You’re Invited!AnnuAl MeMbership Meeting

Tuesday, January 24th • 7 pM Library Meeting Room Join us for an informal

Annual Meeting. Hear what we are up to and just as important;

let us know what you are thinking!

Cla

rkst

on COLUMNSNew Oakland County Civil War Map Now on Sale Toni Smith

Would you like to know more about the Clarkston citizens who fought for the

cause? Or where the nearest Underground Railroad stop was? Then you will certainly find the new Oakland County Civil War Map to be a wonderful source of hu-man interest and historical information.

The map, which high-lights stories about what the people of Oakland County accomplished during the Civil War, is now available to the public for $20 and can be purchased at the CCHS office by calling 248.922.0270.

This wonderful map offers many great stories that connect both Clarkston and all of Oakland County to the Civil War.

Clarkston communityHistorical society

& Heritage museum6495 Clarkston RoadClarkston, MI 48346

Jennifer Arkwright President 248.922.3757

Debbie DeVault Vice-President 248.625.0153

Jonathan Smith Treasurer 248.625.8624

Kim Huttenlocher Secretary/Education 248.625.2499

Bart Clark 248.922.9166

Kelly Crawford Publicity 248.625.6624

These include: • A remarkable story of a woman from Holly who enlisted disguised as a man and later became a spy for the Union. • The Rochester soldier spared from a Con-federate hanging because of the intervention of a confederate family with whom he had shared his food rations. • The Lake Orion teacher who became the

Commander of Michi-gan’s 102nd Colored Regiment.

The map also notes the locations of 12 confirmed Under-ground Railroad stations and 13 unconfirmed Underground Railroad stations that exist today in Oakland County.

"I think the map creates an opportunity to share Oakland County Civil War era history with students and adults," said Melissa Luginski, who researched many of the stories for Oakland County. "It also creates an opportunity for

Alma Goldner 248.625.4654

Glenida Olafsson 248.394.1180

James Schultz Cemetery Walk 248.625.3062

Toni Smith Museum Director 248.625.8624

Lydia Strnad Newsletter Photos Design 248.922.0019

Board Members

Winter 2012

Cultural Tourists (including Genealogists) to travel Oakland County and experience our many Civil War era and Underground Railroad points of interest."

The map is printed in color on heavy stock and unrolls to 42” wide by 36” high and it would make a great gift to the history buff in your family. Call today!

2011 ended on a festive, glowing note at the lovely and historic

home of CCHS members Joe & Melissa Luginski who graciously hosted a holiday gathering of more than 120 guests and members of the historical society. Thank you to the Luginski’s for sharing their historic home for the evening. Every room was illuminated in candlelight and adorned in the greens of the season. The evening included something for every-one with a selection of hor d’ oeuvres, desserts and cocktails; also genealogy and silent auction tables, singing perfor-mances and the opportunity to tour the original Clark home.

The historical society’s membership grew that night with almost 40 new and returning memberships. We are elated! Thank you for supporting the society’s mission which is to preserve the Clarkston area history and educate the community

about it through the Clarkston Heritage Museum exhibits and other programming. The society was founded in 1974 and the museum has provided fresh, interesting and professionally-crafted semi-annual exhibits since 1999!

For Members who weren’t able to renew memberships at the holiday party, you’ll find the renewal envelope included in this newsletter for your convenience (saves on postage!). And remember, CCHS Membership not only gives you the pride in supporting the society’s mission for our community but it also includes Members-only benefits such as: a 15% discount on all CCHS merchan-dise sold at Art in the Village, Green’s Market and by appointment at our office; discounts on CCHS event tickets such as this year’s Ghost Tour (May) and Barn Tour (October); free admission to CCHS lecture programs; and good reading with Jen Arkwright

From the President

new MeMbers who joined At the holidAy pArty

Bruce & Amy Annett Jr.Chris & Julie BusynDan & Lori Anne DickersonDan & Susie DubeckJoe & Theresa FabrizioJohn & Gail GlowskiEric & Nancy Haven Clark & Eileen HeadrickMike & Jennifer HerrmannRic & Carola HuttenlocherMark & Beth KirchnerPaul KivinBruce & Margret McDermottJennifer RadcliffDeb RakoczyFrank & Liz SchoebelSarah SchultzRobert & Leigh SowlesJason & Jill ThomasPatrick & Kathryn ToomanMike & Helen West Robert & Sara Wunsche

this newsletter, Columns, mailed at least twice a year which will give you first notice of exhibit openings and special events or programs as well as local history articles and museum acquisitions. All donations are tax-deductible as we are a 501c-3 organization.

We have put together a full cal-endar of activity this year. Next up is The Underground Railroad in Michi-gan program to be held February 22, 7 p.m. in the Library Meeting Room. The presenter, Rochelle Danquah, will be emphasizing our local area.

Please take a few minutes to register with Kroger online for their Community Rewards Program … see the article for full instructions. Kroger will send CCHS a check quarterly just because we shop there!

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful New Year!

w

w

News about the Clarkston Community Historical Society - Activities, exhibitions, people and plans for CCHS members

nWishing you all a happy and peaceful New Year!

n

Now Accepting Applications for Art in the Village!

Do you know any artists who would love Clarkston’s fall

picturesque setting of Depot Park and friendly, buying crowds? We are now accepting applications for the 2012 show which will be held this year September 15 and 16. Interested artists can go to www.clarkstonhistorical.org and click on the Art in the Village link to download an application and show guidelines. We are always looking for fresh, new work so please send referrals to info@clarkstonhistorical.org. Thanks!

JANUARY AnnuAl MeMbership Meeting Tuesday, 24th, 7 pm • Library Meeting Room Join us for an informal Annual Meeting. Hear what we are up to and just as important; let us know what you are thinking!

FEBRUARY the underground rAilroAd in MichigAn Wednesday, 22nd, 7 pm • Library Meeting Room Presented by Rochelle Danquah with an emphasis on our surrounding area.

MARCH orAl history project Meeting Wednesday, 14th, 1:30 pm Library Meeting Room We would like to start this project up again. If

you are willing to record the stories of long time residents, then please join us.

APRIL how to reseArch the geneAlogy of your house Tuesday, 17th, 7 pm • Library Meeting Room Ron Campbell, Principal Planner/Preservation Architect for Oakland County Planning & Economic Development, will provide a pre-sentation on how to research and date your

home or building.

MAY ghost wAlk Date TBD We’d like to hold a historical ghost walk (they have them in Boston, Nantucket, Savannah and many other historical towns). Groups are guided through downtown Clarkston where they stop and hear about our local spirits and interesting historical facts. Are you willing to help or do you have a story to tell us about your house?

JUNE librAry pArking lot sAle Sunday, 10th, 12 noon to 5 pm • Library Parking Lot CCHS will be running the Food Concession Stand

JULY cchs history dAy cAMp for kids Sunday, 15th, 10 am to 3 pm • Library Grounds An all-day event focusing on both local and regional history. Activities, old-fashioned games, re-enactors, early cooking and more.

AUGUST titAnic reMeMbered Tuesday, 21st, 7 pm • Library Meeting Room A wonderful program presented by professional historyteller Maureen Esther. Afterwards, stop by the Heritage Museum to see our very own trea-sures and enjoy a refreshing ice cream sundae.

What’s New (and Exciting) in the Museum? Toni Smith

Even through the hectic holiday season, we’ve still had some wonderful items added to our collection.

Case in point, I was actually at a Christmas party held in a private home when a friend handed me an autograph album that belonged to Washington Street resident Vivian O’Roark from 1930 - 1938. By 1936, Vivian was a student at Clarkston High School and many of the signatures included in the book are from local students and teachers. There is also a reference to a couples dance contest that Vivian took part in. What fun that must have been! A special thank you to Mary O’Roark (no relation) who found the album at an antique mall in another city and thought it belonged in our museum.

From Donald Steiner we received a porcelain urn with a matching pedestal that once graced the entryway of the Caribou Inn. The inn was located on the Mill-pond at the corner of W. Washington and N. Main, where the parking lot is now. It’s amazing that an item like this could still turn up, even though the building was demolished in the mid-1950s. Thank you to Donald for keeping the urn safe all these years, and for his won-derful donation to our museum.

As most of you already know, much of the profit from our Antique Tent at Art in the Village goes into a museum budget for purchasing Clarkston items. We recently purchased two wonderful pieces of ephemera to add to the collection.

The first is a 3½” x 5½” card for Diamond Dyes. This advertising piece suggests to ‘Boys and Girls’ that they can use Diamond Dyes to change the color of their pen ink and thereby have the option of colored ink. On the reverse it is imprinted with the name “CHAS. M. SMITH, Clarkston, Michigan” who was a local druggist in the late 1800s.

From the same source came a truly remarkable piece of history. Surprisingly, it is an invitation to a birthday party! The event was held on Wednesday, Feb-ruary 22, 1865 at the Clarkston Station Hotel and was a celebration of George Washington’s Birthday. The Clarkston Band, made up of local musicians, provided the music. Both of these items are a wonderful addition to the Heritage Museum collection and if it weren’t for all the many donations we receive for the Antique Tent, we wouldn’t be able to purchase items like these when they become available. So thank you to our donors and let’s hope for more great donations this year!

Major Donations Assure Success in 2012

We are very pleased to announce that the CCHS had two gener-

ous benefactors over the holidays who each donated a substantial amount of lovely antiques for our next antique sale in the fall.

First there was Hester Hull, a CCHS member who has donated antiques for our sale many years in a row. Hester has wonderful taste and the items she gave us included a beautiful upholstered faint-ing couch, cast iron animals and banks, a great oak judge’s bench and many, many more lovely things. Some of which were already used in our Holiday Party Silent Auction and earned the CCHS over $2,000, way to go Hester!

Then there was a fateful phone call from Earl and Carolyn Fenningdorf of Troy, Michigan. Would we be interested in some antique furniture? Lots and lots of antique furniture? “How much” we asked? “Bring a moving van and a crew of volunteers” was the answer! We

SEPTEMBER Art in the VillAge Saturday, 15th • 10 am to 5 pm Sunday, 16th • 10 am to 4 pm Our biggest fundraiser. Held at Depot Park, CCHS runs four tents: Cider and Donuts, Clarkston Merchandise, Silent Auction and the Antique Tent.

OCTOBER bArn tour Saturday, 27th 1 pm to 4 pm Visit several local barns and take a step back into Clarkston his-tory. Refresh-ments, farm crafts and tour guides will be included. We are also hoping to organize a Barn Dance later that evening. Shhh, it’s a secret!

NOVEMBER whAt do you collect? Thursday, 12th, 7 pm • Library Meeting Room You’re invited to an informal ‘Show and Tell’. Bring in a small sample of what you collect and tell us all about it. A few political items will also be showcased as a nod to the November elections.

DECEMBER clArkston gArden club holidAy green’s MArket Saturday, 1st, 9 am to 4 pm • Church of the Resur-rection, 6490 Clarkston Rd. We will be selling our unique Clarkston gifts at this event. Think Christmas presents!

cchs holidAy pArty - Date TBD

Ongoing Projects and Volunteer Opportunities

Collection Management: Help Toni Smith (Museum Director) in the Heritage Museum.

Museum Docent: Be a guide for the occasional group tour (2 or 3 a year).

Oral History Project: All you need to do is be a good listener!

Merchandise Chairperson: Help us figure out what to sell as CCHS merchandise.

Grant Writing: Occasionally we hear of a great opportunity. They are pretty straight forward forms and we could use someone to put it all together for us.

New Program Ideas: Help us brainstorm, how about a tea and fashion show or a float in the 4th of July Parade? What about an Antique Appraisal day at the museum?

Clarkston Community

Historical Society

2012 Calendar of Events

What would YOU

like to do, see or hear?

Fill out the survey on

page 3.

had to act fast, but thanks to some great help we were able to get everything in a single night and what an incredible donation it was. There is an oak pedestal table, beautiful mission oak carved bench, chairs, primitives, early painted goat cart, Jenny Lind twin beds, tools, a buggy seat, unusual slat wash stand/coffee table, artwork and so much more. This was the largest donation we have ever received for our Antique Sale, and we can’t possibly thank Earl and Carolyn enough. They even provided our volun-teers with dinner after everything was loaded, now that’s generosity!

With all these great antique items, we look forward to holding our tent sale in the fall. It’s a guaranteed success and we are so very grateful to everyone involved. And FYI, if you have anything you would like to add to our sale just give us a call at the office 248.922.0270 to arrange for pick-up.

Toni Smith

. . . wonderful addition to the Heritage Museum collection.