Searching collections:
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Each collection features a unique aspect of Michigan's history.
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Between c1936 and 1942, the Works Progress Administration collected data about land and buildings throughout rural Michigan.
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The Archives of Michigan offers these recorded interviews with Michigan citizens. By sharing their memories, these individuals enlighten our understanding of the past and often bridge gaps in the written historical record.
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The Library of Michigan’s sheet music collection contains more than 400 pieces of music written by Michigan composers and/or issued by Michigan music publishers.
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The Main Streets collection depicts street scenes from various towns and cities throughout Michigan. Images of lakes, city parks, buildings, hotels, and nature scenes are also included in the collection.
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The online map collection contains a sampling of the thousands of maps housed at the Archives of Michigan.
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Michigan has over 120 lighthouses and life-saving stations, more than any other state. This is a collection of photographs and postcards of these Great Lakes sentinels.
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A useful collection of Michigan’s forty-seven governors. Subjects range from Stephens T. Mason (1835-1840), the first governor of Michigan through Jennifer Granholm (2002-), the forty-seventh.
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We have digitized a number of films in our collection and posted copies to our Vimeo channel. Enjoy!
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The Early Photography Collection is comprised of over 200 nineteenth century cased images. These include formats such as daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes.
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The Early Documents Collection chronicles Michigan’s road to statehood including the original Constitution passed in 1835 to the Senate Bill admitting Michigan as the 26th State of the Union.
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The records document the history of Michigan soldiers in the form of muster rolls, letters, lists of dead, monthly returns and other materials sent to the state Adjutant General during the war. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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The Archives of Michigan has close to 1,400 Civil War photographs in its collections.
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Explore these registries by name to find a brief description of an individual’s service in the Civil War.
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The Civil War Manuscripts collection consists of letters and diaries from the Civil War period (1861-1865). Most of the collection consists of personal narratives with a few official records concerning the war and later pensions.
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Visitors to the State Capitol fondly remember its rotunda ringed with battle flags. These flags now show the ravages not only of battle, but also of storage under less than ideal conditions.
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The Architecture Collection contains the architectural drawing of the Ransom Eli Olds Mansion in Lansing, Michigan.
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Fill in gaps in your family histories with the 1884 and 1894 Michigan State Census.
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This statewide collection offers researchers critical information in tracking Michigan ancestors during this time period.
