Downtown Ann Arbor

Vibrant History Abounds with Heritage Tours

You don’t need a “Back to the Future” DeLorean to visit Washtenaw County’s past. Any car, or even just a smartphone, will do. Yes, Washtenaw County’s Office of Community & Economic Development recently began translating heritage tours into “Story Maps” created using Arc GIS, and through the Vamonde…

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Manchester's Tour de Barn Quilts

While driving around the rural town of Manchester, along its “Tour de Barn Quilts” route, I felt inspired to cue up the Dixie Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces.” Why? Because that’s the kind of easygoing, verdant, plenty-of-breathing-room vibe that envelops you as you follow a rutted dirt road over a narrow…

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Votes for Women 100: A Suffrage Celebration

“In humanity, to believe in a thing means to get up and to do something.” - Jessie Phelps, co-founder of the Michigan state Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) Equal Suffrage League. In 1920, women across Washtenaw County and the entire United States celebrated the ratification of the…

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