KPL Videos: Michigan History — Kalamazoo Public Library

History of the House of David

Archivist and historian David Kohrman traces the development, faith, and business pursuits of the Israelite House of David from their arrival in Benton Harbor (MI) in 1903 to the present…

Recorded 09/29/2016

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: culture; history; michigan; religion

A History of Coloma, Michigan: From ‘Shingle Diggins’ to Today

Chelsea Eskander from the North Berrien Historical Society and Michigan author Rick Rasmussen emphasize the unique characteristics of the community of Coloma, Michigan, with an overview of the history of…

Recorded 03/16/2016

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; history; michigan

Michigan County by County

Barbara VanderMolen, author of “Discovering Michigan County by County,” shares fun filled facts and stories about every county in the state of Michigan.

Recorded 01/19/2016

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; culture; education; history; michigan

Mail Order Homes: Catalog and Kit Homes of Michigan

Kit houses were a type of housing that was largely developed in the state of Michigan throughout the first half of the 20th century. Michigan was home to the Aladdin…

Recorded 11/02/2015

Categories: Michigan History

Tags: architecture; history; michigan

Exploring “The Devil in the White City”

Historian Tom Buettner returns to Kalamazoo Public Library with a sequel to his popular program, “Michigan at the Exposition: The 1893 World’s Fair.” In his original program, Buettner explains why…

Recorded 06/01/2015

Categories: Information; Michigan History

Tags: history; michigan

Relics from the Past

Wally Jung, a long-time postcard collector, dealer, and historian, focuses on the importance of covered bridges and grist mills in the development of towns and villages across Michigan. Wally collects…

Recorded 05/18/2015

Categories: Michigan History

Tags: architecture; history; michigan

Women's work and employment in Michigan during the 19th century

Susan Nenadic, author of “A Purse of Her Own,” discusses women’s work and employment in Michigan during the nineteenth century, as told through stories of women who endured the many…

Recorded 10/23/2014

Categories: Michigan History

Tags: author; culture; history; michigan; women

From a Pathway to a Highway

A journey down the Michigan portion of US 12 (the “Old Sauk Trail”) from Detroit to New Buffalo with visits to historic sites, buildings, railroad stations, Irish hills, a WWII…

Recorded 04/23/2014

Categories: Michigan History

Tags: culture; history; michigan

Valerie van Heest: Fatal Crossing

Valerie van Heest, director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates and award-winning author, shares discoveries from Fatal Crossing, her new book about the 1950 crash of NWA flight 2501 into…

Recorded 09/11/2013

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; education; history; michigan

Michigan at the Exposition

Historian Tom Buettner explains why 27 million people attended the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (World’s Columbian Exposition) and describes Michigan’s exhibits in his slide show. Presented Wednesday, May 9, 2012,…

Recorded 05/09/2012

Categories: Information; Michigan History

Tags: history; michigan

African American Newspapers in Genealogical Research

Family historian and lecturer Tim Pinnick, whose 25 years experience includes work in all the major U.S. repositories, explains how to find and effectively use African American newspapers in genealogical…

Recorded 05/06/2012

Categories: Information; Instructional; Michigan History

Tags: black history; education; genealogy; history

Margean Gladysz: "A Spy on the Bus"

Friends of Kalamazoo Public Library presented a spirited talk by author Margean Gladysz about her fascinating memoir “A Spy on the Bus” at Central Library, April 14, 2012. PBS NewsHour…

Recorded 04/14/2012

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; culture; history; michigan; women

African American Quilts

Quilters Bette Boulding and Vicki Fischer talk about who and what inspires their quilting designs, and share their techniques at Oshtemo Branch Library, March 24, 2012.

Recorded 03/24/2012

Categories: Information; Michigan History; Timely Topics

Tags: art; black history; culture

Dan Johnson: Motor City Shakedown

Author Dan Johnson discusses his first novel, The Detroit Electric Scheme, a Booklist Top Ten First Crime Novel, and his second mystery, Motor City Shakedown, a 2012 Michigan Notable Book…

Recorded 02/07/2011

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; culture; history; michigan

Lost and Found: Shipwrecks of West Michigan

Valerie van Heest, local shipwreck hunter, award winning author, and member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, presented Lost and Found: Shipwrecks of West Michigan at Kalamazoo Public Library,…

Recorded 05/05/2010

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; history; michigan

Kalamazoo 1884

When Kalamazoo became a city in April 1884, it had a four-officer police station, an eight-person fire station, a mayor named Allen Potter, and a strong business and manufacturing industry…

Recorded 08/31/2009

Categories: Kalamazoo History; Michigan History

Asylum for the Insane

A History of the Kalamazoo State Hospital, presented by Dr. William A. Decker, M.D., at Kalamazoo Public Library, November 5, 2007 (6 parts)

Recorded 11/05/2007

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Kalamazoo History; Michigan History

Tags: author; history; kalamazoo; michigan

Early Kalamazoo: Michigan's Underground Railroad

“Michigan’s Underground Railroad” (1987) – Local historian Mary Jane Swartz tours the underground railroad house in Schoolcraft, and tells how its occupants helped escaping slaves. These programs were made possible…

Recorded 01/01/1987

Categories: Archival Films & Video; Kalamazoo History; Michigan History

Tags: black history; culture; kalamazoo; michigan; underground railroad

Candace Anderson Sings about Early Michigan Women

“Candace Anderson Sings about Early Michigan Women” (1987) – This popular folksinger sings songs she has written based on the diaries of Michigan women. These programs were made possible by…

Recorded 01/01/1987

Categories: Archival Films & Video; Michigan History

Tags: culture; history; michigan; music; women

Early Kalamazoo: Southern Roots in the Urban North

“Southern Roots in the Urban North” (1987) – Dr. Ben Wilson describes the migration of southern blacks to Michigan during the early part of the 20th century. These programs were…

Recorded 01/01/1987

Categories: Archival Films & Video; Kalamazoo History; Michigan History

Tags: black history; culture; history; kalamazoo

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KPL TV

Michigan History Videos

History of the House of David

A History of Coloma, Michigan: From ‘Shingle Diggins’ to Today

Michigan County by County

Mail Order Homes: Catalog and Kit Homes of Michigan

Exploring “The Devil in the White City”

Relics from the Past

Women's work and employment in Michigan during the 19th century

From a Pathway to a Highway

Valerie van Heest: Fatal Crossing

Michigan at the Exposition

African American Newspapers in Genealogical Research

Margean Gladysz: "A Spy on the Bus"

African American Quilts

Dan Johnson: Motor City Shakedown

Lost and Found: Shipwrecks of West Michigan

Kalamazoo 1884

Asylum for the Insane

Early Kalamazoo: Michigan's Underground Railroad

Candace Anderson Sings about Early Michigan Women

Early Kalamazoo: Southern Roots in the Urban North