From the President's Desk

This has been a very busy spring and summer at the YHS Museum and Archives. Our major project, the resurfacing and expansion of the parking lot, has finally been completed. The project turned out to be a great deal more extensive (and expensive) than originally thought. When the asphalt was removed from the old lot it was discovered that when the parking lot was originally installed a proper base had not been put in place to support the surface. This required the removal of 2-3 feet of soil under the entire lot which was then replaced with almost 400 tons of packable 1” x 3” stone. We will be continuing our fundraising efforts to cover the increased costs for this project. Estimates are that the parking lot as currently constructed, will last fifty years, so over time our extra efforts and expense should pay off.

The Heritage Festival reception held on the parking lot was a huge success with approximately 350 people attending. Many of them toured the YHS Museum and Archives as well as the two apartments in the Carriage House. It was interesting to note that a number of individuals indicated that they had lived in Ypsilanti their entire lives and this was their first visit to the Museum and Archives.

The YHS Archives is now providing a new service, “One Hour Walking Tours” of various historic locations in Ypsilanti. James Mann, local historian and archives volunteer, has agreed to serve as the guide for these tours. The tours available include: Depot Town, Depot Town Ghost Tour, EMU Campus, Highland Cemetery, Highland Cemetery Ghost Tour, Michigan Avenue (downtown), South Huron Street, and North Huron Street. The fees for the tours are $25 for up to five people and $50 for six to ten people. You can contact the YHS Archives at 734-217-8236 between 2 and 5 pm from Tuesday through Sunday to make arrangement for a guided tour.

The new “on-line” programming available on our web site is attracting quite a few visitors. The following programs are available: 1) Historical Highlights of Ypsilanti, Michigan, 2) Historical Markers and Statues of Ypsilanti, 3) Dusty Diary Blog, 4) Ypsi History Blog, and 5) The History of Willow Run. If you have not had a chance to view these programs yet please do so. Some of them are still under development so you can follow our progress in completing them.

We are always looking for volunteers as docents for the Museum or research assistants for the Archives. Both the Museum and Archives are open from 2:00 to 5:00 pm from Tuesday through Sunday. If you are available during that time and are interested in helping us preserve the historical information and artifacts of the area, or educating the general public about our history, please give me a call at 734-476-6658.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1: A view of our expanded and resurfaced parking lot which will now hold 13 vehicles including one handicapped van spot.

Photo 2: Fun was had by all at the opening reception for the 2009 Ypsilanti Heritage Festival that was held on the YHS property at 220 North Huron Street.

Photo 3: A huge tent was set up on the newly paved parking lot during the opening reception for the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival.