The Benzie Area Historical Society offers books, maps, images and other items relating to the history of Benzie County and Northwest Lower Michigan. Most of these items can be purchased at our museum, or via credit card using our Online Store below. Feel free to contact the Museum with any questions or for additional assistance with an order. Thank you!
Benzonia Academy Lecture Series: “Paths of Fate: Stories of Sacrifice” Presented by Steve Veatch Replay Link on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jk5z1Uz_vJI Join us for an unforgettable journey into the heart of World War II as we present “Paths of Fate: Stories of Sacrifice.” This powerful program explores the wartime experiences of two young men whose lives took […]
Benzonia Academy Lecture Series: “Passenger Steamers: Destination Benzie County” “The Golden Era of Steamship Travel and Summer Resorts” Presented by: Larry White YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZnPQKEkKEA&t=359s In this lecture, we look back to a time when taking a vacation in northern Michigan included many who arrived by boat – on a passenger steamer. Steamship travel on […]
Benzonia Academy Lecture Series: “The Congregational Summer Assembly Then and Now: 123 Years and Counting” Presented By: Jane Cooper Video Replay on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UlWpi25__hU As you approach the curve in M-22 where it meets the South Shore Road at blue Crystal Lake you see a brown building and a green ball field. A sign reads […]
“A Man, A Plan, A Canal, A Beach, A Panorama – A Saunterer’s View of Crystal Lake” Presented by: Dr. Stacy Leroy Daniels Click Here for the Video Replay on YouTube In 1873, the level of Crystal Lake was dramatically lowered in an attempt to construct a slack-water canal between it and Lake Michigan. […]
“Car Ferries in Ice” Presented by: Grant Brown, Author, “Ninety Years Crossing Lake Michigan” Video Replay: Click Here to View on YouTube In most winters the Ann Arbor car ferries ran across Lake Michigan with ease. There were occasional bouts with ice and Green Bay was often a problem but, by and large, the big […]
“A History of Caring: The Development of Hospitals in Benzie County” Presented by: Jane Purkis YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/TbZxPCZBkGk Benzie County has been home to several hospitals throughout the years, including doctors’ residences, until the construction of Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital in 1951, which still serves our community today. Many were originally formed as maternity […]
“Smelt – The Fish that Made Beulah Famous” Presented by: Jerry Heiman Click below to view the replay on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qo7LYKi81fg It may be hard to believe, but one of the main reasons for the fame of Beulah as a tourist destination in the 1920’s-1930’s was a six-inch silvery fish, the Atlantic Rainbow Smelt. The springtime […]
“Revisiting the Sinking of the Ann Arbor #4 100 Years Ago” Presented by: Tim Foster Video Replay: Click here for the YouTube link! One hundred years ago the Ann Arbor No. 4 struck the South Pier at Frankfort. While some local residents are aware of the event as it is depicted in the mural at […]
A History of Frankfort Harbor Presented by: Andy Bolander Video Replay Link: https://youtu.be/UAUv3y8LWV4 This lecture was presented on January 19, 2023 at the Benzie Shores District Library in Frankfort, Michigan. The lecture was co-sponsored by the Benzie Area Historical Society, where Andy Bolander is a volunteer research historian. He is the author of “Aux Becs […]
“The Forgotten Iron King of the Great Lakes: Eber Brock Ward” Presented by: Michael Nagle Video Replay Link: https://youtu.be/Hcgr6Y2BH3s The Forgotten Iron King of the Great Lakes: Eber Brock Ward, 1811-1875 brings the Gilded Age industrialist that became Michigan’s wealthiest resident and helped shaped the nation into the spotlight. Eber Brock Ward (1811–1875) began his […]
