Join us for the GGRWHC suffrage presentation at 11:30am, or attend the whole day of
local history programming featuring:
9:30am - All Aboard for Kalamazoo!
Marty Arnold
Prepare yourself for a bone-shaking stagecoach ride down the “old plank road”! Arnold will show both historical and contemporary photos of the plank road to illustrate why the Kalamazoo road was such a boon to the little village of Grand Rapids and how the gypsum trade contributed to its demise.
10:30am - House History: Uncovering Stories of Early African Americans in West Michigan
Don Bryant
The "where" and "when" of the history of 618 Sherman Street in the South Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids are not as important as the "who" and "why." Built in 1923 as a parsonage for a small Dutch church next door, the house has had an intriguing variety of residents over the decades.
11:30am - CENTENNIAL 2020! Grand Rapids, Suffrage City
Julia Bouwkamp & Jo Ellyn Clarey
Full description above!
1:00pm - How the Pokagon Avoided Removal
Marcus Winchester
A citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Marcus Winchester will discuss how the Pokagon Band avoided the Indian Removal Act of 1830 with tactfulness, relationship building, and ingenuity.
2:00pm - An Island in the Furniture City: The Black Hills Neighborhood and Grand Rapids Industry
Matthew Daley
Though not a traditional “company town,” the Black Hills neighborhood exemplifies the design, location, and financing of an entire industrial landscape crafted by an industry at its peak, in combination with private developers.
3:00pm - Roots and Results: The Furniture Strike of 1911
Tim Gleisner
Prompted by long-simmering labor grievances and a strengthening relationship between owners and bankers, the Grand Rapids Furniture Workers Strike of 1911 remains today the largest and longest labor protest in the city's history. Technically, the strike failed after nineteen weeks; but the strikers had laid the groundwork for lasting changes in the economic, social, and political history of Grand Rapids.
