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October 2026 Clements Connection | As the leaves change and Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect season to explore history in unexpected ways. Step into America’s past through lively experiences, including a Golden Age band concert, a rare book fair filled with fascinating finds, and a historic murder mystery! | | |
Historian and author Amy E. Hughes introduces us to playwright and actor Harry Watkins for an alternative history of nineteenth-century theater.
Hughes asks uncomfortable questions about the existence, predominance, and erasure of White male mediocrity in U.S. culture, both in the past and present. When historians focus only on performers and plays with artistic "merit," what communities, perspectives, and cultural trends remain invisible? Join us to think through these and other questions.
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October 16, 10-11:30 am ET
Over Zoom
| Sponsored by Christina and Robbi Karas ♡ | | Handheld fan, [1917]. From the Emily Howland Papers. | | |
Women’s suffrage was one of the nineteenth century’s most significant reform movements, combining the energies of people who had learned the ropes of reform while working for the abolition of slavery and alcohol. Wyoming’s territorial government allowed women to vote in 1869, which served as an inspiration to the women’s suffrage movement until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919.
Emily Howland of Sherwood, New York, was an abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights and suffrage. Her collection of papers includes this fan making a plea to New York voters to “Have a Heart!” and “Vote for Women’s Suffrage Nov. 6!” 🗳️
View the Online Exhibit
| | Exhibit open Mon-Fri from 12-4 pm | |
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Celebrate the 50th year of the Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair, a benefit for the Clements Library! Join us for a lively gathering of booksellers and dealers from across the country.
Admission is just $5 (free for students!).
See real books. See real people. See a real book fair.
October 11, 11 am-5 pm
Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom
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As part of the formal launch of the Center for American Band History Research at the University of Michigan, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance along with the Clements Library are proud to present a concert of traditional music. Played with authentic instrumentation from the Golden Age of American Bands, which captured the imagination of the public in the latter part of the 1800s and through the first decades of the 20th century.
From marches written for newspapers of the day, to novelties, brass solos, songs, and orchestral transcriptions, this concert is a tribute to the birth of the great American band tradition.
Join us for this free concert on October 9, 5:30-6:30 pm
North Campus, Walgreen Drama Center, Stamps Auditorium
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Join the Clements Library for a spooktacular open-house style event. Go undercover as a detective to solve the murder of a 1910s mayor before a new mayor (who’s possibly the killer) is elected! Inspired by our current exhibit, Who Counts? A History of Voting in America, you’ll meet the town’s candidates, vote in the election, and view the exhibit. Additionally, participate in a costume contest from 7:30-8 pm or attend performances at 7 and 8 pm of A Ghost, a play from our very own collections! | | | | |
"Welcome to Tinderville, population 60,000 - and growing by two or three every day." An essay in Richard Bak's new book, Welcome to Detroit Land, "Under a Paper Moon," describes David V. Tinder's meticulous collection of Michigan photography, housed here at the Clements.
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Did you know the Clements Library holds one of 62 copies of the Philomathean Society's 1859 Rosetta Stone? Acquired in 1945 as a gift from our director, Randolph G. Adams, the volume is now chronicled in the Rosetta Stone Census.
62 documented surviving copies. Open a record for its binding, provenance, sources, and photographs.
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Since 1776, Americans have used major anniversaries of the nation’s founding to celebrate, debate, revise, and perform the story of the United States. 2026 Roman J. Witt Artist in Residence Holly Bass explored Clements Library collections as she prepared for her new exhibition We Hold These Truths opening at UMMA on October 3.
In her Penny Stamps Speaker Series talk, she spoke highly of her time at the Clements:
"... I went to the Clements Library, where my little nerd heart exploded. U-M Students, if you have not been to the Clement's Library, you absolutely should. They focus on 18th and 19th American history but I promise you that whatever you are studying, whatever it is, there is something in those archives."
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Golden Age Band Concert
5:30-6:30 pm
Walgreen Drama Center, Stamps Auditorium
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Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair
11 am-5 pm
$5 entry (free for students!)
Michigan Union, Rogel Ballroom
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From 1776 to the Ballot Box with the U-M History Club
6-8 pm
Clements Library
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Bookworm #96: Author Conversation with Amy E. Hughes
10-11:30 am ET
Over Zoom
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Homecoming Weekend Guided Tour
4-5 pm
Clements Library
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Parent and Family Weekend Guided Tour
10-11 am
Clements Library
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Parent and Family Weekend Guided Tour
1-2 pm
Clements Library
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Parent and Family Weekend Guided Tour
4-5 pm
Clements Library
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Haunted Histories
6-9 pm
Clements Library
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| | Header citation: The Antikamnia Calendar for 1899. General Ephemera Collection, 1700s-1900s. | The Clements Library is open for research by appointment. All researchers are encouraged to contact Clements Library staff for guidance on how to complete their research with both digital and physical materials. Please contact clements-reference@umich.edu with any questions about your research. | | | | |
