About the Historical Society of Michigan
The Historical Society of Michigan is the state's oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828 by Lewis Cass while he was governor of Michigan Territory. State law designates it the official historical society of Michigan, yet it is not a government agency: it operates as a member-supported 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, receives no appropriation from the state, and is funded by members, program fees, and donors. Its offices are at 7435 Westshire Drive in Lansing.
What HSM is not is worth stating plainly, because visitors often confuse it with the state's museum. The Society is not collection-based; it has no exhibits and no archives, and it does not run the state museum or the state archives, which are government facilities at the Michigan History Center in downtown Lansing. HSM's work is connecting people to history through programs, publications, awards, workshops, and support for the local historical societies and museums that do hold collections.
That work takes several forms. The Society organizes three annual conferences: Michigan in Perspective, the Local History Conference; the Upper Peninsula History Conference; and the Michigan History Conference. Its History Hounds lecture series delivers weekly presentations over Zoom, free to members, and History Skills Workshops train volunteers and staff at small organizations. Michiganders on the Road motorcoach tours and Experience Days take members to historic sites around the state, and Michigan History Day is its K-12 history education program. HSM also administers the State History Awards and Upper Peninsula History Awards, the History Hero Award, Milestone Awards for organizations, the Michigan Centennial Farm Program for farms held by one family for a century or more, and the Michigan Heritage Home Program.
Collections and Research Services
Because HSM holds no records, its value to a researcher is in print and in referrals. The Society publishes Michigan History magazine, the quarterly membership magazine Chronicle, and the academic journal Michigan Historical Review; back issues of the magazine are a good source of researched articles on towns, industries, and families. For documents, the Society points researchers to the state archives and to county and local societies, many of which it works with through its awards and workshop programs. If you are starting a family or house history in Michigan, our guides to free family-history research and old city directories list the record groups to look for before you contact a local society.
Planning Your Visit
There are no galleries to tour, so a "visit" to HSM means attending a program or joining. The office is at 7435 Westshire Drive, Lansing, MI 48917; phone (800) 692-1828 or (517) 324-1828. Office hours are not posted online, so call before stopping in. Household, organizational, and business memberships are available, and the events calendar, conference registration, and publication subscriptions are at hsmichigan.org. For collections in the capital region, the Historical Society of Greater Lansing is nearby, and The Henry Ford in Dearborn is profiled on this site as well.
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