News from the Fletcher White Archives

The costs of air fare and gasoline have taken a perceptible toll on the number of out of town guests that visit our archives. We have not had as many out of state visitors and people who fly in for a one or two day visit as in the past. Some of my favorite visitors who did show up this year were the Sprague family from the great state of Oregon. After a two year hiatus Richard and wife Polly have come back for a visit with Richard's mom, Rita Sprague who runs the YHS museum gift shop. Besides general information they also did some more research on Polly's family, the Coochs. Thanks for coming and don't stay away so long!

My two interns this year are Makoto Ikegaya who is here from EMU's outstanding Historic Preservation Program and Andrew Callam, a history major, from Emory University in Georgia. These two gentlemen are helping us organize the archives. What a job they are doing! Some of the things they have found are amazing and will greatly add to our collections. Thank you, and one more reason to come on down to the greatest little archive in Michigan. So strap on you Avia, Pro-lite running shoes and streak on down here.

More big news is that our 1890 Ypsilanti Heritage Maps are at the printers and should be available when you read this. The maps are full size reproductions of the original 1890 Ypsilanti Map with improvements that make it easier to locate items noted on the legend. They are 24 inches by 36 inches in size and printed on off white, acid-free paper and come in a protective tube for storage. We are hoping to sell 100 of these maps on a first come, first serve basis. The proceeds will be used for reproducing our Ypsilanti City Directories. If you have seen our fully restored and preserved 1890 map in the archives, the map is absolutely stunning in detail and, should because of its restoration, last for many generations. If you wish to reserve a copy, call me at home eat 572–0437 or mail your request with check or money order to the Ypsilanti Historical Society at 220 N. Huron St., Ypsilanti, MI 48197. The cost is $37.50 each if picked up at the archives. If you want it shipped first class USPS, the cost for postage and insurance is $6.35 each.

As I have noted before, the directories are really beginning to show their age and we truly need to do something to preserve the information they contain. They are our most used resource and contain much more information than a phone book of the era.

We have also received from Standard Printing the much smaller version of the 1890 map that measures 11 by 17 inches. These are available for $3.50 and there is a vast clarity improvement over the earlier rendition that we once sold. This map will be available at both the museum gift shop and here in the archives. We have no way to ship the smaller maps without folding them in half. Postage is $1.41 each uninsured if you want it shipped.