Long before the advent of modern social welfare, county governments in Michigan maintained poorhouses or poor farms.
Join us at the Carnegie Library to explore the early history of these facilities in their attempts to become both self-sustaining entities and refuges for a county’s poor, elderly and destitute. Discover the lives and stories of those that resided at these poor farms. Learn about their transition to serving individuals with chronic illnesses and what eventually led to many of them shutting down in the later part of the 20th Century.
A note on parking: Pearl St. is closed at N. Blackstone due to construction. Carnegie parking lots on Pearl St. are still accessible heading west from S. Jackson St.
About the Presenter: Adam Oster is the Community Engagement Librarian for the Library of Michigan. Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Political Science and Secondary Education Certification. He also has a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University. Adam’s interests include genealogy and local history research.
This event is presented by Living History at JDL.
Join us at the Hanover Heritage Park in the big red barn to hear about UFO sightings over Michigan. Light refreshments will be served.
Presented by: William Konkolesky, State Director of the Michigan Chapter at Mutual UFO Network
Learn about Michigan’s lighthouses with Laurie Perkins from the Michigan DNR.
Dates and Locations:
Brooklyn Branch: June 28, 2 PM
Springport Branch: August 5, 12 PM (Call 517-905-1459 to register)
About the presenter:
Laurie Perkins is is the Site Historian for the Mann House, Walker Tavern, and the Tawas Point Lighthouse. In 2020, she was a guest on Light Hearted, an podcast about lighthouses. You can listen to the episode here.
Jackson District Library is honored to be one of 50 locations selected to join the 2023 Michigan Notable Books Author Tour!
Please join us in welcoming author Phyllis Michael Wong to the Carnegie Library on Saturday, June 24 at 2 PM for a discussion and Q&A on her novel We Kept Our Towns Going: The Gossard Girls of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
This fascinating look at a piece of little-known Michigan history tells the stories of the “Gossard Girls,” women who sewed corsets and undergarments at factories in Ishpeming and Gwinn in the Upper Peninsula, from early twentieth century to the 1970s, sustaining both their families and the local economy.
The first 50 attendees will receive a free copy of We Kept Our Towns Going.
About Michigan Notable Books: The Michigan Notable Books program is designed to promote reading, Michigan authors and stories by annually selecting 20 titles that best reflect the diverse ethnic, historical, literary and cultural experiences in the state.
Join storyteller Lois Keel as she tells the story of “Hello Girl” Oleda Joure-Christides, a phone operator during the First World War. Oleda was a teenager in Michigan during the war and engaged in the 60 year fight for operators to achieve veteran status.
This event will take place May 27 at 2 PM at the Carnegie Library.
*Update: Due to branch closings, this event has been cancelled.*
Join storyteller Lois Keel as she tells the story of “Hello Girl” Oleda Joure Christides, a phone operator during the First World War. Oleda was a teenage in Michigan during the war and engaged in the 60 year fight for operators to achieve veteran status.
Learn about Michigan’s lighthouses with Laurie Perkins from the Michigan DNR.
About the presenter:
Laurie Perkins is is the Site Historian for the Mann House, Walker Tavern, and the Tawas Point Lighthouse. In 2020, she was a guest on Light Hearted, an podcast about lighthouses. You can listen to the episode here.
**Update: The Concord Branch Michigan Lighthouses session is being rescheduled. Stay tuned for the new date. The Meijer Branch session will still take place as scheduled.**
Learn about Michigan’s lighthouses with Laurie Perkins from the Michigan DNR.
Meijer Branch: November 17, 2 PM
About the presenter:
Laurie Perkins is is the Site Historian for the Mann House, Walker Tavern, and the Tawas Point Lighthouse. In 2020, she was a guest on Light Hearted, an podcast about lighthouses. You can listen to the episode here.
JDL is once again participating in The Great Michigan Read, an opportunity for Michiganders to connect and explore the history and voices of our state. The 2021-22 title is The Women of the Copper Country, Mary Doria Russell’s riveting account of 25-year-old Annie Clements as she stood up for the miners and families of Calumet, Michigan during the 1913 copper strikes.
Book Discussion: September 15, 6 PM
Join us in the Carnegie Library auditorium to discuss The Women of the Copper Country. Copies are available to borrow at the Carnegie Library leading up to the discussion.
Panel: September 22, 6 PM
Join us for a virtual panel as Lindsay Hiltunen (Michigan Technological University archivist), Bob Garrett (Archives of Michigan archivist), and Dan Golodner (Wayne State Reuther Library archivist) discuss labor laws in Michigan and specifically the history of the union movement in the Upper Peninsula in the early 1900s.
This event will take place on Zoom and Facebook Live. To join on Zoom, click here.
About the Great Michigan Read: Michigan Humanities’ Great Michigan Read creates a statewide discussion around a Michigan themed book. Through partnerships with libraries, schools, book clubs, and a wide range of other non-profit organizations, the Great Michigan Read facilitates statewide reading and programs to bridge communities around a common conversation.
The 2021–22 Great Michigan Read is presented by Michigan Humanities and supported by national, statewide, and local partners, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Meijer Foundation, Laborers’ International Union of North America, MSU Federal Credit Union, and Library of Michigan.
JDL is once again participating in The Great Michigan Read, an opportunity for Michiganders to connect and explore the history and voices of our state. The 2021-22 title is The Women of the Copper Country, Mary Doria Russell’s riveting account of 25-year-old Annie Clements as she stood up for the miners and families of Calumet, Michigan during the 1913 copper strikes.
Book Discussion: September 15, 6 PM
Join us in the Carnegie Library auditorium to discuss The Women of the Copper Country. Copies are available to borrow at the Carnegie Library leading up to the discussion.
Panel: September 22, 6 PM
Join us for a virtual panel as Lindsay Hiltunen (Michigan Technological University archivist), Bob Garrett (Archives of Michigan archivist), and Dan Golodner (Wayne State Reuther Library archivist) discuss labor laws in Michigan and specifically the history of the union movement in the Upper Peninsula in the early 1900s.
This event will take place on Zoom and Facebook Live. To join on Zoom, click here.
About the Great Michigan Read: Michigan Humanities’ Great Michigan Read creates a statewide discussion around a Michigan themed book. Through partnerships with libraries, schools, book clubs, and a wide range of other non-profit organizations, the Great Michigan Read facilitates statewide reading and programs to bridge communities around a common conversation.
The 2021–22 Great Michigan Read is presented by Michigan Humanities and supported by national, statewide, and local partners, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Meijer Foundation, Laborers’ International Union of North America, MSU Federal Credit Union, and Library of Michigan.
