Happy Birthday to the Clements Library! 🥳

An iconic building on U-M’s Central Campus, the William L. Clements Library was dedicated on this day in 1923 as a home for rare books, papers, maps, and more from early American history.

William Clements was a U-M regent who worked closely with Detroit architect Albert Kahn, the designer of many beloved buildings around campus.

When Clements gave his personal collection of historical papers to the university, along with funding for a library to house them, Kahn was his obvious choice as architect. Albert Kahn would go on to say that he wanted most to be remembered for the Clements Library. 🏦

Today, it’s home to the papers of Thomas Gage and Henry Clinton, commanders-in-chief of the British forces in North America before and during the American Revolution, 30,000 maps and plans relating to the Americas, and more!

Click through to see the Clements under construction in 1922, and discover how it looks today. Celebrate the Clements` birthday with free ice cream from Washtenaw Dairy later today, June 15, from 4-6 p.m. on the front lawn! 🍦

The Clements is open for research weekdays 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays, and open for exhibit viewing between 12-4 p.m.

You can learn more about the history of the Clements Library with the archived Albert Kahn Associates records and William L. Clements Library records at the Bentley Historical Library, and you can find early photos of the Clements, like these, in the Bentley’s U-M Photograph Vertical File. The Bentley`s reading room has open hours available Tuesday through Saturday, and anyone is welcome to visit.

#HappyBirthday #OnThisDay #ClementsLibrary #UMich #Dedication #CampusHistory ...

The wild turkeys are back! We spotted them sunbathing in the library courtyard this morning. ☀️

We appreciate the wild turkeys` interest in Michigan history, but they aren`t allowed inside the Historical Library, no matter how nicely they might ask.

We fear their tiny claws might poke through our historical documents. Also, they are wild birds.

You know who is welcome inside, however? Human beings like you! As long as you aren`t three wild turkeys in a trench coat, you can visit our reading room, which is open to the public.

If you spot a wild turkey outside, please maintain a safe distance, as always! ❤️🦃

#Wildlife #AnnArbor #NorthCampus #WildTurkeys ...

#TBT to U-M`s first Medical School building!

Opened in 1850, and modeled after a Greek temple, this building was home to early medical classes at U-M. When it opened, there were just five professors in the Medical School!

This picture was taken in June of 1897, over 100 years ago. The sound of a hand-held bell marked the start of class each morning at the time, and you can actually spot U-M`s bell ringer in this photo.

This building no longer exists, except in photos like this one! Today, you can find the Randall Physics Laboratory in the same spot where the old Medical School building once stood.

You can find more photos like this in the U-M Photograph Vertical Files at the Bentley, which anyone is welcome to view in our reading room!

#UMich #MedicalSchool #MichiganHistory #CampusHistory ...

#OTD in 1919, Michigan officially ratified the 19th Amendment for women`s right to vote. It was the third state in the entire country to do so!

Women in Michigan had been campaigning for voting rights for many years, giving speeches, raising visibility with parades like this one, and more.

This moment was a hard-won victory, and the 19th Amendment would go on to be officially added to the United States Constitution in 1920.

However, the suffrage movement itself was not equal; African Americans, Native Americans, and many other groups were often excluded, and faced voting restrictions white women didn`t face. It took many years for all women to have the right to vote in the United States.

Anyone is welcome to check out collections like the Lucia Grimes papers and the Michigan Suffragist periodical in our reading room to learn more about the history of suffrage in Michigan!

#MichiganHistory #OnThisDay #SuffrageMovement #VotesForWomen #DidYouKnow #1910s ...