Grand Rapids Historical Society

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Grand Rapids Historical Society

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The mission of the Grand Rapids Historical Society is to preserve an accurate record of our past and share our diverse local history to future generations. B.

The Grand Rapids Historical Society (GRHS) began at 8:00 pm on November 30, 1894, in the office of Mayor E. Fisher. There were ten men present who put together the following purpose; “To organize an association whose purpose it would be to collect and preserve books, papers, pamphlets, maps and other material of historic value and interest on Michigan.” Three weeks later, on Dec. 19, the Articles of Association and Incorporation were adopted and the society was officially named Historical Society of Michigan. Our first formal meeting was Dec. 22, at city hall, at 8pm. By 1895 the Society had changed their name to The Historical Society of Grand Rapids, and included in their articles that “the objects of the Association are not for profit, but to institute and encourage historical inquiry….” Membership originally was limited to the successful, educated, elite citizens of Grand Rapids. There is no record of any woman members in 1895. A membership cost $1; a life membership was $50. Patron supporters gave $250. Records show that eleven years later the Society was reorganized and placed under the patronage of the Grand Rapids Public Library. Records also indicate that Mrs. James Campbell was Vice-President in 1924, and is the first woman listed in our records. The GRHS has been reorganized a few times over the last 120 years. Once was near the start of the Great Depression and lasted until WWII. It’s then believed that the Society was dormant during the years of WWII and the immediate aftermath. However, by 1951, citizens of Grand Rapids were focusing on the changes brought on by the war and were looking to preserve Grand Rapids for the future. Thus on April 19th of 1951, 60 people met to make plans for a new Historical Society. On May 10, 1951, the Grand Rapids Historical Society that exists today adopted its Statement of Purpose and appointed 15 individuals to the Board of Directors. The Grand Rapids Public Library has the records of the GRHS from 1951 through today, and it remains the meeting place for the Board of Trustees of the GRHS. The Society still has a wonderful working relationship with the library and encourages all those interested in history to visit the Grand Rapids History and Special Collections Dept. on the 4th floor of the Main Library where more information can be found on this Society, and Grand Rapids history as a whole.

09/24/2026

Thursday October 8 at 7pm in the Ryerson Auditorium at the Grand Rapids Public Library main branch downtown.

09/13/2026

A walking tour of historic Fulton St. Cemetery is being offered on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 10 am. Members of the GRHS partnered with other local history organizations in offering this FREE public tour. Information can be found in the following link. The tour is free, but you must RSVP through the link below to attend since space is limited. More details are in the link.

Please note: This is not being put on by the GRHS alone, so this is not a Society Only event.

Several local historical groups have combined to provide a free guided tour of Fulton St. Cemetery.

09/03/2026

Sent by a member -

08/11/2026

The 2026 Historical Society of Michigan History Conference will be held in Grand Rapids September 25-27. Most sessions will be held downtown at the DeVos Center of Grand Valley State University. Early registration ends August 16. To see all of the activities go to https://www.hsmichigan.org/programs/conferences/michigan-history-conference If you are not a member of the Michigan Historical Society your registration as a non-member includes a one year membership and all the benefits that come with that. Hope to see you there.

Explore different regions of Michigan's history 152nd Annual Meeting and Michigan History ConferenceGrand Rapids - September 25-27, 2026Traveling to a new host location in the Lower Peninsula each fall, the Michigan History Conferences explores unique regional history in the form of keynote presenta...

07/18/2026

Mr. James Leenhouts, treasurer and general manager, in the Grand Rapids Plaster Mills office, located in the Grand Rapids Savings Bank on Monroe Ave., during the 55th Anniversary in August 1931 of the first telephone call in Michigan.

The first telephone call in the state of Michigan took place Saturday, August 4, 1877, between the Grand Rapids Plaster Company’s Eagle Mills and the offices some two and a half miles away at 16 Monroe Ave., the present location of the Rosa Parks statue.

Next year, August 4, 2027, marks the 150th anniversary of the first telephone call in the state of Michigan, which took place in Grand Rapids.

07/15/2026

FROM PARKING LOT TO A PARK

It was 47 years ago this week, July 14–15, 1979, Ah-Nab-Awen Bicentennial Park was officially named. These photos show the construction of the memorial mounds and the park.

The marker is placed on the slope of one of the symbolic Indian mounds. The inscription reads, “Ah-Nab-Awen Bicentennial Park. This name was officially adopted July 14-15, 1979, at the homecoming of the Three Fires Festival honoring the three major Indian tribes of Michigan, the Ottawa, Potawatomi and Chippewa. Ah-Nab-Awen ... Resting Place”

Let's bring back the Bicentennial Tree somewhere in DTGR.

Photo series courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press Historical Collection, Grand River Folder, CARC, taken by GRP photographer Rex Larson, 1979.

07/03/2026

Gina Bivins here...one of my sisters found a treasure trove of Grand Rapids Historical Society and Grand Rapids ephemera at a sale in Traverse City. I said yes, buy it, sight unseen. I now have several years of Society Newsletters from the 1970s and 1980s. Many of them have sketches on the front, but are not signed. Is there anyone on this feed who knows who the artist was? I am posting the most appropriate one, which has the Centennial Arch in it as well as other Grand Rapids history scenes.

06/22/2026

This looks like a very interesting event. Check out the website and sign up!

06/20/2026

Our Photo Sleuth selection from our May newsletter comes from the Robinson Photo Studio Collection from the Grand Rapids Public Library and is from 1935. A team of women bowlers holding a first-place banner at Broggers Recreation, 42 Ottawa NW. If anyone in this picture looks familiar, please let us know!

05/15/2026

David Britten is presented the Albert Baxter Award by Society Recording Secretary Nan Schichtel at the program on Thursday May 14, 2026. Congratulations David Britten! And thank you Nan Schichtel.

Address

111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids, MI
49503

Telephone

+16169885497

Website

http://www.grhistory.org/

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