Marine Historical Society of Detroit records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0007

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The Archives of the Marine Historical Society of Detroit include minutes, committee records, correspondence and memoranda, speeches and papers, and financial reports. The materials span the years from the Society's founding in 1944 to 2017. In addition, the complete files of The Detroit Marine Historian (1947-), the Society's monthly newsletter, as well as other publications are available. The records document the entire history of one of the oldest and most significant historical organizations on the Great Lakes.

Dates

Creation: 1944-2017

Extent

8 Cubic Feet (14 legal manuscript boxes and 2 records storage cartons)

Creator

Marine Historical Society of Detroit (Organization)

Scope and Contents

The proceedings of the Marine Historical Society include minutes of the Advisory Council (1949 to the present) and general membership meetings (1944-1970) as well as a variety of miscellaneous committees. These minutes are fairly complete and reflect the administrative history of the Society as well as programs held and projects undertaken. Other administrative records include the Society's constitution, by-laws, and membership lists.

Correspondence, including intra-Society mailings, are detailed and informative as to the plans of this organization and date from 1945 to the present. Also included in this collection are a variety of speeches and papers delivered before Society members at general meetings. In addition, the complete files of The Detroit Marine Historian, (1947-), the Society's monthly newsletter, and other Society publications are available and, together with the speeches, provide a great deal of information on Great Lakes shipping. Lastly the collection contains a variety of flyers, brochures, newsletters, and pamphlets pertaining to the Great Lakes shipping scene.

Organization History

The Marine Historical Society of Detroit was founded in 1943 by Roy Bates, Robert Larsen, and John M. O'Brien. It is the second oldest society designed to stimulate an educational interest in Great Lakes history. The first organizational meeting was held on July 9, 1944, and the Society's name was established on July 27, 1944. The constitution, by-laws, and charter membership were established at the August 31, 1944 meeting.

The goals of the Marine Historical Society, as outlined in the 1953 Annual Report to the State of Michigan, encourages the discussion, academic research, and publication, and the collection of photographs, clippings, documents, and other material pertaining to the shipping industry on the Great Lakes. The Society promotes cruises, assists researchers, prepares exhibits and programs all related to the history of shipping and commerce on the Great Lakes. The activities and interests of the Society have been printed monthly in The Detroit Marine Historian since Volume 14 in 1960. Earlier volumes were published in ten annual issues. The complete collection had been stored in the Wyandotte, Michigan Public Library under the jurisdiction of Robert Zeleznick until September 1971 when it was transferred to the Center for Archival Collections and later, to the Institute for Great Lakes Research at Bowling Green State University.

The records available at the HCGL trace the entire organizational and administrative history as well as the scholarly pursuits of the Society in terms of addresses to the membership and the various publications of the Society.

Conditions Governing Access

No known restrictions on access.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Related Materials

The run of The Detroit Marine Historian is also available as individually cataloged issues via library catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The first transfer of the Archives of the Society from the Wyandotte, Michigan Public Library to the Center for Archival Collections occurred in September 1971. Dr. Richard Wright, the Director of the Center, as well as a member of the Society, requested and was granted the transfer of the collection. An Instrument of Gift agreement was signed in February, 1989 transferring title to the collection to the HCGL (formerly the Institute for Great Lakes Research) at Bowling Green State University.