History Hounds® Lecture Series
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Or call (800) 692-1828.
We are closely monitoring the COVID-19, or coronavirus, situation in Michigan. Our primary concern is the health and welfare of our attendees and speakers for the History Hounds® lecture series.
Due to current circumstances and social distancing, we are offering our next two presentations as REMOTE ACCESS ONLY. You can enjoy the content from the comfort and safety of your home.
Connecting is easy! Instructions for remote access will be e-mailed to participants in advance.
If you enjoy “sniffing out” and exploring Michigan’s most fascinating historical facets, join us for our evening series of in-depth lectures. The Historical Society of Michigan’s History Hounds® lecture series allows attendees to delve into Michigan’s history and dig up a bone or two of new appreciation to take home.
- History Hounds is FREE for members of HSM. If you are not a member but would like to become one, see our membership page.
- Nonmembers are welcome to enjoy a lecture for $7.
- An HSM member organization has the option to live-stream the lecture for free for its members.
- Lectures start at 7 p.m. The lecture and Q&As usually last about an hour.
- Registration for each lecture closes at 3 p.m. the day BEFORE the scheduled talk.
- If you can watch and listen to a video on YouTube or Facebook, you have all the technology you need to join us remotely.*
- Registration is available for the next two History Hounds.
*Instructions on how to remote-in to the lecture will be sent to attendees several days before each program.
Wednesday,
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Millennial Visions & Earthly Pursuits: The Israelite House of Davidwith Robert Myers, Historical Society of Michigan
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Millennialist preachers Benjamin and Mary Purnell founded the Israelite House of David in Benton Harbor in 1903. Their religious commune gathered hundreds of members and became an economic powerhouse, with an amusement park, jazz band, and baseball team. Scandals and feuds rocked the colony, but it survives as one of America’s oldest communal orders.
To protect our speakers from traveling to present their lectures, we have replaced the previously scheduled “The Not So Open Road: Detroit’s Green Book” with this presentation. |
Wednesday,
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Idlewild: A Respite From Racismwith Morris Thomas, Michigan State University
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Established in 1912, Idlewild welcomed African Americans with no restrictions at a time when segregation was rampant. The small town eventually became one of the most popular African-American resorts in the Midwest. Join us and journey back to the decades when Idlewild offered rest, relaxation, and a respite from racism. |
Wednesday,
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Yooper Talk, Eh?with Kathryn Remlinger, Grand Valley State University
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The U.P.’s unique history and cross-section of several cultures has enabled its residents to develop their own dialect over time, providing the area with its own identity through language. Join us as we unravel what it means to talk like a “Yooper” and identify with Michigan’s one-of-a-kind region—the Upper Peninsula.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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The Birch-Bark Booklets of Simon Pokagonwith Blaire Topash-Caldwell, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
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During the late nineteenth century, Potawatomi writer and activist Simon Pokagon became a leading spokesman for the Indigenous people of southwest Michigan. Pokagon’s stories, which he published in a series of birch-bark books, refuted anti-Native prejudices and advocated for the environment and Native-American rights. Come learn about the life of this Potawatomi leader.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Dreamers & Schemers: The Railroad Comes to Michiganwith Paul Trap, Lexington Group in Transportation History—Michigan Chapter
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Michigan’s leaders as well as dreamers and schemers struggled to overcome the challenges of finances, terrain, and politics in order to build a functional railroad network. This presentation will highlight aspects of Michigan’s railroad history prior to the Civil War, when the state floundered as it tried to adapt advanced transportation technologies.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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A Bomber an Hour: The Willow Run Plantwith Ralph Hotton, Yankee Air Museum
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During World War II, Ford Motor Company’s Willow Run bomber plant near Belleville, Michigan, turned out a B-24 Liberator every hour. Built in 1941 and designed by architect Albert Kahn, it was the world’s largest factory under one roof. Come learn how Willow Run helped turn America into the Arsenal of Democracy.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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A Woman’s Place Is Under the Dome: Michigan’s Capitol and the Woman’s Suffrage Movementwith Valerie Marvin, State of Michigan
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The fight for woman’s suffrage began in Michigan in 1846, when woman’s rights advocate Ernestine Rose gave two speeches in Michigan’s first Capitol. Women continued to come to the Capitol to advocate for voting rights, but actual suffrage remained an elusive goal. Join us to relive important suffrage moments under Michigan’s dome.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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PBB: The Poisoning of Michiganwith Edward Lorenz, Alma College (Ret.)
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In 1973, workers at a St. Louis, Michigan, factory accidentally mixed a flame-retardant chemical, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), into livestock feed. Millions of affected farm animals were destroyed, but not before Michiganders had consumed PBB in contaminated milk, meat, and eggs. Join us to learn about this tragic episode in Michigan’s history.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Pedaling Beyond the Petticoats: Women Cyclists in the Gilded Agewith Roger Gilles, Grand Valley State University
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The bicycling craze of the 1890s led to a wildly popular—if brief—era of women’s professional bicycle racing. Society discouraged women from engaging in athletics, but some bucked the norms and jumped on their bikes. Learn how these speed and endurance contests helped pave the way for professional women’s sports.
Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Refunds will not be issued for cancellations less than one week before each lecture.
