November 2010

The mission of the society is to identify, record, collect, preserve, and provide access to evidence of the history of Ames and its surrounding area from pre-settlement times to the present day. To further this mission, the society collects and preserves artifacts and archival materials, operates an 1860s one-room schoolhouse museum, and plans to create a future Ames History Center and Museum. AHS also presents programs, creates exhibits, provides reference services, and loans artifacts to its members.

Mrs. Evangeline Bergstrom bequeathed 632 pieces in 1958 to become the foundation of a collection that would grow to 2,300 objects. The Germanic Glass collection presents a timeline of glass production from northern European regions encompassing modern day Germany, Austria, and Poland and dating from 1573 through the end of the 19th century. Roughly three hundred years of glass and artistic development are encapsulated in 258 pieces.

The collection also includes contemporary glasswork, included pieces from the Studio Art movement started in Wisconsin, and victorian pieces, such as glass baskets.

In addition to its Collection resources the Museum is also a community arts center. Its educational offerings include art classes for all ages, along with workshops, lectures and demonstration programs related to the Permanent Collections and temporary exhibitions.

Hickory Township became the Village of Warren, which still exists today. Many efforts have been made to restore and maintain the Village area, and these efforts resulted in the designation of the Village area as a State Historic Site. A marker at Chicago and Mound Roads explains this designation. Warren Township remained a rural area for many years, filling slowly with the common people fleeing hard times in Europe. They turned the swamps into farm land. Little changed until after World War II, when Warren became the industrial center it is today. On October 27, 1957, Gov. G. Mennen Williams signed the charter designating Warren as a City. Between 1960 and 1970 Warren's population doubled with new homes and shopping areas.

As the last Victorian era home on East Kearsley Street, Whaley House Museum is one of Flint's last visible links to its 19th Century heritage. Since the home was constructed it has witnessed the City of Flint's evolution from a small lumbering town to one of the world's leading industrial centers to its present incarnation as a regional leader in higher education.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum opened to the public October 5, 1999. Ground was broken November 19, 1996. The leading architectural and engineering firm Giffels Associates, Inc., of Southfield, Michigan, designed the museum. The tri-leveled building covers approximately 55,000 square feet and rests on 10 acres at the southeast edge of Chrysler's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The building's exterior of polished red granite and black glass reflects that of the neighboring Chrysler Technology Center.

The museum offers ten historic buildings and a charming village green. Visitors can tour through the carefully restored buildings. The museum also has fine collections of nineteenth and early twentieth century artifacts. Researchers can arrange to work with staff to access archival records.

The organization serves more than 4,000 children, families, and professionals through strength-based residential and community-based programs in Albion, Battle Creek, and Detroit, Michigan, and Van Wert and Columbus, Ohio.  Services range from specialized treatment programs, treatment foster care, day treatment, mental health therapy, substance abuse, and private therapeutic residential treatment. Starr also offers a variety of training for professionals working with youth.

The historical commission also assists and cooperates with other Michigan historical societies to gather historical material pertaining to the South Lyon area and its early pioneers. The building was moved from the original location on East Lake Street to McHattie Park in 1976 as a bicentennial project.  It now serves as the focal point for the historic village.

The Museum Committee managed the Saugatuck-Douglas Museum. The committee mounts yearly exhibitions, maintains the PumpHouse facility and grounds, operates the Museum Shop, and coordinates the volunteers.

The museum is the primary site for learning about and preserving the history of the greater Rochester area in Oakland County, Michigan, as a representative of similar communities throughout Michigan. Located in Stoney Creek Village, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this 16-acre museum complex was home to Taylor and Van Hoosen families dating back to 1823. It features structures original to the property from 1840 to the early 20th century. Presented in a restored 1927 Dairy Barn are well-designed and informative exhibits highlighting the settlement, agriculture, industry, and cultural evolution of this community. The museum serves as the repository for artifacts and archives related to the greater Rochester area and offers access for research.