In 1955 Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) began an important work that continues even today. An office of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries, the SHPO began drawing attention to designated historic sites in Michigan by commemorating them with historical markers. Many of these are roadside signs. Others are metal plaques attached to buildings.
The markers are privately financed, but they remain the property of the State of Michigan. Most of the sites are publicly accessible, but some sit on private land—a fact for us to remember and respect in exploring this bit of Michigan history.
Although marking Michigan’s historical sites doesn’t tell the whole story, it certainly does give rich and important details about specific people, places and events in our state’s history. In fact, most of us would probably be surprised just how rich that history is. Kalamazoo and Kent counties, for example, have more than 40 sites each. And the four-county cluster (Van Buren, St. Joseph, Cass and Berrien) near Kalamazoo has more than 75 designated sites with markers.
For me, the markers are a reminder that history is the glue that sticks so much of our lives together in mysterious and unexpected ways. For example, I spent nearly half of my 25-year tenure at Biggs-Gilmore, a Kalamazoo marketing/advertising firm, in its offices in the Peninsula Building in downtown Kalamazoo.
Nicholas Baumann built the structure to house the Peninsula Restaurant in 1874. We took a heavy hit in the 1980 tornado, and the owners completely restored the building between 1980 and 1981. In 1984, the building was designated a Michigan historic site. I can still remember watching the dedication ceremony on the Portage Street side of the building from my office on the second floor. If you walk by today, you can stop and read the plaque.
Sounds great, but how do we find these things? That’s the easy part, thanks to Jim Brennan of Emmett, Michigan. He has put together an excellent Web site. Here you will find the designated historic sites for all of Michigan’s counties. Since this is an ongoing process with new sites being recognized continually, the latest additions are clearly marked with a “New” flag.
You can search for sites by topic. Jim has grouped markers under about two dozen categories—Black History, Bridges, Commercial Buildings, Early Settlers, Historic Homes, Museums, Native Americans, Schools—to name a few examples. You can also simply click on the county of your choice to find out where the markers are located. Each page has a short description and a photo, if available. Jim also gives the date the marker was erected and the physical location (address) and a map.
All in all, www.michmarkers.com is a wonderful addition to the Michigan traveler’s toolkit. It is simple, uncomplicated and very easy to navigate. It puts a wealth of information at your fingertips. So the next time you’re taking a drive across Michigan, spend a few minutes on www.michmarkers.com before you leave to scout out a few of the sites along your route.
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