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OAKLAND GAZETTEGovernor Moses Wisner Mansion (ca. 1845) ISSN#
1534-8849
Vol. 34, No. 4The only publication dedicated to the history and
heritage of Oakland County.
Published by THE OAKLAND COUNTY PIONEER & HISTORICAL
SOCIETY405 OAKLAND AVENUE, PONTIAC. MICHIGAN 48342
Fall 2001
From Our Collections: "A Flag With A History"By Leslie S.
Edwards
Tuesday, September 11, 2001 is a day none of us will ever
forget, and our countryis now in a battleto fight forthesame values
expressed over 139years ago. The followingis a story of the ''Stars
and Stripes", our national banner and symbol of Americanfreedom.
Much of it is told through the eloquent words that were expressed
bywriters of the day, and was found in the collections of the
OCPHS.
On Thursday September 4, 1862 the citizens of Oakland County
gathered inPontiac to say goodbye to the 22nd Michigan Infantry, a
regiment of gallantsoldiers readying to march off to "do battle for
the endangered liberties of ourNation. From early in the morning
till the departure of the regiment, which wasabout four o'clock in
the afternoon, Camp Richardson and the streets of the citywere
thronged with living, moving masses of people, most of them friends
andrelatives of the noble officers and men of the regiment, who had
come to bid adieuto those who were sacrificing the comforts of home
for the rigorous duties in camp,and who were about risking their
own lives that the Republic might be heldintact".1 Around noon, a
picnic was given for the soldiers, followed by a programwhich
included the presentation of two flags to the regiment. The first
flag wasblue silk and bore the emblem of an eagle with 32 stars
representing the number ofstates in 1862, and the words "22nd
Michigan Infantry" upon it. This regimentalflag was given to the
22nd Michigan by the State of Michigan. The second flag
waspresented to the regiment by a patriotic group of young Pontiac
women.
The "Young Ladies' Soldiers Aid Society" was formed on August
12, 1862,by twenty-two young ladies from Pontiac who met "in the
basement of the PontiacBaptist Church."2 Julia E. Comstock was
elected President, Gertrude L. Hovey
Vice President, Mollie Gustin Secretary and LouisaJBowman
Treasurer. The society had an
initiation fee of 25 cents, and held twomeetings each week - on
Tuesdays
and Thursdays. If one of the youngladies missed a meeting, she
wasfined 5 cents. The first objectiveof the society was to purchase
aflag for the 22nd Michigan Infantry,under the command of
ColonelMoses Wisner. Secretary Gustinwas asked to compose a letter
to F.Buhl & Co. of Detroit to requestthat a sample flag be sent
to assistthe Society in determining the styleof flag they wished to
purchase. Acommittee of three, Fannie Wisner,Emma Adams and Sarah
Thurber,were selected to assist TreasurerBowman in soliciting
subscriptionsto raise funds for the purchase of
Continued on page 3
Top row, from left to right:Mollie Bacon, Libbie Hixson, Ella
Draper,Fannie Matthews, Fannie Pittman.
Middle row, from left to right:Emma Adams, Julia Comstock,
CarrieHolley, Sarah Thurber
Seated in center: Mary PittmanEmma Howard Collection (Acc#
1968.003.0199)
Letter From thePresident
The time of the year is soon to be on uswhen the frost will be
on the pumpkin, theleaves will be on the ground, and the snow
willfill the skies. Just think, we leave the yardwork behind us,
and what do we face when wethink that the time for a little rest is
here, it istime to get out the snow shovel. Well, it's anever
ending cycle as we all know. This hasbeen another fine year for
your historicalsociety and many things have been completedwith a
lot of hard work. I would like thank allof the volunteers for their
hard work anddedication, the many sacrifices that you made,and the
teamwork that was displayed even ifwe didn't agree on all of the
changes that hadto be made. We have made so much progressover the
last three years it is amazing!
I am looking forward to the VictorianChristmas program this year
- our chairpersonthis year tells me that she has added a newtwist
to the program. Thank you Ms. Johnsonfor stepping forward to chair
the program.Everyone, please remember to attend the eventthis year
and bring a few of your friends, alsoencourage them to become a
member - this isthe thing that strengthens our society.
This is the time to think of elections.Ballots will be mailed
out to the membership
Continued on page 2
In this Issue
From Our Collections: "A FlagW i t h A H i s t o r y " . . .
1
Letter From the President 1Society News and Views 2Feature
Article: Officer of
t h e D a y . , . . 4Internship at the Oakland!CountyPioneer and
Historical Society ....6F r o m o u r C o l l e c t i o n s
7Membership Appl icat ion 7C a l e n d a r o f E v e n t s 1 0
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Society News & ViewsContinued from page 1
EventsThe fall season at Pine Grove is
always a busy one. On September 28th,we had our potluck picnic
for themembership. It was a chilly day, soinstead of being held
outdoors, membersgathered in the schoolhouse to share goodfood and
stories. President Mike Willispresented certificates to two
volunteerswho have given outstanding service to theSociety. Ruth
Wall, former GuideCommittee Chairperson, was recognizedfor her
long-standing service as a tourguide and chairperson. The
secondcertificate went to Marguerite Johnsonwho has done a
fantastic job this past yearas the House Committee Chairperson.
Plans are underway for the VictorianChristmas Open House, to be
held onSaturday, December 8th from 12-4pm.As usual, the house and
schoolhouse willbe decorated in Victorian style. TheMcAlpine family
has agreed to do theirpresentation in the Summer Kitchen, andthe
schoolhouse will once again bedecorated by Kathy Gifford's class
fromSandburg Elementary in Waterford.A new feature this year in
theschoolhouse will be the presence of TheWinter Spirit who will be
sharing storiesof Christmas giving and the history of St.Nicholas.
The parlor will be the settingfor holiday music - featuring
sistersMaxine Carlisle and Christine Bullardon their dulcimers. In
addition, this year,a group of students from Lake Orion will
be playing a recital on Angeolina's piano.The library reading
room will again be thesite of our holiday "tea" with coffee,
ciderand homemade cookies. By now you willhave received a flyer and
a sign-up sheetso hopefully, you will be able to help makethis a
successful fund raiser!
In late November, members will alsobe receiving election
ballots. We haveseveral open positions on the Board ofDirectors,
and of course, it is time to electOfficers for the upcoming year.
Ballotsand voting procedures will be mailed outto all members in
good standing. Thismeans that your membership dues mustbe paid
up-to-date. If you look on the labelon this issue of your
newsletter, you willsee the expiration date of your
currentmembership. Thanks to all of you whoresponded so quickly to
the duesreminders that were sent out in the lastnewsletter! If you
have any questionsabout your membership, please call theoffice at
248-338-6732.
Also in the planning stages is theAnnual Meeting, to be held
onWednesday, January 16th from l-3pm.This year, the meeting will be
held in theGreen Room of the Bloomfield TownshipPublic Library.
This is a very importantmeeting - not only will election results
beannounced, but all members will be askedto vote on amendments to
the Society'sby-laws. You will be receiving informationon the
meeting and a copy of the amendmentsto look over in the near
future.Hours of Operation
The research library and office hourscontinue to be Tuesday
through Saturdayfrom 9am-4pm. If you call after hours,you may leave
a message on theanswering machine. Or, you can alwayssend an email
to ocphs(g>,wwnet.net. TheGift Shoppe is open on Wednesdays
from9am-12pm, and feature some newhandmade graft items. This is the
time todo some early Christmas shopping!
The Pine Grove Historical Museumwill once again be open for
walk-in tours!Beginning in March 2002, the Wisnermansion will be
open the first Saturday ofevery month from 10am-lpm. There isno
charge for members, but all guests willbe asked to pay the tour fee
of $5 foradults and $3 for children under 12. ThePioneer Museum,
located in the CarriageHouse, is open all hours that the library
is
open. The Society does close for theholidays, and all buildings
and serviceswill be closed from Saturday, December15th to Tuesday,
January 1st. We willreopen for business on Wednesday,January 2nd,
2002.Maintenance
The Society has undertaken severalrepairs this summer and fall.
Ourhandyman, Guy Duffield, has repairedbroken light fixtures and
electrical outlets,replaced furnace filters, and put thestorms on
all of the doors and windows inthe Mansion and Summer Kitchen.
Inaddition, the Board of Directors approvedthe purchase of digital
thermostats for allof the buildings, which will help
maintainconstant temperature controls to assist inpreservation of
our artifacts. Usingmoney from the Society's PreservationFund, Guy
installed the thermostats.Future plans include the addition of
airconditioning to the Wisner mansion fortemperature control in the
summermonths. The three biggest detriments tomuseum and archival
collections are light,heat and humidity. One of the mostimportant
steps that a museum can take inpreserving its artifacts is to
ensure propertemperature and environmental controls.
Continued on page 8
From the PresidentContinued
during the month of November for votingand must be returned by
December 15thfor counting. The election results will beannounced at
the annual meeting inJanuary. Remember the future andgrowth of our
society depends on howmuch each individual is willing to give
ofthemselves, and how well we work as ateam. Once again, I would
like to thankall of you, and the wonderful group ofofficers that I
have worked with this pastyear, for the success of our society.
MayGod bless all of you and bring happinessand peace during the
upcoming holidayseasons.
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From Our CollectionsContinued from page 1
the flag. In addition, each week a social was held at one of
themember's homes, and a charge of 10 cents for admittance
wasrequired, although all soldiers were admitted free. By
August26th, the Treasurer reported that from membership, socials
andcollections, the Society had a balance of $164.74, more
thanenough to purchase the flag.
The flag, "Old Glory", which wasmade of heavy silk, cost $125.
Thestripes were fringed with gold "bullion",stars were in the
field, and the words"22nd Michigan Infantry" wereembroidered in
gold silk. The YoungLadies' Soldiers Aid Society invitedJames S.
Dewey, principal of thePontiac schools, to make the
presentationspeech. The regiment stood information on the field and
the youngladies, headed by flag-bearers JuliaComstock and Emma
Adams, formed asemicircle at the head of die line.Dewey made a
short patriotic speech toColonel Wisner, closing with
"In the name of these beautiful young ladies, I offer,and ask
you to accept and protect this flag; in honor ofdanger let it be
your rallying point, and in conclusionmay we not exact one promise
from you: That the fold ofthat beautiful flag shall never, never be
polluted by thetouch of traitorous hands ".3 In the name of the
regiment,Colonel Wisner thanked Dewey and the young ladies,adding,
" May we be found worthy to carry it upon thefield of battle.'
Turning to the regiment and presenting itto color-bearer Morris, he
continued: 'Soldiers andOfficers of the 22nd Regiment: Look upon
that flag!Behold its beautiful stars! Look at the eagle
whichsurmounts it, and swear that that flag of our Union shallnever
go down in disgrace. 'A
Shortly following the program, and only twenty-three days
afterthe formation of the young ladies' society, the order was
givenfor the regiment to break camp. Amidst "cheers and tears",
the22nd Michigan Infantry, with its flags proudly flying,
marchedout of Camp Richardson, four deep. Arriving at the train
depot,the regiment boarded the train and it pulled out of the
station at3:45 p.m., headed for Detroit. Stopping first in Royal
Oak, theregiment received another enthusiastic reception, arriving
a littlepast five in Detroit. There, they stood in formation on
BrushStreet, and "after marching about the streets for some
time,returned to the depot"5 where the citizens of Detroit had
kindlyprepared refreshments. The regiment then boarded the
steamer"Morning Star"which left the dock at 8:30pm bound
forCleveland.
The flag presented that day was with the regiment "in thecamp,
on the field and in its marches through Kentucky,Tennessee and
Georgia, which aggregated 890 miles. It wasproudly borne aloft
wherever duty called the regiment".6
On the left, the Regimental Rag, ont he right "OldGlory" Emma
Howard Collection 1968.003.0190.3b)
Unfortunately, at the Battle of Chickamauga, the flag was lost
tothe Confederate Army. For 32 years, survivors of the
22ndcontinually searched for their "dear old flag".
At the 26th regimental reunion held in 1893, a letter was
readfrom Comrade James Greacen of Company I. In this letter,
hestated that "while in Washington in Sept. 1892, he
accidentallyfound the flags of the 22d Mich. Infantry, which were
capturedby the enemy. "7 The "flags were found in the custody of
the War
Department, stored with other flagsretaken at Richmond, Va, by
the Unionforces when that city fell in 1865".8Immediately,
unanimous decisiondetermined that a flag committee beformed to act
on behalf of the regimentand try to restore the flags to
theirrightful owners. Those chosen wereHenry S. Dean, Seth C.
Randall andL.C. Mead. In August 1894, the 22ndMichigan Infantry
held their 27threunion in Pontiac. A huge crowd of5,000 had
assembled and manyspeeches and tributes were made to thebrave and
departed soldiers. The flagcommittee presented the following
THB m BEQIMEHt.
report:On September 20, 1863, the regimental colors were
carried
proudly in battle at Chickamauga, Georgia, where the
regimentcaptured and held the position at the high ground near
theSnodgrass House. On this terrible day, the flag was carried
firstby Color Sergeant Philo B. Durkee of Company A. Whilebearing
the colors aloft, Durkee was "struck in the breast by agrape shot,
and fell forward clasping it [the flag] to his heart,placing the
seal of his devotion upon its folds".9 CorporalRichard A. Stansell
of Company H picked up the colors and borethem forward, and was
also shot down. Corporal Pearl L.Mitchell of Company A picked up
the flag "in a very rain of shotwhich in a few moments carried away
his right arm",10 whenCorporal Jonathan A. Vincent of Company C
raised the colorsand "waved them defiantly inthe face of the
enemy".11 He,too, fell severely wounded.Sergeant Oscar Kendall
ofCompany C then threw awayhis rifle, took the flags andcarried
them until the day wasdone.
"At the disastrous battle ofChickamauga, Sept. 20, 1863,the
flags were captured, and372 members of the regimentwere reported
captured, killed,wounded and missing, whileseven out of nine color
guardshad been killed or wounded."12For more than 30 years,
sincethe day the flags were
27tb Aairaalftfct&o,
The Pontiac Gazette,Aug. 24, 1894)
•3 Continued on page 5
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Feature Article: Officer of the Day by Brian J. Bohnett
A dress parade in the "Area" of the Michigan Military Academy
campus (circa 1895).Michigan Military Academy: views of the Academy
and its Surroundings, 1904 Rogers & Smith Co., Chicago; (Ace #
A-803).
Chosen from a roster of commissionedofficers, the Officer of the
Day was theeyes and ears of the commandant ofcadets. Article XII,
Section 18 of theschool's regulations book described theposition:
"The Officer of the Day is therepresentative of the Commandant,
andas such, takes rank above any otherCadet in the corps."7
He was to be present at all roll-callsand parades, and was
responsible forkeeping cadets in an orderly mannerwhile marching to
and from classes andmess. At times the commandant wouldcall upon
him to do surprise inspectionson the cadets' barracks.
His office, appropriately called theOfficer of the Day's
Building, waslocated at the center of the "Area." Bysearching
through photo archives, it canbe determined that the O.D. building
wasbuilt sometime around or before 1888.The chosen cadet and his
assistant wasto remain at, or near, his office—whichwas just large
enough to offer shelter fromthe elements and provide a small
workingarea inside—at all times, except whenabsent on official
business. It is not knownwhen the building was torn down orremoved
from the campus, but early
seminary photos show the building stilllying in the center of
the campus.
Being selected as Officer of the Day,or being promoted in rank,
was aprivilege. MMA alumni and later Mayorof Detroit, John C.
Lodge, describes theexperience:
"Being chosen captain of a companywas as important to them as
beingelected Mayor of Detroit. The captain.
The Officer of the Day's Building (ca. 1920)Fifty Years at
Orchard Lake: 1909-1959,1959, Orchard Lake Schools.
(Author'sCollection)
lieutenants, and sergeants kept the restof the boys in line. It
was consideredwonderful to have boys taken out ofranks and made
sergeants. Theneveryone thought he would be next. Itwas analogous
to being coach on afootball team. "2
Article XII, Section 12 of the regulationsbook reads: "He shall
be vigilant in thedischarge of his duty, and shall requirethe
utmost respect to be shown him byall Cadets."7 Of course there were
thoseindividuals that resented taking ordersfrom other cadets.
According to a news report from Juneof 1885,3 a shooting
incident occurred atthe academy, resulting from a smallnumber of
cadets who took offense attaking orders from a young cadet namedW.
B. Vanderlip, Jr. While on duty asOfficer of the Day, Vanderlip
angered thecadets, and after he completed his "tourof duty," the
cadets jumped him. Theyoung man drew his revolver and in thescuffle
that ensued, one of the cadetswas shot in the shoulder.
In another incident, recorded in aJanuary 30, 1880 letter of
reply to a young
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cadet named James Turrill Vincent, afriend writes:
"I received a letter from Neva last weekand she says that her
school is verydull I hope you will not allow yourschool to become
dull. You certainly
Photo of MMA cadet, James TurrillVincent, ca. 1879. (Author's
Collection)
will not if you make a few morescholars stand on the floor and
keepthem after school and they have somenice young fellow to throw
you out ofthe window. "4
Humorous? Perhaps, but probably not forthe cadet involved.
1 "Regulations for the Government of theMichigan Military
Academy," 1898, JohnBornman & Son. Detroit (Author's
collection).2 "I Remember Detroit," by John C. Lodge; 1949,Wayne
University Press, Detroit (Author'scollection).3 "The Michigan
Military Academy at OrchardLake: Eighth Annual Historical
Symposium,"1959, Friends ol" the Seminary, Orchard Lake(Author's
collection).4 January 30, 1880 letter from Neva McK. tocadet James
Turrill Vincent (Author's collection).
A member of the Greater West Bloomfieldand Oakland CountyPioneer
& HistoricalSocieties, Brian J.Bohnett is the authorof THEM WAS
THEDAYS! Edgar RiceBurroughs and theHistory of the MichiganMilitary
A cademy.For more information,contact the OaklandCounty Pioneer and
Historical Society
From Our CollectionsContinued from page 3
captured, they remained lost to theregiment. "From the moment
they werediscovered in Washington, every effortwas made to secure
the flags and returnthem to the 22nd. Finally, Senator
JamesMcMillan introduced a resolution'restoring the flags to their
rightfulcustodians'."13
On August 30, 1894, the flags werefinally returned to the 22nd
MichiganInfantry. Julia Comstock Howard andEmma Adams Utley were on
hand toreceive the flag they had so generouslybestowed upon the
regiment over 30years before. The flag committeereturned the flags
with the followingwords:
"Ladies of Pontiac: After thirty-two years, we bring back the
fagyou gave to the 22d MichiganInfantry. It has been guarded
anddefended with the same spirit ofpatriotic devotion which
promptedyou to give it. It is torn by bullets,and bears the seal of
courage andfidelity stamped upon its folds inthe blood of those who
died in itsdefense. Upon its stripes and starsno taint of dishonor
rest. It is theglorified flag of our belovedcountry, baptized in
the blood ofits defenders, worthy of the love ofthe noble women
whose prayersfollowed it into the fierce storm ofwar through which
it passed. "u
It is not known at this time what theladies did with the flag
that was returnedto them. In November 1927, JuliaComstock Howard,
the last survivingmember of group of women that was theYoung
Ladies' Soldiers Aid Society,passed away at the home of her
daughter.She had recently received "the uniquedistinction of being
elected "daughter ofthe regiment" by members of theTwenty-second
Michigan Infantry, inrecognition of her devotion to the oldgroup of
warriors."15 At the time of herdeath, it was noted that the flag
stood inthe G.A.R. headquarters in the courthouse "as a reminder of
the old gallantdeeds that followed its leadership."16 InSeptember
1928, the Dick Richardson
Post 147 of the G.A.R. had been soreduced in numbers that it was
unable tocarry on. Without making plans fordispersal of the Post's
artifacts, by law,all records would revert to the
state.Consequently, the Post drew up adocument to convey all
moneys, guns,books, flags and other articles of property(which were
then located in the basementof the court house in Pontiac) to
theWomans Relief Corps No. 102. Thestipulation was that the Corps
would then"keep up the organization of the said DickRichardson Post
No. 147".17
Several questions remain unansweredabout "Old Glory". Was it a
part of thecollection that was turned over theW.R.C. in 1928? If
so, what happened toit after that? The W.R.C. was located inthe Odd
Fellows Temple, 29-31 E.Lawrence St. in Pontiac as late as 1939,but
by 1941, it appears that they, too,ceased to exist. What happened
to theW.R.C. and their records, but moreimportantly, what happened
to the "dearold flag" of the 22nd Michigan Infantry? Ifanyone has
any information to shed lighton this mystery, please contact
OCPHSat 248-338-6732.
1. "The 22d Regiment", News clipping, Aug.24,1894, in Daniels
Collection, Folder III2. "Auto Ride Ends Reunion of the
Historic22nd", Sept 5, 1912, in Pioneer SocietyScrapbook No. 4, p.
77.3. "The 22d Regiment".4. "A Flag With a History", Acc# A-866.5.
"The 22d Regiment".6. "Those Battle Flags", newsclipping, Aug.30,
1894, in Daniels Collection, Folder I.7. "A Flag With a History".8.
Ibid.9. Ibid.10. "Four Color Bearers of 22nd Were ShotDown at
Chickamauga", Aug 19, 1912, inPioneer Society Scrapbook No. 4, p.
79.11. "A Flag With a History".12. "The22d Regiment".13. Ibid.14.
"A Flag With a History".15. Obituary of Julia Comstock Howard,Nov.
7, 1927', in Pioneer Society Scrapbook:Historical Clippings No. 3,
p.67.16. Ibid.17. "Taps Sounds For Pontiac G.A.R. Post'".Oct.
1,1928, in HowardCollection, Folder I.
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Society News & ViewsContinued from page 3
Toil rs/MeetingsOn Monday, October 15th, the Wixom Historical
Society held their
meeting in the schoolhouse, and then took a tour of the Wisner
mansion.The group thoroughly enjoyed their tour given by Charles
Martinezand Gaylor Forman. In December, two additional groups will
be doingthe same, the Oakland Township Historical Society and
theSashabaw Plains DAR. The Wayne State University Student
Chapterof the Society of American Archivists is also planning to
visit ourarchives/library in November. If you know of any groups
that wouldlike to hold their meetings in the schoolhouse, followed
by a tour, pleasehave them contact the office.
1 kcvi's ^Lvdly ser\i j roiv^ r\\e i.a yoU.
Christmas Card, 1926 (Acc# 1992.049)
Outreach/PublicityEarly in October, President Mike Willis spoke
about our Society
and Museum to the State Retired Employees Association. On
October18th, Administrative Director, Leslie S. Edwards was on the
televisedprogram "United Homeowners Panel Meeting" of
BloomfieldTownship cable TV. A reporter from The Spinal Column
newspaperalso interviewed Leslie about the Society and the article
was published.In addition, the Society received publicity in the
Oakland Lakefront inan article about Ice Harvesting in Oakland
County.
InternsOne of our interns, Birgit Meyer, returned to her
home
in Germany at the end of the summer. Birgit was involvedin a
variety of projects during her internship, includingcataloging
artifacts and manuscript materials, researchingand designing an
exhibit on early education for the one-room schoolhouse, and a
variety of other museum tasks.The following is her assessment of
her experience atOCPHS.
Internship at the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical
SocietyFebruary-September 2001
When I started working in thelibrary as an intern, I was
astonishedand amazed how many lay people doresearch, especially
genealogicalresearch. In Germany where I comefrom, trying to find
out as much aboutyour ancestors as possible is not sowidespread.
One reason might be thatthe history of the United States
iscomparably young and it is interestingto find out from which
country yourancestors emigrated.
Being a History and English majorI was always more interested
innational than local history. The work atthe museum helped me to
appreciateand find interest in local history as youcan easily get
"hooked up" whilereading (e.g. the diaries of OliverBeardslee and
having Leslie to remindme that there are other things to do
aswell).
I mainly catalogued archives, suchas diaries and ledgers, which
onlybecame frustrating when I could notfind out enough information
about theauthor. I think it is important to
catalogue as much as possible of thecollections in the computer
so that it ismore organized and easy to findinformation. The major
benefit ofcataloguing might be that people doingresearch will have
access to it.
I mostly enjoyed designing theschoolhouse exhibit. Since I want
to
become a teacher, doing research aboutthe history of old
schoolbooks fell into myfield of study. I was allowed to
workindependently which I was a little bitafraid of in the
beginning as I had neverdone an exhibit before. I have to
thankTerry for her help designing the exhibitThe collection of
schoolbooks is very
numerous and could be used forworkshops designed for
historyteachers. Schoolbooks offer a greatopportunity to study
"mentality history",i.e. to study values, morals, andcharacter of a
certain period.
In my opinion it would be good toopen the house and the other
buildingsat least a couple of hours per week,maybe on Saturdays so
that it is opento the public not only twice a year.Another
important task for the futureis to attract new young members whocan
continue the work that has beendone so far. This might be possible
byholding lectures and workshops, ortrying to get history majors
involved.
I really enjoyed working herebecause I liked the work I had to
do,and other people will probably makeuse of what I have done. I
want tothank Leslie for all her patience,support and help,
especially when shehad to correct what I had written!
(_Kc^c>uF-
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From Our Collections The following was found in the Manuscript
Collection: The SawyerFamily (Acc# 1984.027). The author and date
of writing is unknown.
Christmas in the Vast in TontiacJiouses were different. yVot
appartments. [sic] Terhaps a "doublehouse" occasionally • or a
wing. Butmostly rambling two story places withporches and grounds.
77i/s In smalltowns like Tontiac then. (Built upsquares In New York
and Condon).
Entrance halls were mostly sizeablereception rooms dominated by
stairways(with railings) which might be very longand straight, or
spiral, or winding withone or two landings. (Giving thisbecause It
has a bearing on Christmasdecorations.)
Another feature was archwaysbetween ground floor rooms
whichclosed with sliding doors. At Christmastime ■ (left open) ■
these were often hungwith greens which were cut In the open
Caption on back of photo: Xmas time, asyou drove up to the Stop
Sign beforesignal lights. Presents were left for theOfficers. (Acc#
1969.018.0020)
woods or yards and made up by hand ■adding heavily berried holly
spraysbought In the market ■ Sometimes a sprigof mistletoe directly
overhead.
The local greens ■ Tlentlful andquite freely accessible, since
trees andhedges needed pruning, were evenwoven Into long ropes and
draped onstair rails and around doorways andfireplaces. Each ground
floor roommight have a fireplace. Some on secondfloor too
perhaps.
Of course Santa Claus came downthe main chimney and always found
anassortment of stockings ■ one for eachmember of the family ■ All
sizes, as each}\ung his own - not a fancy Christmasone. One could
count on an orange • areal treat In those days - and nuts In
theirshells and anything else that might fit.But there was apt to
be a tree as well andsmall gifts were gaily wrapped andhung on the
branches as an Importantpart of the decorations. Anotherfeature was
long strings of popcorn andcranberries. This not only helped tomake
up for lack of some of today'smanufactured decorations but
gaveclxlldren a larger share In trimming the tree.
C h r i s t m a s w a s n o t a scommercialized as It has become
to-day.There were no decorations duringAdvent. They all appeared
onChlstmas Eve and remained at leastuntil Epiphany and sometimes
untilSeptuageslma.
~While the school vacation betweenChristmas and y\ew Years
wasnaturally a time for parties - Includinghigh school fraternity
and sororitydances ■ Christmas Itself was a familyaffair. A time
when children andgrandchildren returned to the hometown and
gathered around their owntree with perhaps an uncle in thecostumed
role as Santa Claus.
Must 1\ave been around tl\e turn of thecentury before we stopped
lighting treeswith live candles as 1 don't think we hadelectricity
in Tontiac much if any beforethat. They still did it in Condon in
19Z4-.
Board of DirectorsPresident
Michael E.Willis1st Vice PresidentCharles Martinez
2nd Vice PresidentClarke Kimball
TreasurerKathryn Paggy
SecretaryRosamond Haeberle
StaffAdministrative Director/Editor
Leslie S. EdwardsManuscripts Librarian
'Virginia ClohsetResearch Librarians
ii Pat FisherJo Pate
FranWilson
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONOakland County Pioneer & Historical
Society
405 Oakland Avenue • Pontiac, Michigan 48342 • (248)
338-6732
Y e s , I ' d / W e ' d l i k e t o j o i n O C P H S ! M e m b
e r s h i p s a r e f o r o n e y e a r .
N a m e d S t u d e n t $ 1 5 . 0 0S t r e e t A p t . N o . ° S
e n i o r ( 6 5 & O v e r ) $ 1 5 . 0 0H □ I n d i v i d u a l
$ 2 0 . 0 0C i t y / S t a t e Z i P □ C o u p l e $ 3 5 . 0 0T e l
e p h o n e □ F a m i l y ( P a r e n t s & C h i l d r e n ) $
5 0 . 0 0E m a i l d N o n - P r o fi t O r g a n i z a t i o n $ 2
0 . 0 0□ C h e c k h e r e i f g i f t m e m b e r s h i p f r o m
9 P a t r o n $ 7 5 . 0 0
□ B e n e f a c t o r $ 1 5 0 . 0 0□ C o r p o r a t e S p o n s
o r $ 5 0 0 . 0 0
Check desired membership category and enclose this application
with check or money order made payable to:Oakland County Pioneer
& Historical Society
(Send to the above address)Contributions and bequests to the
Society, including memorials, assure the continuing resotration of
Society properties and promotion of
Oakland County's irreplaceable historical heritage.As charitable
donations, such contributions allow the donor to take income tax
deductions.7
-
Our flag.Its stripes of red, eternal dyed with heart streams of
all
lands:Its white, the snow-capped hills that hide in storm
their
upraised hands:Its blue, the ocean waves that beat around
freedomes
circled shore:fts stars, the print of angel's feet that burn
forever more.
■ James yftyrrcoMs Xiay.Pontiac Daily Gazette, May 17, 1895, p.
1
Calendar of EventsWednesday, November 21 Board Meeting 9:30
amFriday, November 30 Banging of the Greens 9 - 2 pmSaturday,
December 8 Victorian Christmas.:,, 12-4pmFriday, December ..'1#
Dehanging of the Greens 9 - 2 pmWednesdays January 2 Office/library
reopens 9:00 amW e d n e s d a y, J a n u a r y £ 6 A n n u a l M e
e t i n g l - 3 p mS a t u r d a y, F e b r u a r y 1 6 B o a r d M
e e t i n g 9 : 3 0 a m
NOTE: For convenience, all Board Meetings will now be held at
9:30am.
'•Hipp; taw f «**•.'»
NEW TEARSDINNER
Will b» Mrvt4 il a -.00 p. m.Hotel Hodges,.
Weri'fliloy, «Tat*. 1, '00.Pontiac Daily Gazette, Dec. 31, 1895,
p. 1
405 Oakland AvenuePontiac, MI 48342
(248)338-6732(248)338-6731 Fax
[email protected]
Preservation of thePast for the Twictwutttof future
Qenerations
U.S. PostageP A I D
Permit No. 70Pontiac, Ml
Non-Profit Org.
Internet address:http://wwnet.net/~ocphs/index.html
