History Hounds® Lecture Series
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Or call (800) 692-1828.
All History Hounds® presentations will be virtual until further notice.
If you enjoy “sniffing out” and exploring fascinating historical subjects, the Historical Society of Michigan’s History Hounds lecture series offers weekly in-depth presentations, allowing attendees to curl up with a myriad of historical topics.
Schedule
- Evening lectures are presented on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month from 7 to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Our Off the Leash History Hounds lectures come to you on Tuesdays at noon Eastern Time during weeks that don’t have a Wednesday evening program. Take a lunch break, and join us to take a bite out of some intriguing facets of our state’s history.
Details…
- History Hounds is FREE for members of HSM. History Hounds is also free for members of HSM’s member organizations. 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 or offer the lecture to its membership for free remote viewing.
- The lecture and Q&As usually last about an hour. See the chart below for dates and times.
- Registration for each lecture closes at 5 p.m. on Monday (for Tuesday programs) and at noon on Wednesday (for evening programs).
- Instructions on how to remote-in to the lecture will be sent to attendees the day before each program to the email you use to register.
All times below are Eastern Time.
Wednesday,
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Fire in the White House!with Craig G. Wright, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum
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History Hounds Many people know that the British burned the White House in 1814. But did you know that President Herbert Hoover was hosting a party on Christmas Eve 1929 when a fire broke out? Travel back in time to learn about the blaze that gutted the West Wing and ruined the Oval Office. |
Tuesday,
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The Monroe Monsterwith Gerald Wykes, Monroe County Museum System
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History Hounds In 1965, “The Monroe Monster,” a huge, hairy beast, allegedly attacked a woman and her daughter on a Monroe back road. Monster hunters believed that a creature had escaped the nearby Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant laboratory. It sparked national news and “Monster Specials” at local businesses—but what was it? |
Wednesday,
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Loggers in Stone: Creating the Lumbermen’s Monumentwith David K. Vaughan, Air Force Institute of Technology
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History Hounds Located on the picturesque High Rollways of the Au Sable River, the Lumbermen’s Monument is a 14-foot-high, lifelike representation of the lumbermen who worked in the Michigan lumbering industry. This presentation describes the conception and development of the plan and design of the memorial, which took four years to complete. |
Tuesday,
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Gangsters? Up North?with Robert Knapp, University of California—Berkeley
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History Hounds Like anyone else, gangsters of the 1920s and 1930s liked to get away from it all. Sometimes their trips to Northern Michigan involved gambling, bootlegging, and kidnapping. At other times, they only sought rest and relaxation. Come learn about the mobsters from Detroit, Chicago, and Toledo who headed up north. |
Wednesday,
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The Great Navy Birds of Lake Michigan: Resurrecting WWII Aircraftwith Taras Lyssenko, A and T Recovery
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History Hounds This session explores the project to locate, recover, and restore—on behalf of the National Naval Aviation Museum—approximately 40 once-lost U.S. Navy World War II aircraft from Lake Michigan. The aircraft can now be found on display across the nation in some of our most prestigious aviation museums and airports. |
Tuesday,
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Documenting Racism: The Jim Crow Museumwith Jennifer Rose Hasso and Cyndi Tiedt, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
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History Hounds Join us as we tour the Jim Crow Museum to explore the history of anti-black caricatures, propaganda, and rhetoric. Jim Crow laws and customs demeaned and oppressed African Americans in ways that still affect our nation, but the museum opens dialogues about discriminatory history to promote social and racial justice. |
Wednesday,
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Lost on Lake Michigan: The Wreck of the SS Chicorawith Robert Myers, Historical Society of Michigan
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History Hounds In January 1895, the new steamer Chicora of St. Joseph had already tied up for the winter. Then the Big Four Railroad called—would her owners send the Chicora to Milwaukee on a final voyage? Join us to learn of a fateful decision that doomed a ship and its crew. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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In the Same Lane: Desegregating Michigan Bowlingwith David Kenney, Author
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History Hounds In 1947, as major league baseball’s color barrier collapsed, the American Bowling Congress voted to maintain racial segregation in America’s bowling alleys. Come learn how the National Committee for Fair Play in Bowling—a United Auto Workers initiative—helped Detroit’s African-American leaders desegregate America’s most popular amateur sport. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Joe Louis: Battering the Color Barrierwith Marcy Sacks, Albion College
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History Hounds From 1937 to 1949, Joe Louis reigned as the U.S. heavyweight boxing champion. The “Brown Bomber” became a national hero, making him a focal point for debate over African-American rights. Come learn how one of the greatest athletes in history battered the color barrier and reshaped American social attitudes. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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Sitting Down to Stand Up: The 1936-1937 Flint Strikewith Edward McClelland, Author
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History Hounds The 1936-1937 Flint sit-down strike gave birth to the United Auto Workers and set standards for industry wages throughout America. Learn how strikers occupied GM plants, confronted the police and National Guard, and sought help from the Women’s Emergency Brigade to secure collective bargaining rights, retirement benefits, and better wages. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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Keep ’Em Fighting: Chris-Craft’s Contribution to WWIIwith Geoffrey Reynolds, Joint Archives of Holland–Hope College
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History Hounds On December 7, 1941, a military strike at Pearl Harbor led the United States into World War II. In Michigan, the Chris-Craft Corporation quickly transitioned from building pleasure boats to constructing landing craft for the war effort. Join the speaker to learn more about Chris-Craft’s role in America’s “Arsenal of Democracy.” Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Varied Voices: Stories of Michigan’s Capitolwith Valerie Marvin, Michigan State Capitol
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History Hounds Ever since Michigan called itself a state in 1835, people have gone to its seat of government to make life in the peninsular state better. Those people believed they had important contributions to make and services to give. And they did it all under the dome in Michigan’s capitols. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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General Alger’s Railroad: The Detroit, Bay City & Alpena Railroadwith David K. Vaughan, Air Force Institute of Technology
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History Hounds Russell A. Alger–soldier, politician, businessman, and human dynamo–wanted a railroad to link Bay City and Alpena. Join us to learn how Alger overcame huge engineering obstacles, including bridging the Rifle River, to complete the Detroit, Bay City & Alpena Railroad (later the Detroit & Mackinac) in 1889. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Never Making It Home: The Steamboat Sultana Disaster of 1865with Gene Salecker, Sultana Association
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History Hounds As the Civil War was ending, nearly 2,000 recently released Union ex-prisoners-of-war, including hundreds from Michigan, were crowded onto the riverboat Sultana. When the Sultana exploded and burned near Memphis on April 27, 1865, almost 1,200 people died. Join us to learn about the greatest maritime disaster in U.S. history. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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Ending Tomorrow: The Bath School Disasterwith Harold Schechter, Author
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History Hounds In 1927, while the Michigan township of Bath was celebrating a new primary school, Andrew P. Kehoe had other plans. On May 18, he detonated explosives at the school–ending the lives of thirty-eight children and six adults. Join us to learn about this Michigan tragedy and its ramifications on the community. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Crossing the Line: Immigration Politics on the U.S./Canada Borderwith Ashley Johnson Bavery, Eastern Michigan University
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History Hounds During the early 20th century, thousands of illegal European immigrants crossed the US-Canada border at Windsor to work in Michigan’s auto industry. Learn how this often-overlooked border area influenced government policies toward illegal immigration, business and labor union practices, and the experience of being an illegal immigrant in industrial America. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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The Rocks That Made Michigan: Great Lakes Geologywith Stephen Kesler, University of Michigan
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History Hounds Geologic events formed Michigan and the Great Lakes region. Fossils are only a small part of a story that includes routes of the early explorers, glaciers, reefs, mountain building, and a giant meteor impact. Join us to learn about the “prehistory of history” and the geology that shaped our state. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
There will not be a History Hounds presentation on Wednesday, November 24, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. |
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Happy Thanksgiving! |
Tuesday,
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Secret Upper Peninsula: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscurewith Kath Usitalo, Author
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History Hounds Even if you know a fair amount about the Upper Peninsula, learn a few more facts and impress your friends and family with the “secrets” of the area in this session, including fun facts and trivia, local food, ghosts and lore, and others. It is time to learn more, eh? Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Reams of Hate: Henry Ford’s Antisemitic Newspaperwith Catherine Cangany, Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
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History Hounds Henry Ford’s antisemitic newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, was first published in 1919. Despite its international reach and considerable backing, the Jewish community successfully shut down the paper in 1927. However, articles are still published today and used to inspire extremist groups. Delve into the history of this complicated Michigan legacy with this session. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Tuesday,
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Restoring the Light: Saving the St. Helena Lighthousewith Mark & Michele VanderVelde, Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association
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History Hounds In 1986, the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) gathered dedicated volunteers to restore the St. Helena Island Lighthouse. Come and learn the history of the lighthouse, the toll of years of neglect and vandalism, and the remarkable restoration which will be enjoyed for generations to come. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
Wednesday,
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Little House in the Big Woods: The Life of Laura Ingalls Wilderwith Sue Fedie, Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum
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History Hounds Millions of schoolchildren grew up with the “Little House” books and the opening sentence, “Once upon a time . . . a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin.” Join us as the staff of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin, Wisconsin, tells us the author’s story. Registration for this History Hounds will be available soon. |
There will not be a History Hounds presentation on Tuesday, December 28, due to the New Year holiday. |
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Happy New Year! |
Refunds will not be issued for cancellations less than one week before each lecture.
