Past Stories

Belford Lawson’s work as a lawyer and activist changed the course of civil rights in the United States. His incredible story is told, in part, through archived materials at the Bentley. 

Women at U-M fought to have athletic facilities where they could exercise and play sports, same as the men. The battle highlights the ways in which women had to carve out spaces for themselves on campus time and again.

One researcher’s quest to resurrect a nearly extinct strain of rye seed started in the archives but quickly expanded to seed banks, national parks, a whiskey distillery, and beyond.

Thousands of historical photos will soon be available digitally as part of a new effort to better serve local communities.

In 1961, the Kennedy Administration sent the U-M Symphony Band to the Soviet Union in hopes of thawing relations between the two countries through the common language of music.

One of U-M’s first female students defied gender norms and wrote a book about her experiences on campus.

Patrick Charles’s new book, Vote Gun, explores the history of gun rights legislation in the United States and uses several Bentley collections.

She was hailed as a World War II hero, but the primary sources surrounding Elsie MacGill reveal that her life and legacy were more complex than the media would acknowledge.

Reflections from Bentley Director Alexis Antracoli on the core ways in which the Bentley will continue to draw on its strengths and chart new paths in the future.

Forty-nine years before women were granted the right to vote in the United States, Nannette Gardner would cast her ballot in Detroit, giving the suffrage movement a notable victory.