Michigan

Things get made in Michigan. Consult a schematic of Detroit history to connect the Ford dynasty and the myriad auto companies that followed to the Willow Run assembly line churning out B-24 bombers during WWII. But this ingenuity also lives in the crispness of Vernor’s Ginger Ale and the handcrafted perfection of Pewabic Pottery. From the postwar idyll of Detroit’s Grand River and Greenfield neighborhood to the ghostly trickster at the capitol in Lansing, flip the switch on Michigan history with our Michigan history books. [View all Michigan books]

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The Jewish Community of Metro Detroit: 1945-2005

$16.99

Houghton County

$16.99

Cruisin' the Original Woodward Avenue

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Soaring and Gliding

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Sanders Confectionery

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On This Day in Detroit History

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Jewish Ann Arbor

$16.99

Lost Car Companies of Detroit

Legendary Locals of Ann Arbor

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Murder & Mayhem in Washtenaw County

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Ghosts and Legends of Genesee & Lapeer Counties

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Plymouth Rotary Club Chicken Barbeque

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Newaygo County

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Kalamazoo

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West Bloomfield and the Tri-Cities

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Meridian Township

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Ira Township

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Grand Lake and Presque Isle

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Algoma Township

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Roseville

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Detroit Fire Department

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Richmond Area

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Eastpointe

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The Village of Grosse Pointe Shores

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Hamtramck

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Grand Rapids

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Murder & Mayhem in Washtenaw County

9781467151757

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Washtenaw County has enjoyed low crime rates, but extraordinary criminal acts occasionally pierced its calm and quiet. A strange bank robbery at Dexter in 1894 and the 1897 murder of James Richards raised concerns. In 1937, the McHenry family suffered a terrible tragedy but found room in their hearts to forgive. After the murder of Eleanor Farver in 1970, detectives searching for suspect John Edward Burns probed his background, seeking clues to where he fled. They discovered that John Edward Burns never existed. Attorney Peter Kensler was shockingly murdered in front of his home near Manchester with two shotgun blasts to the face--the case has never been solved. Local historian James Thomas Mann leads a tour into some of the darkest corners of Washtenaw County's past.

Ghosts and Legends of Genesee & Lapeer Counties

9781467149945

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Ghost stories and urban legends lurk throughout Genesee and Lapeer counties.

A Clio man's spirit is thought to still reside in the junkyard office where he was murdered. For almost two centuries, the Flushing area has been fascinated by tales of the wealthy Brent family whose land is connected to numerous tales of murder, mystery, and ghosts. In Lapeer County, the Bruce Mansion's unnerving façade hints at the specters inside, and the land and buildings once belonging to the Lapeer State Home are plagued by haunting cries and ghostly activity.

Join Haunted Flint authors Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani as they take you on a tour of Genesee and Lapeer counties' most haunted locations.

Newaygo County

9781467112055

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People moved into Newaygo County to farm, as the terrain offered beneficial conditions for planting crops and orchards, and eventually the area developed into several interwoven farming communities. Once agriculture took root, others businesses and crafts found a marketplace within county limits, and Newaygo began to grow while still maintaining a sense of hometown warmness and caring. Residents are proud of their heritage and history and know how to enjoy the surrounding natural beauty regardless of the season.

Kalamazoo

9781467113779

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Kalamazoo experienced a dramatic transformation during the first decades of the 20th century. Its factories churned out a wide variety of products, and the downtown area was being rapidly transformed by the addition of new skyscraper office buildings, hotels, department stores, theaters, parks, and government buildings. These turn-of-the-century developments coincided with the popularity of picture postcards. Not only did postcards offer a convenient way to send brief messages across the country, they also provided a means to show off the city and its landmarks. When viewed today, they offer a valuable record of the city's built environment.

West Bloomfield and the Tri-Cities

9781467113168

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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.

Meridian Township

9781467114394

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Meridian Township began as a collection of small pioneer communities. Pine Lake was the largest body of water in Ingham County, and Native tribes camped along its shores and cut a trail along the west side of the lake. White pioneers appeared in 1836 and began to turn the thick forests into viable farmland. In the late 19th century, James Haslett helped establish a community focused on the practices of spiritualism. The new Haslett Park community hosted a summer camp for believers, and the little Pine Lake community was renamed Haslett and the lake to Lake Lansing. The village of Okemos began as a settlement along the Red Cedar River, the major waterway south of Lake Lansing. The area was the seasonal campsite for Chief Okemos and his Chippewa and Ottawa followers. The community was originally named Sanford after the first white settler, renamed Hamilton after Andrew Hamilton, and finally to Okemos in honor of the old chief who died in the 1850s.

Ira Township

9781467113151

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In 1679, French explorer Fr. Louis Hennepin planted a cross on the shore of Anchor Bay beside Michigan's Lake St. Clair. There, Ira Township was incorporated on March 11, 1837, and the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was founded. A settlement called Anchorville, for Anchor Bay, formed around the church. Down the road was another community, first called Swan Creek and later known as Fair Haven. Ira Township was once the nexus for the Interurban Railroad, had one of the first oxen-driven railroads in the state, and has one of the oldest Little League baseball organizations in the country. Shipbuilding has long been a major industry of the area, and the winter carnival known as Shantytown attracts hundreds of ice fishermen to Ira each winter.

Grand Lake and Presque Isle

9781467113700

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For centuries, Presque Isle served as a way station for Native Americans and explorers. Lumbering and shipping led to the development of wooding stations along the Lake Huron shore, where settlements emerged. The roads created by loggers eventually led to the building of resorts and hotels for tourists. Postcard History Series: Grand Lake and Presque Isle explores Burnham's Landing, the abandoned community of Bell, Presque Isle's two renowned lighthouses, two youth camps, the new limestone mining industry at Rockport, and other important sites. Some 20th-century visitors bemoaned water that was too cold, fish that were not biting, journeys that were too long, or visits that were too short. The postcard messages indicate that they knew Grand Lake and Presque Isle would remain in their hearts and minds until they could return.

Algoma Township

9781467114165

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Algoma Township was established by the Michigan Legislature on March 15, 1849, and named in honor of the steamer Algoma, which ran a route on the nearby Grand River in 1848. The township's earliest settlers included the Lapham, Davis, Helsel, Morningstar, and Porter families, among others. Early residents logged and farmed the area's land; today, these traditions continue. The Powell and Bowler farms are just two local examples of Centennial Farms (farms that have been owned and operated by the same family for more than 100 years). Other groups--including the Algoma Grange No. 751, United Brethren Church, and small rural schools--helped to establish a community in Algoma even without it having an independent town center. As a result, Algoma grew beyond its humble beginnings and Native American name that translates to "fields of wild roses." The treasured stories and images presented in this collection aim to highlight Algoma Township's development and the hardworking people who call the township home.

Roseville

9781467114561

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Contrary to popular notion (and the city's street and welcome signs, which feature an iconic rose bloom), Roseville is not named after the flower but after Denison Rose, a hero of the War of 1812. His son William Rose was named the first postmaster in 1836. Roseville incorporated as a village in 1926 and as a city in 1958. Known as a "bedroom community" because of its location halfway between Detroit and Mount Clemens, the city reached its maximum population in 1970. Today, Roseville is experiencing a major commercial boom that includes a renovation of Macomb Mall, one of the first malls in the country.

Detroit Fire Department

9781467115223

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Once known as the "Paris of the West," Motown became synonymous with urban abandonment and arson as job and population decline took hold in the late 20th century. No other fire department has experienced the hardships of the job on such a consistent basis as the Detroit Fire Department (DFD). Detroit firefighters have ridden the waves of unprecedented prosperity and tragic decline. Determined faces mask many layoffs, station closings, and a reduction in workforce. Despite these perils, dedication and the belief in their city remains a constant among Detroit firefighters. The official Detroit motto, "We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes" holds as true today as it did when first uttered over 100 years ago.

Richmond Area

9780738593708

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This visual history of Richmond depicts the area from its beginning as four small, individual communities: Beebe's Corners, Ridgeway-Lenox, an unincorporated business center between them known as Cooper's Town, and Muttonville. The Richmond area was first settled by pioneer families that had a collective vision of growth and prosperity for themselves and their communities. The dreams and visions of Daniel Hall and Erastus and Henry Beebe, men who carved a life out of the virgin forest, appear to have come true with the modern and bustling city of Richmond.

Eastpointe

9781467113250

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Located in southeast Michigan, Eastpointe is typical of many suburban cities of middle America. During its development phase, Eastpointe's businesses and residents became involved in work or services related to the automotive industry. Structural changes occurred at a rapid rate as population density and diversity, technology, and economic changes impacted the community in rapid succession. When the automotive industry slowed, the income to Eastpointe residents, schools, and the city also slowed, yet the resiliency of the community allowed the city to survive.

The Village of Grosse Pointe Shores

9781467112994

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The Village of Grosse Pointe Shores, nestled along the shore of Lake St. Clair just north of Detroit, is the smallest of the five Grosse Pointe communities. After the settlement of Detroit in 1701, the area that would become Grosse Pointe Shores saw the arrival of French habitants who built their ribbon farms. Beginning in the 1860s, the area began to change as well-to-do Detroiters erected summer homes on the lakeshore. The Village of Grosse Pointe Shores was formally established in 1911, and the community grew as great mansions were built along Lake Shore Road. Following World War II, the community evolved yet again as the grand mansions disappeared and properties were subdivided. By the end of the 20th century, the village had grown into an established community of comfortable, well-maintained homes. In 2011, these residents gathered together to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their community.

Hamtramck

9781467113519

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Fueled by a massive immigrant influx in the early 20th century, Hamtramck went from being a small farming village to a major industrial town in the space of 10 years. This phenomenal growth attracted national attention and set the city on a sometimes precarious path toward the future. Despite often teetering on financial ruin, the city has always managed to right itself. Once predominantly Polish, Hamtramck has recently turned in a new direction to become one of the most diverse cities in the nation. This human tapestry--intertwining memorable people, places, and events of the past and present--is woven with the many colors that are so richly evident on these pages.

Grand Rapids

9781467114233

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For millennia, people have gathered at the rapids of the Grand River, the place where downtown Grand Rapids now stands. From its earliest recorded history in the 1820s as a tiny frontier trading post, through many booming decades as the "Furniture City," to its newest reinvention as a center of public art, Grand Rapids has a fascinating history. By 1850, when the city was incorporated, several early industries, including logging, milling, and brewing, were already established, and the groundwork for the incredibly lucrative furniture industry was in place. As more people came to Grand Rapids from all over the world, they developed institutions and settled the city's distinctive neighborhoods, each reflecting their nationalities, religions, and aspirations for the future. Throughout its history, from Campau to Calder, Grand Rapids has remained a place for pioneers.