MICHIGAN, USA — The Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced Wednesday that the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the Michigan Strategic Fund was awarded a $75,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights History program, administered by the National Park Service.
Money from the grant will go toward hiring a preservation consultant who will complete a survey of properties and sites related to African American recreation included in the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guidebook published from 1936 to 1966 that provided lists of hotels, restaurants, and other establishments that were safe for African American travelers in that era.
Using the information from the survey, they will produce a historic context on African American recreation tourism in Michigan and a nomination for a property to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
“Whether it be a gas station, rooming house, or resort, recreational and tourism-related properties are an integral part of the African American experience in Michigan, and receiving this grant will allow for a more complete understanding of that experience. The grant funding awarded to the African American Recreational Tourism and the Negro Motorist Green Book in Michigan project will deepen our understanding of this history,” said State Historic Preservation Officer Ryan Schumaker. “By identifying and celebrating these sites, the project aims to shed light on their historical importance and the role they've played in Michigan's history.”
In the early 20th century, travel for African American families was challenging, and not just in the South. Even in Northern states such as Michigan they had to be careful. That's where Victor H. Green's Negro Motorist Green Book would help. Green was a New Jersey postal worker and civic leader. He published his first edition of the book in 1936 in order to assist travelers in finding safe places to visit and get fuel, food and other services.
The books were initially limited to New York City. However, they soon expanded to other states, including Michigan. SHPO staff have identified around 210 sites in the state that are listed in the Green Books for consideration and research.
The research will be documented in a comprehensive Statewide Historic Context for African American Recreational Tourism, a historic resource survey and NRHP nomination that will identify significant themes, trends, time periods, people and property types, using national Civil Rights context and guidance from NPS using the support of the federal Civil Rights grant.
“Since 2016, the National Park Service has provided over $126 million through this program to document, preserve, and recognize the places and stories associated with the struggle for civil rights of African Americans,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.
The project in Michigan is just one of 39 projects being funded across the country as part of the African American Civil Rights Grants Program. It also includes a grant awarded to Eastern Michigan University to help them in documenting sites associated with the Civil Rights movement on the East side of Detroit.
To learn more about SHPO’s efforts to tell the story of such sites statewide, visit miplace.org/historic-preservation.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.
