START the new year with new women's history! On Saturday at 1:30pm, "The Wives (and Lives) of Early Dutch Pastors" -- Unlike the biographies of early male ministers of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, which have been well documented and honored, the stories of their wives, who were important community builders in their […]

At History Detectives, the Grand Rapids Public Library’s day-long offering of local history programming, Julia Bouwkamp and Jo Ellyn Clarey will report on how the charting of 19th-century local women’s candidacy for public office is upending conventional wisdom and offering surprises about dates, the numbers of races, and the identities of losers. This unique historical […]

At History Detectives, GGRWHC’s Ruth Van Stee will present African Americans in Early Grand Rapids—including, of course, more women’s history. From 1850 to 1920 African Americans here were a steady one percent of the city’s rapidly growing population. After an overview of this vibrant community as a whole, Van Stee will provide snapshots of individual business, […]