Connect With History
Online Resources to Ignite Your Own Exploration of History
Online Presentations: Benzonia Academy Lecture Series

“Women, Power and the American Food Revolution”, Presented by Laura Shapiro – Video Replay
“Women, Power and the American Food Revolution” Presented by: Laura Shapiro Watch the Video Replay on YouTube (click below): https://youtu.be/YDLjfT2PYU8 Laura Shapiro is currently working

“A Man, A Plan, A Canal, A Beach, A Panorama – A Saunterer’s View of Crystal Lake”, Presented by Stacy Daniels – Video Replay
“A Man, A Plan, A Canal, A Beach, A Panorama – A Saunterer’s View of Crystal Lake” Presented by: Dr. Stacy Leroy Daniels Click

“Car Ferries in Ice” – Presented by Grant Brown – Video Replay
“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

“A History of Caring: The Development of Hospitals in Benzie County”, Presented by Jane Purkis – Video Replay
“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

“Smelt – The Fish That Made Beulah Famous”, Presented by Jerry Heiman – Video Replay
“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

“Revisiting the Sinking of the Ann Arbor #4 100 Years Ago”, Presented by Tim Foster – Video Replay
“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

“The Forgotten Iron King of the Great Lakes: Eber Brock Ward” – Presented by Michael Nagle – Video Replay
“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

“History of The Cherry Hut” – Moderated by Christy Case
“History of The Cherry Hut” Moderator: Christy Case, Co-owner, The Cherry Hut Panel: Kay Holt, Chris MacInnes and Ned Edwards Watch the replay of this

“History of Trapp & Sons Celery Farm” – Presented by Ned W. Edwards
“The History of Trapp & Sons Celery Farm” Presented by Ned W. Edwards Video Replay Link (Click Here): https://youtu.be/1-58SDO0DM8 Many do not realize that the Trapp

“Guardians of the Manitou Passage” – Presented by Jon Hawley
“Guardians of the Manitou Passage” presented by author Jon Hawley View this lecture on YouTube using the link below: https://youtu.be/h3WyyqehXwU Author Jonathan Hawley presents Guardians of
History is for everyone
Benzie Area Historical Society Online Resources
“The value of oral history lies largely in the way it helps to place people’s experiences within a larger social and historical context. The interview becomes a record useful for documenting past events, individual or collective experiences, and understanding of the ways that history is constructed. Because it relies on memory, oral history captures recollections about the past filtered through the lens of a changing personal and social context.”
-Oral History Association Principle
BAHS is the “keeper and teller” of “The Benzie County Story”, which contains fascinating people and information that is worth finding and preserving and sharing. Hearing these stories helps us to reflect on how the people and events that came before us have shaped us and our community. It is with that in mind that we have renewed our commitment to recording the oral histories of veterans and some of our more senior friends and neighbors.
Thanks to the financial support of Luedtke Engineering, BAHS has started an oral history video project focused on historical local events and reminiscences. To date, three local residents have been interviewed; namely, Althea Petritz, Ned Edwards, and Florence Bixby.
We’re currently collaborating with the Benzonia Public Library and Benzie Central Schools on Remembering Benzie: An Oral History Project. The Library received an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant to create a teen internship program focusing on oral histories relating to veterans, families, agriculture, and artisanship.
Remembering Benzie: An Oral History Project will magnify and preserve one of our region’s greatest assets: our people and their histories. Our researchers, archivists and genealogists provided primary source research training and the opportunity to explore the Benzie County Archives for information and imagery to support their individual oral history projects.
We have also provided primary source research training and other support to students at the Interlochen Academy of the Arts for their oral history interviews with Benzie County veterans.
Oral history interviews of local veterans conducted by both the Interlochen Arts Academy students and Benzie Central High School students through the Remembering Benzie: An Oral History Project have been submitted to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.