News from the Fletcher-White Archives
Where has the year gone! Seems like it was just April when we had a very nice book signing with our own Laura Bien. The program she gave turned out to be extremely interesting and informative as to how she finds all that interesting “stuff” we all see in her writings, yet we all miss. Now we know where she gets the stories that seem to elude amateur story tellers.
James Mann, our local historian, promises us his next book will be published soon and it will also be a “bestseller.” Really, it should be in the Achieves and Museum bookstores this fall, just in time for inclusion on your holiday shopping list.
The YHS Museum and Achives received some real treasures recently when the EMU Archives turned over their Florence S. Babbitt Collection on permanent loan to the Society. Some of the artifacts included in the collection are a brass whale oil lamp, sewing machine, brick oven shovel, copper bed warming pan, and framed mirror. As we explore this new collection, on permanent loan from EMU, expect several future Gleanings articles based on its content.
I have a request for the YHS membership, our patrons, and anyone else reading this publication. We have received inquiries from a number of people who are trying to find pictures of Willow Run Village of Bomber Village to reconstruct the streetscape of the downtown section during and shortly after World War II. Presently, we have almost no pictures of the commercial district. There were several stores, a bowling alley, and a church. It has now been 50 years since most of the village was demolished for redevelopment and time is running out to capture these scarce images. We would love the opportunity to make digital copies of any photos you might have or preserve them should you wish to donate them to the YHS Archives. Please contact the archives for specific information. Help us to preserve an important part of Ypsilanti’s past!
(Gerry Pety is Director of the Fletcher-White Archives and a regular contributor to the Gleanings.)
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