Did you know that part of U-M’s art museum was built in memory of U-M soldiers and veterans?

This building, known as the Alumni Memorial Hall, was opened in 1910. Although this building was first proposed as a memorial to U-M’s Civil War soldiers, the concept was expanded to memorialize soldiers from other wars, too, and alumni worked together to raise the funds to build it.

Initially, it featured gallery spaces for art, as well as spaces for alumni to gather. The galleries looked different back then, including palm fronds and greenery alongside the artwork, but the exterior, with its tall columns, is still recognizable today.

Today, this building is part of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, @ummamuseum, and you can still find plaques dedicated to U-M’s soldiers inside, honoring the legacy they left behind.

This Memorial Day, we honor those who gave their lives to serve.

#MemorialDay #UMich #AlumniMemorialHall #UMMA #CampusHistory ...

On this day over 100 years ago, a massive Joan of Arc pageant was held on U-M’s Ferry Field!

One of the largest theatrical plays U-M students had ever produced at the time, the Michigan Daily reported that it included 400 cast members, and a live horse.

Thousands of people turned up to watch as U-M student Miriam Hubbard played the part of Joan of Arc (also known as “Jeanne D’Arc”) in a dramatized story about her life, on May 21, 1914.

“Ferry Field gridiron was the scene last night of a medieval struggle,” the Daily wrote. The lighting effects and the dance scenes won over the crowd. However, as the football gridiron was not actually a medieval city, some allowances had to be made.

“Although the audience laughed when the medieval soldiers planted their modern ladders against the wall, and some didn’t take the losses in the French army quite seriously enough, the affair was remarkably free from incongruities,” the Daily wrote.

The play itself was led by the U-M Women’s League, who used proceeds from the performance to help fund women’s athletic facilities!

📸: Alumni Association records, Margaret Henkel scrapbook, Photo Vertical File

#OTD #UMich #History #FerryField #StudentActors #Theater #1910s ...

Students from the “Michigan in the World” program are hard at work in the archives!

This annual paid internship helps U-M students gain critical research skills, while exploring different aspects of Michigan’s history. This year, they’re digging into the history of hate movements in the Great Lakes area, and what caused them, using records from the archives.

To analyze the papers these movements left behind, students ask questions like: who wrote this? What do they want you to believe? What methods are they using to try and convince you that this is true?

“I’ve enjoyed learning how and what information is accessible to people, how to search for and analyze rhetoric, and how it impacts everything else,” says Eden, one of the students in this program.

Alongside faculty and staff from the History Department, the Bentley Historical Library, and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, these students are examining topics like historical antisemitism in Detroit, while getting hands-on experience with primary sources like letters, press releases, oral histories, and more.

When asked why this work is important, the answer is simple, according to U-M student Jeanette:

“It’s important that hate is something we recognize, so we don’t repeat it.”

In the future, the students in this program will create an exhibit showcasing their work! You can find past "Michigan in the World" projects on the History Department`s "Michigan in the World" website.

📸: The Michigan in the World program at the Bentley Historical Library

#UMich #MichiganHistory #HistoryInternship #Archives #StudentResearchers #PrimarySources ...

This week we welcomed visitors from the Ethiopian Archives and Library Service! 📖

As part of a series of visits to local libraries and archives, our archivists gave a tour of the Bentley’s facilities, and shared preservation techniques!

We had a wonderful time meeting our archival colleagues, who work to preserve the historical records of Ethiopia, many of which are rare and unique.

Their visit focused on learning about Michigan’s archives and libraries, by exploring things like U-M’s methods for scanning historical documents, in order to help preserve their records of Ethiopian history.

Thank you to the Ethiopian Archives and Library Service team for visiting; it was so nice to meet you!

Special thanks to David A. Wallace from U-M’s School of Information, as well, for organizing these visits to libraries across campus & beyond! ⭐

📸: Photos by Lara Zielin

#UMich #Archives #VisitingArchivists #Preservation #Digitization #ArchivesTour ...