From the Collection

Revisiting Michigan Central Station in Historic Photos

Explore historic views of the train station from the Detroit Historical Society’s collection.  

Detroit's Chinatowns

Did you know that Detroit had two official Chinatowns?  

The Story of Honolulu Blue

The Lions have worn their trademark blue uniforms since the team’s very first season in Detroit in 1934. Now known as “Honolulu Blue,” the distinctive shade has evolved a bit over the years. There are several origin stories for how the club selected the color.

Santabears!

The Dayton Hudson’s Santabear debuted in 1985. Conceived as part of a marketing campaign to encourage holiday shoppers to visit the stores, Santabear was designed by senior toy buyer Paul Starkey. The first Santabear sold over 400,000 bears in the first three days they appeared on shelves – a huge success. Over the years the Santabears line featured different outfits and stories, the introduction of supporting characters, including Bully Bear and Miss Bear, and a small series of books and animated holiday movies.

Victorian Horse-Drawn Hearse

The Detroit Historical Society is dedicated to sharing the stories of Detroit and the artifacts in our care. Even with two museums and traveling exhibits, we're only able to display a fraction of the artifacts in our collections. Large artifacts can be especially challenging to exhibit or move and don't often photograph well with conventional equipment.

Hero Land

 

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