About the Historical Society of Greater Lansing
Born from Two Centennials
The Historical Society of Greater Lansing traces its roots to 1947, when the earlier Lansing Historical Society was established; that first group had gone dormant by the early 1950s. Interest revived in 1955 — a year in which both Michigan State College and the local State Journal newspaper celebrated their centennials — and the founding meeting of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing was held at the Michigan Historical Museum that spring. Dr. Madison Kuhn served as the founding president, with Eugene T. Petersen as executive secretary and a board of eight trustees.
The society's early work set the pattern for decades of local history activity: documenting historical street names and historic sites, gathering the collections of noted local historians J.P. Edmonds, Theodore Foster Sr., and Chester Ellison, and compiling genealogical information on the area's pioneering families. It launched a string of publications — The Local Historian in 1956, Heritage in 1957, and the Town Crier newsletter in October 1958 — produced a historical city map in 1959, and worked with the Historical Society of Michigan to identify sites for official Michigan Historical Markers.
Today the society's mission is to enhance the community by promoting a greater understanding of history, built on four pillars: collaboration, education, preservation, and access. It partners with the Capital Area District Libraries, presents events and exhibits, maintains publications and a newsletter archive, and facilitates local history research. Current initiatives include the I-496 "Pave the Way" project and the "Origin Stories: How You Got Here" series, and membership is open to anyone interested in the history of the greater Lansing area.
Plan Your Visit
The Historical Society of Greater Lansing is based in Lansing, Michigan. For upcoming events, exhibits, publications, and research resources, visit lansinghistory.org.
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