Michigan Historical Commission commemorates centennial, approves four new historical markers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2013

 

Contact: Sandra Clark, 517-373-6362 or Ed Golder, 517-335-3014

 

 

Michigan Historical Commission commemorates centennial, approves four new historical markers

 

Celebrating 100 years of public investment in Michigan’s heritage, the Michigan Historical Commission, at its May 8 meeting, hosted a luncheon for former commissioners, issued a review of the past century of state government history programs, honored the centennial of President Gerald R. Ford’s birth and approved four new historical markers.

 

Markers approved include:

 

• The Duane Doty School in Wayne County, which opened its doors in 1909 to serve Detroit’s population as it grew north along Woodward Avenue.
  
  
• The Indian Lake Cemetery in Cass County, which has been in use since the 1840s and contains the graves of early settlers, veterans of the War of 1812 and the Civil War, and pioneering surgeon Dr. Alice Conklin.
  
  
• Holy Cross Church on Beaver Island, built and consecrated by Father Frederic Baraga in 1860. Liturgies were in the Gaelic language until the 1890s.
  
  
• A marker in Grand Rapids to showcase the innovative genius of grocers Hendrik and Fred Meijer, who in 1962 pioneered the combination of two popular retail models, discount department stores and supermarkets, into a single store, the original “Thrifty Acres.”
   

These new markers will be added to more than 1,700 green-and-gold signs found across Michigan and in a growing number of out-of-state locations.

 

Since 1955, the Michigan Historical Marker program has chronicled the people, places and events that make Michigan's heritage unique and unforgettable. "They are part of the fabric of history that connects Michigan communities to their past, helps them understand their present and guides them as they plan their future," said Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center.

 

Individual and organizational sponsors nominate the markers and purchase them once the text and location are approved by the commission. Professional historians at the Michigan Historical Center draft the text, working with the sponsors, and make recommendations for approval by the commission at its regular meetings. The final step in the process is the purchase and dedication of the markers by their local sponsors. For more information on the historical marker program, including application information, visit www.michigan.gov/markers.

 

The Michigan Historical Commission advises the state on its history programs, including the Michigan Historical Center, part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. For more information on the commission, go to www.michigan.gov/mhcommission. The center's museum and archival programs help people discover, enjoy and find inspiration in their heritage. It includes the Michigan Historical Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/michiganhistory.

 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

 

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/Editors please note: Attached is a photo of past and present members of the Michigan Historical Commission cutting a Sanders Bumpy Cake to celebrate the 100^th-year anniversary of the commission. Sanders Bumpy Cake was first created in 1913 by the Sanders Candy Company in Detroit, and it celebrates its 100th anniversary this year as well. Commissioners in the photo, from the left: Mimi Musser Cunningham, Marge Greiner, Joan Frear Capuano, Douglas B. Roberts, Michigan Historical Center Director Sandra Clark, Edward Surovell, Jack Dempsey, Tom Truscott, Kim Johnson, Brian James Egen and Larry J. Wagenaar./

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