Past Stories

Staff from the archives at the Bentley share the special holdings that have made an indelible mark on their hearts and minds, with some of their favorite pieces of Michigan history.

A visiting researcher from the University of the Philippines has found significant documents—and locations—in Bentley collections, including photos that show the aftermath of World War II.

An unusual picture sparked a quest to find answers that started at the Bentley, and took researcher Edward Mears across the world, searching for details about his grandmother's life at U-M in the 1930s.

Bentley historian Andrew Rutledge investigates an Ohio historical marker that claims U-M was once destined to be in the Buckeye State, using historical maps to reveal the truth.

Archived records at the Bentley show how, in 1945, a protest led by officers on Indiana’s Freeman Field paved the way for racial desegregation in the military.

A collection of black-and-white photographs sat dormant for a decade. Then, the owner took a closer look, and wondered if those photos belonged at the Bentley.

Forgotten start dates. Varsity status denials. Archived records at the Bentley show how the U-M women’s ice hockey team has repeatedly been iced out.

Founded during the Great Depression, the Sunrise Cooperative Farm Community was created on a dream of equality. But as records reveal, the dream was short-lived.

John Nakamura was a smart, conscientious U-M student hoping to become a journalist. Then the United States entered World War II. His path was altered, but never his heart.

As the United States entered World War I, poet Angela Morgan picked up her pen. Her papers reveal the struggles she endured to change hearts and minds with the written word.