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
- Latvian Immigration Story: In 1950, a church helped to bring over hundreds of displaced Latvians
- U.S. Congressman: 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
- Whole Art Theater: The edgy theater troupe began in Lawrence, Michigan
- Duane L. Roberts: Civil rights activist and champion of school desegregation
- Asbestos Row and the Dewing Building: Demolished in 1928, North Burdick Street’s Asbestos Row
- KPL in the News: For 150 years, the library has made headlines
- The Dawn of the Telephone: Ma Bell comes to Victorian Kalamazoo
- Kalamazoo Street Names: Hunting down the backstories of street names is not easy
- Edison Neighborhood: Kalamazoo’s largest and most diverse neighborhood
- Asa H. Stoddard: Cooper Township’s ‘Farmer Poet’
- Michigan Modern: Houses and buildings recognized for their modernist design
- Dr. Henry Lewis Batts Jr.: Teacher, activist and environmentalist
- Oliver v. Kalamazoo Board of Education: The struggle to desegregate Kalamazoo schools
- Black Arts Festival: In 1985, the planning for the inaugural Black Arts Festival began
- Michigan Automobile Company: The story of Kalamazoo’s first automobile company
- Alphadelphia Association: The rise and fall of Comstock Township’s utopian society
- Michigan Historical Markers: Kalamazoo County
- Volney Hascall: Owner and editor of The Kalamazoo Gazette
- Red Arrow Golf Course: Built as part of a WPA infrastructure project in 1937
- Gilbert H. Bradley Jr.: Kalamazoo’s first African American mayor
- In-Depth Kalamazoo: Our City: Artist and photographer Colleen Woolpert’s 2019 exhibit
- Chauncey Z. Bennett: Founder of Kalamazoo’s United Kennel Club
- Raymond W. Fox Law Library: In 1998, the county law library moved to the Central library
- African American Churches: List includes both active and inactive congregations
- Caroline Ham: Kalamazoo’s first woman mayor
- Guy H. Lockwood: Kalamazoo’s most famous socialist
- How FDR Segregated Kalamazoo: A video presentation about the redlining of Kalamazoo
- Germans in Kalamazoo: The German influence on Kalamazoo business and culture
- Mary Mace Spradling: KPL’s first African American librarian
- William A. Doyle Building: Constructed by two Irish brothers along E. Main Street
- Luna “Lou” Henshaw: Kalamazoo’s first woman city commissioner
- Dr. C. Allen Alexander: Kalamazoo’s first African American surgeon
- Roosevelt School: Built in 1909 atop a hill on East Main Street…
- North West Street School: Before it was known as Westnedge Avenue, it was West Street
- Lake Street School/Edison: Built in 1880, the Edison Neighborhood school…
- Desenberg Building: The last known Louis Sullivan-designed buildings is in Kalamazoo
- Frank Street School: Located at Frank Street and Burdick…
- Master List of Kalamazoo Public Schools, as of 2021
- Names on the Land: Dictionary of Kalamazoo County place names
- Rural Schools of Kalamazoo County: Many of the pages in this extensive study have been recently updated.
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.
