Events by Month

Free admission!

For the second time in a row, Detroit Historical Society will team up with the Detroit Public Library and the Michigan Science Center to offer family-friendly games and activities to both youth and adults as a part of ARISE Detroit’s annual community celebration. Make the Detroit Historical Museum a stop on your itinerary on Saturday, August 4!

During World War II, just off Chicago’s shoreline, the US Navy trained over 15,000 carrier pilots on two makeshift “flattops,” both former, coal-fired, sidewheel passenger steamers. Not every pilot landed successfully on the pitching decks of the USS Wolverine and USS Sable and many aircraft went to the Lake bottom. This is the story of the recovery of those rare warbirds and the ingenious training program that changed the course of the war in the Pacific.

Admission is FREE. Shown at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Running Time: 56 minutes).

Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, Kirk Gibson and several other legends as well as fond memories were made at “The Corner.” From 1896 through 1999, a span of 104 summers, the Detroit tigers called the northwest corner of Michigan and Trumbull their home. The story of Tiger Stadium didn’t end when the Detroit Tigers owner Mike Illitch moved the team to Comerica Park. It continues in this documentary—a frank exploration of the public and private maneuverings that resulted in the abandonment of one of America’s classic ballparks.

During World War II, just off Chicago’s shoreline, the US Navy trained over 15,000 carrier pilots on two makeshift “flattops,” both former, coal-fired, sidewheel passenger steamers. Not every pilot landed successfully on the pitching decks of the USS Wolverine and USS Sable and many aircraft went to the Lake bottom. This is the story of the recovery of those rare warbirds and the ingenious training program that changed the course of the war in the Pacific.

Admission is FREE. Shown at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Running Time: 56 minutes).

Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Al Kaline, Kirk Gibson and several other legends as well as fond memories were made at “The Corner.” From 1896 through 1999, a span of 104 summers, the Detroit tigers called the northwest corner of Michigan and Trumbull their home. The story of Tiger Stadium didn’t end when the Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch moved the team to Comerica Park. It continues in this documentary—a frank exploration of the public and private maneuverings that resulted in the abandonment of one of America’s classic ballparks.

A House Divided: The Ossian Sweet Case, and the Battle for Fair Housing in Detroit by Jamon Jordan

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which outlawed the widespread practice of housing discrimination. Please join historian and founder of the Black Scroll Network History and Tours Jamon Jordan as he discusses the court case involving the family of Ossian and Gladys Sweet, one of the most remarkable fights for civil rights in Detroit’s history.

Since 1971, the Black Historic Sites Committee, an affinity group of the Detroit Historical Society, has been committed to discovering, documenting and marking the numerous sites significant to the history of Detroit’s African American community.