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Vassar
9780738578248
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
When a person looks around the city of Vassar, it is hard to imagine that this was once a vast cork pine forest in the Saginaw Valley. Townsend North, along with his brothers-in-law James and Newton Edmunds, came to settle the land in 1849. Vassar quickly went from a small lumber camp to a fast-growing village and would be known for setting many records for Tuscola County, including being the first county seat. Vassar also had the first newspaper, the first house of worship, the first schools, and so much more. In later years, it would also become the only city in the county. Vassar became a lot like Mayberry, in the fact that everyone knows everyone and there is a small town atmosphere that draws people to town. This became well known in 1949, when Vassar celebrated its 100th birthday. To this day, Vassar is still known for its small-town charm.
Victory Township
9780738551425
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
Founded two years after the end of the Civil War, the township's name heralded the Union victory. Blanketed with a variety of hardwoods and some white pine stands of timber, Victory Township was an untamed wilderness when the first settlers arrived. The first pioneers homesteaded in the southwest corner of the township near the Lincoln River. Soon the community of Victory Corners began to emerge and with its growth, aspiration to become the seat of government for Mason County. Until the railroad came to Ludington, this settlement was a legitimate contender. Immigrants, particularly Scandinavians, constituted a larger and next wave of settlers. These new residents tended to cluster, given their common culture and relationships. The Danish settlement became one of the most recognized places in the township. Farming became a way of life while ethnicity gave way to Americanization and Victory Township developed a strong sense of community. This illustrated history extends through the end of World War II when the boys came home and the forces of industrial growth reshaped the rural landscape. Each community had its unique character, yet this township is reflective of the experiences of many rural people in the Midwest.
Warren
9780738560991
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
Known as Beebe's Corners in the early 1800s, the city of Warren has grown to
become the third-largest city in Michigan, surrounding Center Line--the city
within the city. Warren's history has something for everyone. A pioneer burial ground
was discovered on school property in the 1970s, and an old Norway spruce still points
the way for a vanished tribe. In the 1920s, the Warren cooperative supplied goods
to a growing community, and the first African American cemetery in the state was
established as well. Warren's General Motors Tech Center was dubbed "the Versailles of
Industry" in the mid-20th century; in addition to a worldwide radio broadcast, a crowd
of 5,000 attended the dedication ceremony, including Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The
Chrysler tank arsenal helped to end World War II. World-renowned architects Eero
Saarinen and Albert Kahn designed commercial and residential structures in Warren
and Center Line. Places of worship represent all faiths, and a top-notch school system
serves Warren--testaments to the culture of this community.
become the third-largest city in Michigan, surrounding Center Line--the city
within the city. Warren's history has something for everyone. A pioneer burial ground
was discovered on school property in the 1970s, and an old Norway spruce still points
the way for a vanished tribe. In the 1920s, the Warren cooperative supplied goods
to a growing community, and the first African American cemetery in the state was
established as well. Warren's General Motors Tech Center was dubbed "the Versailles of
Industry" in the mid-20th century; in addition to a worldwide radio broadcast, a crowd
of 5,000 attended the dedication ceremony, including Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The
Chrysler tank arsenal helped to end World War II. World-renowned architects Eero
Saarinen and Albert Kahn designed commercial and residential structures in Warren
and Center Line. Places of worship represent all faiths, and a top-notch school system
serves Warren--testaments to the culture of this community.
West Bloomfield and the Tri-Cities
9781467113168
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
West Bloomfield Township, located 30 miles northwest of Detroit, was carved from Bloomfield Township in 1833. There were settlements in nearby Pontiac as early as 1818 and in Bloomfield by 1820. The area, originally settled by Native Americans, became a farming community when it was later occupied by European settlers. Towns grew and prospered due to the large number of lakes and later with the advent of the local automotive industry. Around the start of the 20th century, Orchard Lake became an established village, and Sylvan Lake Village and Keego Harbor were beginning to take shape. Over the years, there have been five country clubs, an automobile club, two boat clubs, two camps, a curling club, a military academy, a seminary, and a prep school in the area. There have also been two summer resort hotels created in Orchard Lake, one in Sylvan Lake, and one in West Bloomfield on Pine Lake.
Westland
9780738532684
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
In May of 1825, Reverend Marcus Swift traveled along the middle branch of the Rouge River until he found a place he thought was close to heaven. Soon streets, homes, and businesses were established as more pioneers arrived in Nankin Township. In 1963, the J.L. Hudson Company chose Nankin Township as the site of a new shopping mall called Westland. When the mall became a target for annexation, residents joined forces to create their own city. Thus, the city of Westland was born. Through rare photographs drawn from various sources, this book takes readers on a journey through nearly 200 years of local history, from the death of Chief Tonquish to the present day.
Wicked Bay City, Michigan
9781467135542
Regular price $21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Join author Tim Younkman for a wild ride into Bay City's wicked side.
From unscrupulous lumber barons to Hell's Half Mile, Bay City history casts a sinister shadow. Pope Leo XIII was forced to intervene when rioting Catholic immigrants seized St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and battled one another in the city's streets. The police discovered prostitute Lou Hall nearly beaten to death in the Block of Blazes. And respected publishing mogul Edwin T. Bennett's secret life led to the death of a young woman in a Bay City hotel room.
Wyandotte
9780738551036
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%The prosperous town of Wyandotte in Michigan, named for the Wyandott Indians, has been the home to American industry and the people who helped to build it.
Wyandotte, located between Detroit and Toledo along the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario, has enriched area history from the days of the first inhabitants, the Wyandott Indians and French farmers, through the industrial ages of iron and steel. In latter years, Wyandotte has been the stage for the manufacture of the first steel rails and iron plate and was home to shipbuilding and chemical industries. All of these contributed significantly to the growth of the nation and to the continuing development of a great American city. Businesses, churches, and community organizations are captured in these historic photographs, along with the people whose commitment to hard work helped the city prosper and grow.
Wyoming
9780738584140
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
Wyoming, Michigan, became a city in 1959, the same year Alaska and Hawaii became states, but its history began more than a century earlier. The first permanent settlers came in 1832, and in 1848, the region split, with the northern portion becoming Wyoming and the southern, Byron Center. Wyoming flourished. The farmers came first with the businesses that supported them. Industry followed. The various gypsum mines were among the earliest arrivals. General Motors built a stamping plant on Thirty-sixth Street that helped pull the township out of the Great Depression in 1936. It was a success, so the company built a diesel plant on Burlingame Avenue. Reynolds Metals, Steelcase, Light Metals, Bell Fibre, and others found Wyoming a good place to relocate. People wanted to live where they worked, and that meant an ever-increasing number of houses were built, followed by additional schools, churches, shops, and restaurants. Rogers Plaza was West Michigan's first enclosed mall. Though often contentious, the local government did its best to live up to an ambitious slogan, "Wyoming: the City of Vision and Progress."
Ypsilanti
9780738519951
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
In the latter half of the 19th century, the city of Ypsilanti went through a rapid transition from a small farming community to a center of education and business. By 1900, Ypsilanti was nationally known for three things: the Michigan Central Gardens, the mineral wells, and underwear. The gardens were designed by famed landscape gardener John Laidlaw, who studied gardening in his native Scotland before coming to the United States. Beginning in the 1880s, people came from miles away to bathe in Ypsilanti's mineral waters, which were said to cure just about anything. And for many years, Ypsilanti was the home of the Underwear Factory, where the finest full body union suits were made.
Dr. Helen McAndrew was the first woman doctor in Ypsilanti, opening her practice in 1854. She and her husband were active in the Underground Railroad, which Ypsilanti played a very active role in. Ypsilanti is also the home of Eastern Michigan University, founded in 1848, becoming the first normal school west of the Alleghenies.
Ypsilanti in the 20th Century
9780738531854
Regular price $24.99 Sale price $17.49 Save 30%
From 1900 through 1975, the city of Ypsilanti underwent a multitude of changes as it developed from a small farming community into a center of education and business. The rise of the automobile and the insurgence of auto manufacturing, the progress of local arts and theater, the opening of the Bomber Plant at Willow Run, and the transformation of a teachers' college into Eastern Michigan University are just a few of these historic developments. This book, a companion to Ypsilanti: A History in Pictures, chronicles Ypsilanti's magnificent growth throughout the twentieth century, and the celebrated people, places, and events that helped shape the city as it is known today.
