Oakland History Center at Pine Grove

Mini Lecture: Robert Dustman
2019-10-27 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Detroit) | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Robert Dustman joins us to discuss his latest book.
More details to follow, but please check our facebook page for the most recent updates.

Mini-Lecture Series: Confederate Postage in the Civil War - Tom Nelson
2019-09-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Pine Grove, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Tom will be presenting a slide show of the history of the Confederate States postal system during the Civil War. At first the South used pre-war postage stamps and local provisionals. By June 1861 the System had become centralized in Richmond for the duration of the War.
Tom will present the postage in chronological order as they were issued and the particulars behind each stamp.
Admission $7.00, light refreshments are provided.

War’s Casualties: Hopes & Dreams Dashed - Robert Dustman
2019-06-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Pine Grove, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
A book based on letters home “Defining Moments: A True Story of War, Family Conflict & Reconciliation;” details how war shaped one man. This memoir, written by the soldier’s eldest son, captures in vivid detail Bill Dustman’s transformation from a boy into a man.
Robert’s presentation will not be a replay of the experiences his father, G. William Dustman, experienced in the South Pacific during World War II. Instead, he will talk about the hopes and dreams his father had for after the war which were never realized. It was those hopes and dreams, which kept him sane during times of strife on the battlefields to which he was sent.
A dynamic speaker, Robert Dustman is a former broadcast journalist who enjoyed a successful twenty-five year career as a reporter, anchor, news director, sports director and political editor at radio and television stations throughout the State of Michigan.

Stories of the Myrick Palmer House - Mark Thomas
2019-05-19 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
The Myrick Palmer house has been home to members of some of Pontiac’s early pioneer families. This stately lady has graced West Huron Street for many years.
Evocative of a time long gone, Mark knows some of her secrets and will share them with you. Come hear him tell tales of this beautiful vintage home.
Mark Thomas is a member of OCPHS and excellent speaker. As a retired real estate broker he has intimate knowledge of some of the grand houses in the area. Mark is also intrigued with the preservation of motor vehicles.
Admission $7.00 – Light refreshments are provided.

USS Michigan: Great Lakes Guardian - Larry Hathcock
2019-04-14 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
For over eighty years the USS Michigan operated on the Great Lakes. When the Michigan was launched in December 1843, it became the first iron hulled ship in the US Navy. Built as a deterrent to British naval strength, the USS Michigan would become involved with stopping timber pirates, the King Strang assassination and the plot to free Confederate POW’s on Johnson’s Island during the Civil War.
This talk will cover the long career of this revolutionary and historic ship.
Cost: $7.00, light refreshments will be served.

Mini-Lecture: Native American Show & Tell presented by Dwight Keith
2019-03-10 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Dwight is past president of the Oakland County Earth Science and Rock Club, as well as being an avid collector & dealer of unusual antiques. Come see what he has in store as he shows some of his Native American artifacts and tells the tales of their origin. This talk is not to be missed!
Admission $7 – light refreshments will be served.

Mini-Lecture - Elizabeth Denison Forth - Rosie Richardson
2019-02-24 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Elizabeth Dennison Forth – Emancipated Woman
Presented by Rosie Richardson
Lisette Denison Forth was born a slave near Detroit, worked as a maid, became a Pontiac landowner, and philanthropist. Celebrating Black History Month, Rosie Richardson will speak on Lisette’s early life, freedom, and her contribution in the building of St James Episcopal Church in Grosse Ile. Her life story has been documented by Michigan Historic Site Markers, the National Register of Historic Places, Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, and Daughters of the American Revolution Women in American History Honoree.
Admission $7 ~ Light refreshments

Confederate Postage in the Civil War - Tom Nelson
2019-01-20 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Confederate Postage in the Civil War
Presented by Tom Nelson, Adjunct Professor at MCCC – Tom will be presenting a slide show of the history of the Confederate States postal system during the Civil War.
At first the South used pre-war postage stamps and local provisionals. By June 1861 the System had become centralized in Richmond for the duration of the war. Tom will present the postage In chronological order as they were issued with the particulars behind each stamp.
Admission $7 ~ Light refreshments will be served.

Book Signing - Leslie Pielack: "The Saginaw Trail: From Native American Path to Woodward Avenue"
2018-11-07 18:00 - 20:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Join us at Pine Grove to hear from Leslie Pielack about her new book, “The Saginaw Trail: From Native American Path to Woodward Avenue”, get your copy and have it signed by Leslie, and enjoy some light refreshments as we continue to celebrate Pontiac’s bicentennial week!
From: 6-8 PM in the Carriage House.
Admission is free, donations are happily accepted.

1818 Expedition and the Original Pontiac Plan
2018-10-14 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
In October of 1818, five men spent twelve days exploring Oakland County’s lakes area. When they returned, they wrote a newspaper article describing what they found in glowing terms. When it was received in Detroit and New York, the article kicked off the settlement of Pontiac and the creation of Oakland County.
Why did they go? What did they see? What did they do when they returned?
As with all things, this expedition didn’t happen in a vacuum – there were events brewing and plans afoot – on the national stage, in the newly created Michigan territory, in Detroit, and in the future Oakland County.
It’s a fast moving story of volcanoes, Native Americans, businessmen and the founding of an inland town called Pontiac. It’s a story of land sales, future leaders in their youth, and the early explosive growth of our home ground.
Join Barbara Frye and Dave Decker on October 14th as they put this journey into context and celebrate this exploration, the founding of Pontiac and the early settlement of Oakland County.

Mini-Lecture Series: Two Hundred Years of Agricultural Progress by Tom McClure
2018-06-24 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Two Hundred Years of Agricultural Progress
Tom examines how we moved from a lot of back-breaking manual work on the farm to modern industrialization. He talks about what was required to bring a crop to harvest in 1818 to the same harvest of today. Specifically how wheat is and was grown to become the bread we eat.
Admission $7 Light refreshments provided

This Place Matters: Oakland County's Hidden History
2018-05-20 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Presenter: Ron Campbell, Oakland County Economic Development and Community Affairs
Become an armchair traveler through time and space as some of Oakland County’s hidden history is explored. From the nationally significant to the personally priceless; these are places that make us unique and give special meaning to our communities. Your itinerary will include places in Oakland which you probably never knew existed and stories rarely told.

Captain Furlong in World War I
2018-04-22 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Captain Furlong in World War I
Presented by Larry Hathcock
Harold Arthur Furlong (August 25, 1895 – July 27, 1987) was a United States Army First Lieutenant and a recipient of the United States military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in France during World War I. After earning the Medal of Honor, he joined the Michigan National Guard, retiring in May 1946.

John WiIkes Booth Escape Route
2018-03-11 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
John WiIkes Booth Escape Route
Bill is a fascinating speaker with many credentials. He takes us on the Journey an assassin took in the hopes of escape.
Through a series of unfortunate omissions and mishaps, John Wilkes Booth was able to get close enough to Lincoln to raise a small, single shot derringer and shoot him at point blank range. The confusion that followed allowed Booth to escape the theater.
Admission $7 Light refreshments are provided.

Mini-Lecture: Maureen Young - "The History of Pop-Up Books"
2018-02-18 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
“The History of Pop-Up Books”February 18th 2:00 PM- Mini Lecture by Maureen Young
Have you ever opened a book and literally had the story jump up off the page at you? Maureen will guide us though a history of how these delightful tomes came to be, with many examples from her own collection.
Admission $7 ~ Light refreshments served.

Mini-Lecture by Bill Grandstaff: "A Picnic in the Cemetery"
2018-01-21 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Before the Civil War, The Victorian Era had a custom for every aspect of the daily life in America. Death and dying was no exception.
We will examine the concept of a “Good Death,” and what that meant including where and how people were buried and the evolution of cemeteries from the Puritans to Victorian cemeteries to the rural cemetery movement.
While the Victorian Era was a regimented period, some of them had an excellent sense of humor and expressed it on their tombstones. We will spend time exploring head stone messages and symbols.
And we will discuss how young soldiers dying in war far from home would change how a nation dealt with death.

Tom Tucker and the 22nd Michigan Infantry
2017-11-05 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Tom Tucker and the 22nd Michigan Infantry
Presented by Larry Hathcock
Larry Hathcock, OCPHS member and Civil War reenactor, will present the Civil War service of Tom Tucker of Ortonville, Michigan. Mr. Tucker kept a diary of his experiences as a Union solder in the 22nd Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Mr. Hathcock will be dressed as a Union infantryman and will share Tom Tucker’s daily experiences as a soldier.
Admission $7 Light refreshments are provided.

A Visual Tour of the Battle of Perryville
2017-10-22 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Presented by Tom Nelson, Adjunct Professor, MCC
Tom will be presenting a visual tour of his visit to the Kentucky Civil War battlefield of Perryville. The Battle of Perryville was fought on October 17, 1852 as Confederate General Braxton Bragg attempted to secure Kentucky into the Confederacy. It was the biggest battle in Kentucky during the Civil War. Tom will present the battle in chronological order as it occurred throughout the day.
Admission $7.00, light refreshments are provided.

Nose to the Grindstone: Mills of Oakland County
2017-09-10 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Dave Decker will present his research on milling in Oakland County from the mid-1800’s through the 1920’s, how mills affected daily life, and how “where you can put the mill” affected the founding of Oakland County’s villages and towns. His research on Dawson’s Mill in Pontiac will be highlighted.

Myths & Legends of the Civil War
2017-06-11 14:00 - 16:00 | OCPHS Carriage House, 405 Cesar E Chavez Ave, Pontiac, MI, 48341, United States
Civil War expert and OCPHS board member Bill Grandstaff presents our next Mini-Lecture, Myths and Legends of the Civil War on Sunday June 11 at 2 p.m.
Bill’s intriguing new talk looks at stories that have evolved surrounding the Civil War, shedding light on the “fake news” of the day and exposing surprising truths about that conflict’s folklore. Join fellow historians and truth-seekers in the Carriage House!
Admission $7, light refreshments served.
