Historical Society of Michigan

11/02/2026

We are thankful for another month full of great events at the Historical Society of Michigan and with our amazing member organizations! To see what's coming up, go to https://hsmichigan.org/about/calendar

10/30/2026

We are profoundly sad to learn of the death of Dr. Charles Linquist, the longtime president of the Delta County Historical Society, a long-standing HSM member, and the recipient of the 2026 Charles Follo Award at this year's Upper Peninsula History Conference, along with his wife, Karen. We would like to extend our condolences to Karen and Dr. Lindquist's family and friends, and the whole Escanaba and Adrian historical communities.

https://www.andersonfuneralhomes.net/obituary/Charles-Lindquist

https://www.dailypress.net/news/local-news/2026/10/remembering-the-historian/

10/30/2026

We have some macabre Michigan history to thrill you this weekend for FREE! Enjoy the full Michigan History magazine article “The Resurrectionist: Desecrater or Surgeon’s Friend?” on us at the link below through the weekend! (Editor’s note: This article includes some graphic descriptions and images. Reader discretion is advised.)

In the nineteenth century, budding surgeons needed more than books and illustrations to learn about the human body—they needed cadavers on which they could practice the intricacies of their future profession. As the demand for human cadavers rose at the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School, instructors and students came to depend on a ghoulish group of seedy characters that haunted Michigan’s graveyards: the resurrectionists.

Read the full article for free this weekend! https://hsmichigan.org/read/michigan-history

10/29/2026

Be sure to get out and VOTE! Click the link to find your early voting site.

Every registered voter can visit an early voting site in their area to cast their ballot in person from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1.

Local clerks select the number and location of early voting sites that work best for their community by examining the area’s population density, site accessibility and expected voter turnout.

Find your early voting site now: mi.gov/earlyvoting

10/27/2026

On this day in Michigan history 215 years ago, Stevens T. Mason, the first governor of Michigan, was born in Leesburg, Virginia.

Often referred to as the "Boy Governor,” Mason was Michigan’s youngest governor as well as its first. He served from 1835-1840, stewarding the Michigan Territory through the process of becoming a state in 1837. In addition to statehood, other important pieces of his legacy are moving the University of Michigan from Detroit to Ann Arbor and supporting a plan for free public schooling for Michiganders.

Learn all about The Boy Governor at the Detroit Historical Society’s website: https://www.detroithistorical.org/learn/online-research/encyclopedia-of-detroit/mason-stevens-t

Or find the full feature article “The Boy Governor: The Story of Stevens T. Mason” by Cary Heinz in the May/June issue of Michigan History magazine at https://shop.hsmichigan.org/products/michigan-history-issues-2025?variant=45386634854551

10/23/2026

Michigan History magazine is celebrating another Milestone Award—this time for the Hockaday Community Church! After Sanilac County residents fled the Great Thumb Fire of 1881 and resettled in Gladwin County, they felt that their community of New Sanilac needed a Sunday school and church. New Sanilac—later renamed South Butman and then Hockaday for its first postmaster, Robert Hockaday—had been deforested during the lumber boom and was a promising agricultural frontier.

In 1893, Reverend Bion Voorheis held services inside a log schoolhouse on the Ritchie farm, and soon after, the group was organized into a Free Methodist Church. After a successful revival in 1904, Reverend Fred Crandall decided to build a permanent church. Almost all labor and materials were donated, as was Joseph and Bessie Grandy’s corner lot where the church was constructed. As the first church in Butman Township, it attracted many worshippers. Charles Woods, who worked as the Hockaday Free Methodist Church’s carpenter in 1906, became its pastor in 1909. Today, some consider Hockaday to be a ghost town, while others still call it home. Nonetheless, its church still sits on the corner lot at the intersection of North Hockaday Road and Ritchie Road. It is one of old Hockaday’s few surviving structures.

Michigan Milestone Awards are an excellent way to commemorate your history and commitment to your local community. Learn more about Michigan Milestone Awards at https://hsmichigan.org/awards/milestone-awards

10/22/2026

Disappointed that our Charleston MOTR tour sold out right away? Fear not—we added a second tour! Join us on April 21-29, 2027, for “Rainbow Row Road Trip II: A Charleston History Tour" and experience the following attractions with fellow history buffs:

✨ The Charleston Historical Museum, America’s oldest museum, founded in 1773
✨ A horse-drawn carriage tour through America’s first Historical District
✨ Fort Sumpter, where the Civil War began
✨ Drayton Hall, a rice plantation almost completely unaltered from the 1740s.
✨ Charleston’s Dock Street Theater, where we will see a production of Les Miserables!
✨ And many more!

See the full conference itinerary and save your seat on the bus today at https://hsmichigan.org/programs/motr

10/20/2026

Check out this sneak peek of our winning photo for this year’s Michigan History Magazine Back Cover Photo Contest! We’re keeping the winning image under wraps for now, but it will be featured on the January/February 2027 back cover, with our second- and third-place winners appearing in upcoming issues.

Thank you to everyone who entered this year’s Michigan History Magazine Back Cover Photo Contest! We were thrilled by the incredible response and creativity you shared with us. This was our biggest contest yet, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

🚨 And our winners are.... 🚨
✨ First Place: William R. Christiansen
✨ Second Place: Thomas McClanahan
✨ Third Place: William Hardy

Thank you again for being part of our biggest contest yet! We are delighted to have so many incredible photos for upcoming issues of our award-winning magazine over the next two years. Read Michigan History at https://hsmichigan.org/read/michigan-history

10/15/2026

One of our very favorite events of the year is right around the corner—Michigan Archaeology Day!

Join us next Saturday, October 24th from 10 am - 4 pm at the Michigan History Center and become an archaeologist for a day! There will be two special presentations, “Setting the Straits on Fire: Reconstructing Waganakising Fire History” and “Historical Archaeology and the Battles of the River Raisin, Monroe, MI,” and tons of activities for all ages including Archaic Hunting Skills, a scavenger hunt, pinch-pot making, and more! There will also be lots of exhibitors discussing their archaeological programs projects all over the state. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be an archaeologist—or are just looking for an afternoon of historical fun with the kids—this event is for you!

Check out the flyer below for more details, and see the program agenda at https://www.michigan.gov/mhc/events/2026/10/24/michigan-history-museum---michigan-archaeology-day-2026 . And see if you can spot HSM’s very own Emily Powell and Claire Herhold at the event!

10/14/2026

When you give to the Historical Society of Michigan® (HSM), you make it possible for us to continue to share the story of Michigan’s history with audiences both new and familiar. Since HSM does not receive any state-appropriated funding, donors like you are the driving force behind the vital resources that HSM provides, ensuring that Michigan’s story continues to be told! Because of donors like you, in the past fiscal year, HSM was able to:

⭐ Help almost 1,200 students participate throughout various state districts in the Michigan History Day® program.
⭐ Award $2 million in the America250MI History Grant Program.
⭐ Educate over 1,000 conference attendees through the fiscal year.
⭐ Meet and interact with almost 36,000 people at HSM events.
⭐ Publish over 700 pages of research and stories of nearly numerous authors in our three publications.
⭐ Provided weekly programs to more than 3,100 households each year with our History Hounds® Lecture Series.
⭐ And lots more!

Check out your impact and see exactly what we have been up to for the last year by reading the Annual Update Report at https://www.hsmichigan.org/your-impact-hsm