Volume 41, number 2
October 2019
Grand River Times The Newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society Inside this issue: Cover Story: October program Letter from our President page 2 2019/2020 Program Schedule page 4 Meet the Trustees page 5 Happening in History page 6 Photo Sleuth page 7
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Grand Rapids Historical Society
Next program: After the October program, the Grand Rapids Historical Society’s next program will be on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, (note different day of the week) at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Ed Paciencia will be speaking about: Division Avenue: A Trip Back in Time, Part 1.
From Managerial Void to the Medical Mile: The Evolving Roles of Women and the Enduring Presence of History PRESENTED BY: Julia Bouwkamp In collaboration with the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council
Thursday, October 10, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Known for its thriving medical institutions, Grand Rapids today soars above its past, having forgotten whole chapters of an early medical history where government played virtually no role in providing civil services. Early “managerial voids” were commonly filled by the efforts of voluntary associations that were most often led by women. Julia Bouwkamp will unfold the history of Grand Rapids medical institutions growing out of the efforts of hardworking, charitable nineteenth-century women. Early women citizens are rarely heralded as community builders, and Bouwkamp will reveal a story often obscured by sentimentalized assumptions that women were not seriously involved in “public” works, even in the organization of institutions that cared for the sick, the elderly, and orphaned children. In fact, these early citizens impacted our community to a remarkable degree. Fleshing out the specific history of women founders of early Grand Rapids medical institutions, Bouwkamp will reveal a pattern where they were pushed from the centers of organizations they had created into the more feminine realm of nursing--where once again their hard work and creativity revolutionized a struggling profession by “raising standards and giving scientific value to the business of being a woman.” Continued on page 3
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Dear GRHS Members,
Fr. Dennis Morrow, recipient of the Albert Baxter Award in 2000, graduated from St. Joseph’s Seminary. The Class of ’66 from Catholic Central High School has always claimed him as one of us. I say this because everyone wants to claim him as one of their own. Fr. Dennis has had an interest in local history from the time he heard stories from older relatives when he was just a child. Many will remember his The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids presentation of the demolition of neighborhoods on the Historical Society, published six west side as the 131 and I-196 freeways were being times annually. Established in 1894, the Grand Rapids Historical Society built. For decades he has been the Archivist for the is dedicated to exploring the history Diocese of Grand Rapids along with parish duties and of West Michigan; to discover its chaplain duties with fire and police personnel in Grand romance and tragedy, its heroes Rapids. (His father was a firefighter.) He has shared his research with whoever and scoundrels, its leaders and its wants to learn. The Grand Rapids Historical Commission at ordinary citizens. The Society collects and preserves our heritage, www.grandrapidshistory.org has The Father Morrow Collection. I invite you passing it on to new generations to take the time to peruse it. through books, lectures, and Angela Yondo, recipient of the Albert Baxter award in 2018, and her education projects. dedicated band of volunteers have spent countless hours working on the restoration of St. Andrew’s Cemetery. It is one of the Executive Committee: oldest in Grand Rapids and is the final resting place for Gina Bivins, president many early settlers, including Louis Campau. To quote Matthew Daley, vice-president Thomas Dilley “Angela’s quest to secure and honor John Gelderloos, treasurer some of our earliest local burial sites continues now as Nan Schichtel, secretary an employee of the Grand Rapids Diocese. Her success in this process has awakened a similar interest in those Board members: she works with, and a great number of others in the Alan Bennett community who, because of Angela’s continuing efforts Charles Bocskey now clearly see the treasure to be found within these Thomas Dilley local burial sites, and the great value that lies in their Matthew Ellis exploration and preservation.” Chris Kaupa Gordon Olson, emeritus Wilhelm Seeger, emeritus Jeff Sytsma Julie Tabberer Jim Winslow Kurt Yost Jessica Riley, editor Grand Rapids Historical Society c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Website: www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
Continued on page 5 About the Grand Rapids Historical Society. The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight programs each year, beginning in September and running through May, including lectures, audio/video presentations, demonstrations, collections, or special tours. Membership. Membership is open to all interested persons with annual dues of $30 per family, $20 for seniors and students, or $400 for a lifetime membership. The membership year runs from May to the following May. Members of the Grand Rapids Historical Society receive eight newsletters each year. Members also receive a 20% discount on books published by the society as well as books published by the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Change of Address. If you will be permanently or temporarily moving to a new address, please notify GRHS before your change occurs. Let us know your new address and the date you plan to leave and plan to return. Email to grhs.local@gmail.com, or mail to Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 2
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Continued from cover page Balancing benevolence and business sense, they understood that the “intelligent saints” in the caring professions should be honored for their skills and with a living wage. The national impact of one Grand Rapids reformer: Minnie Cumnock Blodgett Upon U.S. entry into World War I in 1917, a nursing shortage loomed. A prominent local advocate of health public reform, Minnie Cumnock Blodgett, proposed an intensive training camp at her alma mater Vassar College, where the theoretical education of nurses could be undertaken outside a hospital setting. Bouwkamp will elaborate the long-term national effect of this successful experiment from the summer of 1918 on the nation’s nursing education and the betterment of the nursing profession.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Julia Bouwkamp Julia Bouwkamp has put her degree in history from Calvin College to work ever since her graduation in 2015. She has worked as a historical interpreter at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, for AmeriCorps VISTA in historic preservation, and as a researcher, speaker, and archivist with the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council and Froebel USA. Besides having recently finished curating a digital exhibit on women's suffrage for the GGRWHC, she has published entries on local historical women in Women’s Lifestyle Magazine and a substantive article on Dutch women during World War I in Origins, Calvin College’s historical magazine. Bouwkamp is currently applying to graduate programs in material culture and public history. ******************************** During 2019 the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council celebrated over thirty years of recruiting and training researchers, encouraging donations to local archives, distributing bibliographies on area women’s history, digitizing materials for broader dissemination, and developing creative programming to spread information about the early accomplishments of female scientists, politicians, journalists, even reformed courtesans. Six years ago at a quarter century, it took stock and published a brief summary history, which you can find on its website: http://www.ggrwhc.org/our-history In January 2020 the GGRWHC will launch a year’s celebration of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment, culminating on August 26th at St. Cecilia Society, the site in 1899 of the only meeting in Michigan of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2019-2020 Grand Rapids Historical Society Programs All programs held at the Grand Rapids Public Library in the Ryerson Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise specified. Division Avenue: A Trip Back in Time, Part 1 Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Ed Paciencia South Division has a rich history that most people today are unaware of. Ever since the riots in the summer of 1967, the street has been thought of as “skid row”, but this wasn’t always true. Prior to 1967, South Division was one of the biggest, thriving, major economic corridors in the city. Whether you were looking for doctors, dentists, lawyers, auto dealers, bakeries, restaurants, factories, hotels, or laundries, they could all be found on South Division.
Division Avenue: A Trip Back in Time, Part 2 Thursday, January 9, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Ed Paciencia Part 2 will look back at the buildings and some of the events that took place on South Division between Wealthy and 28th Streets. This section, just like the first one, saw its share of good and bad times. Everything from bombings and bank robberies to celebrations and sidewalk sales took place in this stretch.
143 Years of Bissell History Through Advertising and Design Thursday, February 13, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Tiffany Decker and Lori Huisman Melville Bissell patented his first carpet sweeper in 1876, beginning a long history of cleaning innovation. We will explore the company’s rich history through advertising, design and brand collections that include influences from notables such as Claude C. Hopkins and Harley Earl. Learn about some of the people, products and key milestones that influenced BISSELL’s success.
A Journey from Plaster to Community: The Story of the GUB (Galewood-UrbandaleBurlingame) Thursday, March 12, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Presented by: David Britten This presentation will explore the history of Grand Rapids’ southwest neighboring community since 1833. Beginning with the discovery and milling of plaster, the advent of the electric interurban, growth of the industrial sector, rise of two key commercial districts, we’ll look at the key pioneers, changes over time, and the parallel growth of several churches and schools.
Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Grey Thursday, April 30, 2020, 7:00 p.m. (offsite: Temple Emanuel) Presented by: Peg Finkelstein and Megan Yost Ten thousand Jewish soldiers fought in the American Civil War--some for the North, some for the South, some from Grand Rapids. Recent research and cemetery-walking have yielded surprising stories about local Jewish soldiers and their varied backgrounds. Enjoy a reception after honoring recently rediscovered veterans and exploring Temple Emanuel's hall displays & award-winning archive.
St. Andrew’s Cemetery, Nice Quiet Neighbors Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 7:00 p.m. (offsite) Presented by: Cynthia Bailey There is a lot of Grand Rapids History buried in St. Andrews Cemetery. In this presentation Cynthia will "dig up" some interesting information about the Cemetery and some of the "nice quiet neighbors" in the cemetery that sits right in the middle of a neighborhood.
Continued from page 2 Fr. Dennis was at the Historical Society presentation on Thursday September 12. With his usual enthusiasm and beaming smile he informed me that he recently became Archivist Emeritus with the Diocese. He was equally as enthusiastic to tell me that Angela Yondo has been promoted to Archivist, having served under Fr. Dennis as assistant. Congratulations to both. I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to Jim Winslow for his presentation on the canals on both sides of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, long ago filled in. Good visuals about a seemingly ever changing waterway and how we think of it and its uses. We are all looking forward to the October presentation in collaboration with the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council. The medical field has become one of the largest employers in the region. Learn about the role of women in the early years of our city. Giving credit where credit is due. Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Meet the Trustees We are highlighting different members of our Board of Trustees for our members to get to know. October’s Trustee is longtime member Nan Schichtel. Nan Schichtel has been an enthusiastic member of the Grand Rapids Historical Society for over 15 years. She serves on the Board of Trustees as Recording Secretary, Membership & Marketing committee member, and is the Society’s representative to the History Detectives program. By day, Nan is Grand Rapids Community College’s information literacy and outreach librarian, where she is liaison librarian to all the health professions programs, culinary arts, and, brewing students and faculty. She earned two master’s degrees – MLS (librarianship) and MPA (nonprofit leadership), and tries to talk herself out of going for another in Public History. Nan’s favorite on-going local history project studies the impact of Jesse Buttrick Davis, first president of GR Junior College, and founder of the Grand Rapids Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). A long-time member of the Western Michigan Genealogical Society, and her late mother Esther’s assistant-editor of Michigana, Nan is her family’s historian. She tracks the 60+ German-speaking families (including Andersch, Ansorge, Blumrich,
Richter, Riemer, Siegel, Worm, Vielkind) who immigrated to Western Michigan from the Sudeten Mountain region of North Bohemia. Nan has collaborated with the Chrastava, Czech Republic Historical Society (formerly Kratzau, Bohemia) with expanded histories of some of those families. Her proudest achievement was researching, writing, and publishing a history of the Catholic community in northern Allegan County in North Dorr and New Salem. Her Their Faith Lives On: St. Mary’s Visitation Parish Histories, New Salem, Michigan was published in 2013, with 350+ pages and 350+ photos. The story of that effort was recounted in a past GRHS newsletter. Over 600 print copies were sold, and a free eBook edition is available through GRCC’s Digital Commons portal. Nan’s favorite search tools include the Grand Rapids Historical Commission; GVSU’s GR Oral History Archive; and Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Digital Collections. She collects Grand Rapids souvenir china and spoons, and bricks from buildings with family connections or made by family brickmakers (Veneklasen, Baldwin “Brikyaat”, and, Milwaukee Cream City.)
Grand Rapids souvenir plates— Nan Schichtel photo Musician and teacher, Carl Andersch (whose family was from Kratzau), Spectregraph photo from the GR Public Museum’s Digital Collections., Identifier: 2015.33.1 Grand River Times
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GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HAPPENING IN HISTORY: OCTOBER 2019 Western Michigan Genealogical Society Mini-Class Saturday, October 5, 2019, 12:00 p.m. Main Library-Ryerson Auditorium 111 Library St. NE
Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council Saturday, October 5, 2019, 1:00 p.m. East Congregational Church 1005 Giddings Ave. SE
Topic: Using Social Media for Genealogy
Grand Rapids Women Architects 1920—1970
Presenter: Linda Guth
Join the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council and architectural researcher Pamela VanderPloeg (grandrapidsbuildings.com) for a presentation and walking tour on Grand Rapids female architects and their influence on homes and neighborhoods, both locally and nationally, from 19201970. We will meet n the beautiful Gothic-designed Klise Memorial Chapel at East Congregational Church. The presentation will be followed by a 90-minute guided walking tour of the Ottawa Hills and adjacent East Grand Rapids streets where several 1920s era homes are attributed to women architects. Registration is required for this free event. See website at (www.ggrwhc.org) for details
Social media is a tool that can help the researcher further enhance or find living relatives. This may help you break down your brick walls. Western Michigan Genealogical Society Saturday, October 5, 2019, 1:30 p.m. Main Library—Ryerson Auditorium 111 Library St. NE Topic: Resources for Genealogical Research in Foreign Countries Presenter: Katherine R. Willson
Once you’ve discovered your immigrant ancestor’s home country, how will you go about finding documents generated while s/he was still there, and how will you research his/her parents? We’ll discuss available resources for beginning your research in foreign countries, including how to locate foreign language genealogy terms and online maps providing contextual information on shifting country borders. Katherine R. Willson of Ann Arbor, MI is a highly acclaimed and professionally trained national public speaker. Her passion for genealogy combined with practical and creative strategies keeps her audience fully engaged and actively participating in these energetic, entertaining presentations.
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West Michigan Postcard Club Monday, October 14, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Faith United Methodist Church 2600 7th St. NW Topic: Shipwrecks of the Southeast Lake Superior Coast
Presenters: Bob Campbell This program will cover Lake Superior shipwrecks in the area between Grand Marais and Whitefish Bay and will feature photographs of ships and wrecks, along with pictures of the area and U.S. Life-Saving Service stations. Passionate about ships of the Great Lakes and photography, Bob Campbell has been boat watching since a young age and also photographing them for years. He is the author and photographer of Classic Ships of the Great Lakes. His photographs have appeared in Michigan History Magazine. Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. De Witt Student Center Kuyper College 3333 East Beltline NE 6
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOIN THE GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY OR GIVE A MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT The Grand Rapids Historical Society sponsors eight lectures each year. Members of the society enjoy these benefits:
The Grand River Times is the newsletter of the Grand Rapids Historical Society. Published and mailed to members eight times a year, it includes current items of historical interest, details of upcoming lectures, historically relevant activities, and short articles.
The Grand River Valley History is the society’s annual magazine. Featured are illustrated articles by local history researchers and contributions from the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the City Archivist, the Grand Rapids Public Library, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
20% Discount on all books and other items published by the society.
Please enroll me as a member of the Grand Rapids Historical Society: ____ New ___Renewal ____Gift _____Lifetime:
$400.00 one-time fee
_____Individual/Family Membership
$30.00 per year
_____Senior Citizen or Student
$20.00 per year
Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Please make check payable to the Grand Rapids Historical Society and mail it with this form to: Grand Rapids Historical Society, c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO SLEUTH Our October Photo Sleuth selection comes from the Robinson Photo Studio Collection's negatives. This photo from 1950, shows four students from Aquinas College. If anyone in this picture looks familiar, please email the Grand Rapids Historical Society at grhs.local@gmail.com
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. postage PAID Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 234
Grand Rapids Historical Society, Inc. c/o Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
GRAND RAPIDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
From Managerial Void to the Medical Mile: The Evolving Roles of Women and the Enduring Presence of History PRESENTED BY: Julia Bouwkamp Thursday, October 10, 2019, 7:00 p.m.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Cover Story: October program Letter from our President page 2 2019/2020 Program Schedule page 4 Meet the Trustees page 5 Happening in History page 6 Photo Sleuth page 7
For more information on Historical Society programs, please visit www.grhistory.org Grand River Times
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