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MUNGER GENERAL STORE ♦ SMITH HOTEL ♦ STOEFLET CARRIAGE HOUSE
FLAT ROCK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO BOX 337FLAT ROCK, MICHIGAN 48134734.782.5220
Visit us online: WWW.FLATROCKHISTORY.ORG
Email:[email protected]
flatrockhistoricalsociety
Summer 2016The Pearl
wen Elias Smith, a native son of Flat Rock, was born to Samuel Falkenberg Smith and Mary Ann (Wood) on 15 November 1878; the youngest of
four children. About 1909, Owen found work in Fillmore, Utah, operating a steam crane to clear lumber, where he met and married Bertha Reeve on 14 August 1913. The couple returned to Flat Rock before 1918. In the early twentieth century, the Huron River was vital to Flat Rock; providing power for its various milling operations, supplying fish to sustain her citizens, and cultivating Unionidae or freshwater mussels. Before zippers, buttons were a necessity for seamstresses everywhere. Early buttons were made from wood, antlers and metal. In 1890, shell buttons made their debut and the pearly buttons were an instant fashion success. The Huron River once had a healthy Unionid population; thus making it profitable for folks to harvest the freshwater clams from the river. Local clamming could bring in an extra $10/week, which was a fortune at that time. Shells were loaded by the boat load and shipped to various button making factories which would punch out disk shapes from the shells for which to make shell buttons. A large clam fork was recently discovered in a local shed by Bertha Beach, grand-daughter of Owen, as she sorted through her mother’s estate. Mina Smith Beach Radu was the only daughter of Owen and Bertha Smith.
O Owen Smith was one of Flat Rock’s early “clammers.” A “Clam License,” dated 1920, issued by the state to Owen E. Smith was found among Smith family papers offers evidentiary support to the claim that Owen was a
“clammer” on the Huron River. In 1924, when water came to Flat Rock, the conditions in the Huron River became unfavorable for the growth of the Unionid clams and their numbers were in severe decline due to overharvesting. The State of Michigan imposed clamming restrictions in 1944 to allow time for the
species to recover. However, five years later, fashion had found a new fascination, plastic buttons! Smith’s clam fork has been generously donated by Bertha Beach to the Metropark Collection, which contains artifacts of historical significance to the history of the Huron River. Lesley Gilliland HarkaiCurator of CollectionsFlat Rock Historical Museum
In this Issue:
President’s Message......................2
Announcements............................2
Smith-Chamberlin Collection...3
The Family Archivist...................4
Genealogy Classes........................4
Brownstown Centennial.............4
Flea Market News........................4
Auction/Vreeland Cemetery.....5
SUMMER 2016
The Pearl is a quarterly publication of the
Flat Rock Historical SocietyPO Box 337
Flat Rock, Michigan 48134
Lesley Gilliland Harkai, Editor
ADVERTISEMENTS FRHS is accepting business card sized advertisements for placement in The Pearl. The insertion fee is $100 annually which includes a complimentary printed copy of the volume in which the advertisement appears. All insertions are subject to approval by the FRHS Board and its editors.
2 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE FLAT ROCK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2016 BOARD MEMBERS
MargaretAnn Cooper, [email protected] 906-399-8284
Lesley Gilliland Harkai, Vice [email protected] 734.730.3213
Dawn Bartok, Recording [email protected]
Theresa Walker, Corresponding [email protected]
Carol Klingel, [email protected]
Kathy Fisk, [email protected]
TRUSTEES:Lila Fedokovitz, Local History Room
(VACANT), Nancy Young, Phillis Dasher, Judi McNair, Pat Simeck
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK I would like to say "Thank-you" to all of you who are helping to make The Flat Rock Historical Society a better place! Whether as a member of the board, helping with the Open House's, volunteering for fundraisers, or helping to organize our vast collections-- YOU ARE APPRECIATED!! We just don't say it enough! For those of you who are thinking, "I just don't have the time." Even if you only have a couple hours a week or month - WE NEED YOU! For those of you who may not always be able to get out, there are things you can do from your home - WE'LL SHOW YOU! For those of you who need transportation - WE'LL COME GET YOU! Do you or someone you know need community service hours?? - COME AND SEE US!!What an awesome way to give back to your local community!
God Bless, Praying you'll have a good day,Margaretann Cooper
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Annual Meeting On Thursday July 21st, we will be holding our annual meeting! In case you are not aware, this is the time we elect officers and introduce our budget and plans for the upcoming year. In addition, this year we have updated our bylaws and need to have them voted in. Visit our website to view proposed bylaws. Your attendance is needed!! Without enough members present to vote, we cannot go forward! We have a very special evening planned as follows: 5:30 Doors Open 6:00 Meeting (MEMBERS ONLY) 7:00 Special Program on The Gibson House by Tim Spezia. (OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)
Volunteers If you can further support our work as a volunteer, please contact Lesley Harkai, our Curator at 734-782-5220. Keep in mind that not all volunteer work needs to be done on premises... You can volunteer from the comfort of your own home with an internet connection!
Americana We are also preparing for our newest "Americana" display! It will feature "vignette's" or mini-displays of items that make America....America! Be sure to come in August & September, as we will be adding new and exciting items to the displays each month! The upcoming theme for our October, November and December is the Office of the President. If you have anything you’d like to contribute for exhibit, please let us know.
Library Our historical book library inventory is now online. Books can be viewed in person at the historical society. To see what books we have available, please visit: http://frhist.libib.com
PLEASE JOIN US Thursday Evening
July 21, 2016 @ 7pm
The Flat Rock Museumis pleased to present our
July Thursday Night History Bite:
"The Gibson House"presented by
Tim Spezia, Historian
Historic Smith HotelFlat Rock Historical Society
FLAT ROCK, MICHIGAN 3
The Pearl
Introducing the Smith-Chamberlin Collection
Samuel Falkenberg Smith married Mary Ann (Wood) on 21 September 1865. Both were longtime residents of the Flat Rock area. Samuel served at Gettysburg with the Michigan 24th, Iron Brigade and was among the few survivors lucky enough to come home. Five children were born to the couple, the youngest died in infancy, with four growing to adulthood. Mina (Smith) Chamberlin, oldest daughter and family archivist, married Frank Chamberlin, a prominent resident of Flat Rock; together they had one son, who died. Mina Smith Beach Radu, only daughter of Owen and Bertha Smith namesake of her aunt, inherited the family collection and passed it on to her own daughter, Bertha Beach. The Flat Rock Historical Museum is pleased to announce that Bertha has very generously gifted us with many amazing pieces from her Smith-Chamberlin family collection. Additionally, she has allowed us to scan and photograph many of her historical family papers, with more to come available as we are able to work through documenting the collection. Some of the artifacts that Bertha has donated include: 3 ledgers Michigan Fire and Marine insurance ca 1950, several sets of nineteenth century chairs, Jenny Lind bedroom ensemble, Eastlake bedroom ensemble, large marble topped parlor table, small scroll cut marble topped parlor table, large wall portrait of Frank Chamberlain, extra-large 1881 map of Oakwood Cemetery hand drawn and illustrated on linen backed parchment by Freeland Garretson, four mid 19th century quilts, blue settee & chair set, American oil painting of hunting dog, early stitched home blessing piece, Frank Chamberlain's baby shoes and socks, Harrison and Morton presidential plate, handmade butterfly vanity tray, early goose platter, various stoneware dishes, assorted early maps of Flat Rock and surrounding areas, four early books on farm history and the Michigan 24th. Scanned Collection Items: Several items pertaining to the survivors of the Michigan 24th Volunteers - Iron Brigade, Personal Correspondence of Samuel Falkenburg Smith, calendar/farm journal of Samuel Smith from 1856-1866, The Samuel F. Smith Family Bible, The Freeland Garretson Family Bible, Assorted Family Photos including many photos of early Flat Rock residents, and other items of historical significance to Flat Rock. On behalf of the Flat Rock Historical Museum, I would like to thank Bertha Beach for entrusting her family treasures to our care, so that future generations may benefit from seeing these local artifacts in a community museum setting and to be used in for educational purposes.
Photo taken of survivors on June 12, 1889, during the dedication of the Monument of the 24th Michigan at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Smith-Chamberlin Collection, Flat Rock Historical Museum.
3
4 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE FLAT ROCK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
SUMMER 2016
AREA LOCAL HISTORY HAPPENINGS
July 26th - Brownstown Centennial Celebration On Tuesday, July 26th from noon - 6pm, the Brownstown Historical Society will celebrate the Centennial Celebration of the DuChene Farmhouse. The celebration is free and open to the public. There will be an Opening Ceremony at noon, followed by presentations inside the event center about the history and future of Brownstown. A celebration of our two 100 year old Brownstown residents will commence with free cake and beverages. The Market folks will be on site with their fresh grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages for sale along with an ice cream truck - a great dessert on a hot day! Visitors can tour the DuChene farmhouse and Brownstown Event Center to enjoy special exhibits and displays from the Brownstown Quilters, Wyandot of Anderdon Nation, Pointe Mouille Waterfowl Festival, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, River Raisin National Battlefield Foundation, World War I and Civil War artifacts and more. There will also be antique and classical cars on display as well as antique tractors. A free trolley will take visitors between the Brownstown Farmers Market and the Museum/Event Center..For additional information, please contact:
Debbie Galik, PresidentBrownstown Historical Society
DuChene Farm House23451 King Road, Brownstown, Michigan
734-782-5834
The Family Archivist When someone in your family has something they want to make sure is available for future generations to see, do they make sure they give it to you? Have you become the Guardian of the Collections (a.k.a. the Keeper of the Stuff)? If so, you are the Family Archivist and it can be quite overwhelming, as I have found! Each person's "collection" that they have entrusted you with is interconnected with another. How do you organize it all? How do you protect and preserve those precious birth, marriage and immigration records for future generations to use? Those are just a few of the questions that the Family Archivist must answer. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to go to Pittsburgh and take a course on Family Archiving given by Denise May Levenick MA. You can check her out at www.theFamilyCurator.com. She has a wealth of information on her website. It is my goal to share with our membership what I learned in the 18 classes and 4 workshops by passing it on in small bite-size pieces. Also, I am planning on a Family Archivist Workshop to begin in the fall. Dates and times have not been set. We would like input from our readers before we do this.
Please let us know: - if you'd be interested -the days that would be good (or not good) -a good time frame -if a series of classes on a weekly or monthly basis would be better
I am so excited to share this with you and I am anxiously awaiting your response!
Margaretann Cooper Family Archivist
FALL FLEA MARKET NEWS
Our 83rd Bi-Annual Flat Rock Historical Society Fall Flea Market will be held on Sunday, October 2nd from 7 am until 4 pm, at the Flat Rock Speedway. As always we need your help. Dawn Bartok, has volunteered to manage the Country Store during the Flea Market; please call the museum if you can help sell baked goods that day. If you don’t call by September 24th, expect a phone call asking for your help or a donation of baked goods. We often run out of baked goods, so we depend on you! Bring your baked goods for the Country Store to Dawn. This year we will have a booth to sell antiques and flea market items. We need your donations. We also need volunteers to run the booth If you are going to visit the Flea Market on Sunday, please consider stopping at the Historical Society’s Country Store. Checking for vendor problems or directing people to the Country Store and lavatories as you tour the market would be a big help.
GENEALOGY CLASSES AT THE MUSEUM
We have had requests for genealogy classes again this fall. In addition to a beginners class, coverage of niche topics such as using land records, estate files and accessing genealogical information found in congressional and federal records has been mentioned. If you are interested in learning how to use any of these genealogical resources and apply them to your brick wall, please email me at [email protected]. Flexible class times can be worked out depending on interest. We are also considering taking small groups into local repositories such as the Burton, Bentley, or Abrams Collection for hands-on experience using original sources. Please email if you are interested.
*Please note that anyone with a genealogical quandry in Flat Rock is welcome to bring it to the museum and we will help to sort it out.
FLAT ROCK, MICHIGAN 5
THE PEARL
Flat Rock Historical Society 2016 Membership Application
New Member Renewal __________ Membership #
______________________________________Name
______________________________________Street Address
_________________ _______ ___________ City State ZIP
___________________@________________._______Email 1 Address
___________________@________________._______Email 2 Address
Landline Cell(_____)________-________________
Texting Telephone #
_____________________________________________Maiden Name (if applicable)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________Please tell us a little about your connection to Flat Rock or interests on the lines above.
CHOOSE ONE: $______ $10 Individual Annual Dues (July-June) w/Electronic Delivery of Newsletter
$______ $15 Family Annual Dues (July-June) w/Electronic Delivery of Newsletter
$_______ $200 Life Membership
$_______ $4 annually to receive paper newsletter
$_______ TOTAL
Make checks payable to: “FRHS”Mail application & check/money order to:
Flat Rock Historical SocietyPO Box 337
Flat Rock, MI 48134
“HOW CAN I HELP”…you asked.
JOIN US FOR THE VREELAND CEMETERY
DINNER/AUCTION FUNDRAISERTickets are NOW on sale for the
Restoration of the Vreeland Cemeteryby: Nancy Young, Chair
On May 29th 2016, it was discovered that the historic Vreeland Cemetery in Flat Rock, Michigan had been vandalized. One of the earliest cemeteries in the Flat Rock area, the Vreeland Cemetery was the original resting place of pioneer Michael Vreeland, a Revolutionary Patriot, his sons, several of whom served our country in the War of 1812, and their families. In order to raise the funds necessary to restore the vandalized tombstones, we are hosting a dinner/silent auction. Our fundraiser will be held on Friday, August 19th from 5:00 pm to 9:00pm at the Elks Lodge #1731 in Flat Rock Michigan. Enjoy dinner and DJ Entertainment by local Bill Barker of “Barker’s Audio” while you shop our wonderful donated items. All proceeds from this event will be used toward the cemetery restoration which is expected to cost $4,000. Any additional event income will be earmarked to purchase a security camera for the cemetery. Our Society budget does not have the funds to pay for these restoration costs, so WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please feel free to contact me, Nancy Young by email, [email protected], or our Curator, Lesley Harkai (734) 782-5220. The caterer requires the courtesy of a head count two weeks before the event, so please understand that NO tickets will be sold at the door. Alcohol will be served at a cash bar, so attendees must be 18 or older.
“SUMMER IN THE CITY”2016 BENEFIT DINNER & AUCTION
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016$20/TICKET
ELKS LODGE #1731
26917 TELEGRAPH RD,
FLAT ROCK, MICHIGAN
5 O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING -DINNER SERVED AT 6PM
NO TICKETS AT THE DOOR CASH BAR - AGE 18 & UP ONLY
Click Link to Buy Tickets: https://frhs.eventbrite.com
MUSEUM HOURSThe Flat Rock Historical Museum is open most Tuesday afternoons from 12 - 3 pm. The museum office, located on the lower level of the Munger Store, is open most afternoons during the week for museum business. The office can be accessed by coming to the rear door of the store and ringing the bell. Come by the museum office to purchase event tickets, bring an artifact for donation consideration or just have a local history question, we are in the office most afternoons. Call ahead to be sure 734-782-5220.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAMDo you like history? The Flat Rock Historical Museum is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for new museum volunteers. Volunteer perks include previewing exhibits, working with the artifacts and volunteer experience that can add value to any resume!
FLAT ROCK MUSEUM CAMPUS25486 Gibraltar Road, Flat Rock, Michigan 48134
July 10, 2016August 14, 2016
September 11, 2016
October 9, 2016November 13, 2016December 11, 2016
St. Roch’s Catholic Church
Flat RockPublic Library
Flat RockHistorical Society Museum Campus
Gibraltar Road
City Ball Fields
2016 FALL FLEA MARKET DATE
Sunday, October 2, 2016
2016 SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE
(Open House Hours are from 1- 4 pm unless noted)
PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FLAT ROCK The Arcadia published book of Flat Rock is still available for $22 from the Museum. It makes a wonderful gift. They are also available by calling Carol Klingel (782-9365) for a copy or to have one mailed ($3.00 charge).
ANNUAL DUES Kathy Fisk is our membership chairperson and is collecting them now. You can mail them to the P.O. box or bring them to one of the open houses. Questions? 734.782.5220Membership dues are $10 for individuals, $15 for families, and Lifetime Memberships are $200.
PostageHere
