The numbered marker series is meant to be a limited number of cast bronze plaques which commemorate major events, milestones, persons, sites, and buildings significant to the history of the University of Michigan or the nation. In addition to the numbered marker series, the History and Traditions Committee places or coordinates the placement of other plaques which mark significant aspects of university history.
In the late 1800s, new technologies revolutionized astronomy. But U-M missed out. Until William Hussey returned.
Since its founding, the University of Michigan’s history has been entwined with the Detroit River’s. The stories presented on this webpage explore four different facets of that rich and complex relationship.
Trains crashing. People dying. The perils of incorrect time needed a solution and U-M was ready.
Explore the life – on and off the field – of Willis Ward, a star player on the University of Michigan football team in the 1930s. While he was generally accepted by fellow athletes, as one of 61 Black students on campus at the time, Ward continually faced radical prejudice.
To get you into the Halloween spirit, we are delighted to share a handful (er, claw-full?) of odd and creepy images from various Bentley collections. Grab some candy corn and enjoy!
What can the stories of five individuals tell us about the history of mental health at the University of Michigan? “Mental Health at Michigan” is part of Michigan in the World (MITW), a paid undergraduate internship program where students develop online public exhibitions about the history of the University of Michigan and its relationships with the wider world. MITW is coordinated by the U-M History Department in partnership with the Bentley Historical Library and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Michigan Alumnus celebrates a century’s worth of images of students gathering on campus with this exhibit of University of Michigan student gatherings from 1916 to today.
Creating a Campus: A Cartographic Celebration of U-M’s Bicentennial was a physical exhibit displayed in the Stephen S. Clark Library in the fall of 2017. The exhibit was created in honor of the university’s bicentennial and sought to explore the history of the University of Michigan and the evolution of its campus throughout the first two centuries. The exhibit relied heavily on the research of university planner, Frederick Mayer (1968-2003), and his book, A Setting for Excellence: The Story of the Planning and Development of the Ann Arbor Campus of the University of Michigan.
Stories of the University Library: A Bicentennial Exhibit is a compilation of photographs and news articles that show a few of the stories surrounding the University of Michigan Library and how it has grown throughout the University’s first 200 years.
