Local, Lively History

If you have not checked out Laura Bien's Dusty Diary blog, I want to encourage you to do so without delay. Laura focuses on Ypsilanti, but--if you are interested in local history--you will find a lot of the information very similar to the goings-on in the rest of the county. This is a great educational resource.

And if you are a student or parent, you will likely be interested in the series
The 1874 Diary of Ypsilanti Teen Allie McCullough.

If you are a teacher, you will likely be interested in the series
The 1919 Diary of Ypsilanti High School Teacher Carrie Hardy.

The Dusty Diary does a fabulous job of sharing both primary source materials and secondary analysis. She's got posts highlighting the same issues we worry about today--healthy food, technology, shopping, government...

And by the way--I live in Ann Arbor and until I started working in Ypsilanti a few years ago I almost never went there. I felt like it was "very far away" and "what was there to do there anyway?" And now I know that it is: a) a lot closer than I thought; b) full of interesting happenings. If you haven't been, I encourage you to go visit (alphabetically speaking) Beezy's, Bombadill's, The Corner Brewery, Pita Pita, The Rocket, Sidetrack, The Ugly Mug, the Ypsilanti District Library (either branch) and more...