All About Kalamazoo History

Award-winning Local History Articles

People & places that helped shape Kalamazoo

Learn about the history of your library, discover groundbreaking local businesses, dive deep into Kalamazoo’s rich musical and sports history, visit historic neighborhoods, explore commercial buildings and stately homes, and meet the people who helped make Kalamazoo what it is today.

Researched and written by Kalamazoo Public Library staff.

Recent Additions

• Ferraro Studio: Lance Ferraro was Kalamazoo’s post-war photographer
• Olympia Brown: Pioneering suffragist and the first woman to be ordained in America
• Mansion Row: W. Michigan Avenue was once home to grand, opulent mansions
• Kalamazoo Infant Welfare Station No. 1: Keeping the well babies well
• Streetcar Service in Kalamazoo: Electric Cars (1893-1932)
• Ada Gilmore Chaffee: A pioneering artist who helped to form the Provincetown Printers
• America’s Pansy Capital: Large and small-scale farmers grew fields of pansies from 1920-1960
• Robinson Photography Studio: A family business of image makers
• Academy of Music: Kalamazoo Opera House & Theater (1882–1919) (updated)
• The Dutch Influence: The 19th century arrival and immigration of the Dutch
• Streetcar Service in Kalamazoo: The “Horse Car” Era (1884-1893)
• Westwood Neighborhood: Part of both the township and the city
• David S. Walbridge: Local shipping magnate and leader of the Republican Party
• Wallace F. W. Stafford: Kalamazoo County’s first African American elected official
• Julius Caesar Burrows House: The longtime Congressman’s home on 315 Woodward Avenue
• Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago Railway: The Fruit Belt Line connected Kalamazoo with South Haven
• Beecher, Kymer & Patterson: One of Kalamazoo’s major booksellers
• Yorkville: Ross Township’s long ago hub
• Margaret Minott: a champion for educational equality and justice
• Oakwood Elementary School: Built in 1963 at 3410 Laird Street in the Oakwood Neighborhood
• Kalamazoo Paper Mills: Learn where the now-vanished mill buildings were located
• Children’s Home: Founded by Jane A. Dewing as a home for orphaned young women
• George Torrey Jr.: Pioneer newspaperman and local historian
• Kalamazoo and the Ku Klux Klan: The white supremacist organization moved into Kalamazoo in 1923
• Latvian Immigration Story: In 1950, a church helped to bring over hundreds of displaced Latvians
• U.S. Congressmen: Representing Kalamazoo County in Washington, D.C.
• Fire Houses: Built in the early 20th century, these stations were vital resources
• Globe Casket Company: One of the first companies to make cloth-covered coffins
• Hugh J. McHugh Building: The Irish contractor’s building mixes Italianate and Queen Anne styles
• Vine Street School: Since 1881, the Vine Street School has been located at Oak and Vine street
• University of Michigan Branch: In 1838, a local branch of U of M was established
• Allendale: Popular summertime resort on Gull Lake
• The Kalamazoo House: The young village’s first hotel and tavern
• Hezekiah G. Wells: The lawyer who invited Abraham Lincoln to Kalamazoo
• Milwood Neighborhood: Co-named for two 19th century families that farmed southeast of the city
• Nicholas Baumann: Early Kalamazoo brewer, developer, capitalist, and entrepreneur
• Humphrey Block / Peninsula Building: A Kalamazoo commercial landmark
• John F. Kennedy Center: Opened in 1965, the school was one of the first of its kind
• Kalamazoo Armory: The former downtown home of Kalamazoo’s Company ‘C’
• Wilbur Home and School: A private school devoted to children with learning disabilities
• Samuel Folz: Kalamazoo’s ‘clothing king’
• North Burdick Grocery and Market: The first black-owned business in Kalamazoo
• Dawntreader School: Kalamazoo’s alternative high school founded in 1971
• The Paul Rood House: Designed by celebrated architect, Alden B. Dow
• Curb Cuts Come to Kalamazoo: The now ubiquitous sidewalk feature has its origins in SW Michigan
• Prairie Style Homes: Born around Chicago in the last decade of the 19th century
• Kalamazoo Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends: Sometimes referred to as the ‘Quaker Church’
• Eastside Neighborhood: Home to schools, churches, a cemetery, and small businesses
• Lustron Homes: Kalamazoo has several of these unique enamel-based homes
• Bowers Building: Once home to Kalamazoo’s famous cigarette lighter
• Jo-Lo Park & Rowe’s Island: Kalamazoo’s long forgotten riverside resort
• Kiddieland Amusement Park: Family-friendly fun near Milham Park
• Tully & Maude Scott’s Popcorn Wagon: A confectionery store on wheels
• Kalamazoo’s Plank Track: Bicycle racing in the 1890s
• Hockey Comes to Kalamazoo: The beginnings of WMU hockey
• Dr. Willis F. Dunbar: Father of Kalamazoo History
• The Windmill Industry in Kalamazoo: A prosperous 19th century industry
• Nazareth Academy Bus Line: Kalamazoo’s First Auto Bus
• Musical Institute of Anna Jannasch-Shortt: German immigrant’s musical conservatory
• Charles A. Pratt: Kalamazoo County’s first African-American judge
• Norton Pomeroy and Jane Chipman: Kalamazoo County pioneers
• Baldwin Sanitarium: Part of Kalamazoo’s medical history in treating Tubercolosis
• Harry den Bleyker: Kalamazoo realtor and property developer
• Interurban Building: The Portage Street depot is a reminder of the interurban railroad network
• Civic Black Theatre: An affiliate group of black actors and directors within the Civic Theater
• Judson C. Graine: Horse-racing enthusiast and landscaper
• Kalamazoo Hustlers and the Gold Rush: Local businessmen sought riches in Alaska
• Hans B. Baldauf: Kalamazoo’s Renaissance Man and planetarium champion
• Short Road Mansions: Three large, stately homes reside on Short Road
• South Burdick Street School: District 17 Township school at S. Burdick and W. Cork
• Anna L. Whitten: A life of public service to the community
• Lincoln School: Opened in 1922, Lincoln School turns 100 this year
• Arthur Washington Jr.: Kalamazoo’s first black city commissioner
• Lindbergh Field: Air service comes to Kalamazoo
• Benjamin F. Orcutt: Kalamazoo County’s murdered sheriff
• Duane L. Roberts: Civil rights activist and champion of school desegregation
• Kalamazoo Street Names: Hunting down the backstories of street names is not easy
• Master List of Kalamazoo Public Schools, as of 2021
• Names on the Land: Dictionary of Kalamazoo County place names

Awards

Kalamazoo Public Library received an Award of Merit from the Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission for the “All About Kalamazoo History” section of its website, as well as a prestigious State History Award for “outstanding contributions to the appreciation and understanding of Michigan history.