband and dady, Art

Art joined up in Sept. 1942, and 9 months later he was killed and buried in Italy. His 179^th Infantry Regiment was part of the celebrated 45^th Thunderbird Division, who fought in Italy, transferred to Southern France, and continued to fight through Germany, where it was one of the 1^st units to liberate Dachau concentration camp.

He was one of the roughly 405,399 U.S. Military deaths of World War II.

Thank you Art…

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Join us tomorrow night, November 15 at 7pm, for author Ross Richardson’s presentation on his book The Search for the Westmoreland. On December 7, 1854, the Propeller Westmoreland foundered in deep water near Sleeping Bear Dunes, killing 17 of her crew and passengers. Soon after the steamer’s sinking, rumors began circulating of $10,000 in gold coins in her safe and 280 barrels of whiskey in her hold. For the next 150 years the Westmoreland was one of the most sought after shipwrecks in all of the Great Lakes. Author and shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson will explore the legend, history and discovery of the Lake Michigan treasure shipwreck.

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