EMU Today

YPSILANTI – In 2023, the City of Ypsilanti celebrates its bicentennial, and several Eastern Michigan University students, alumni, and professors are helping to commemorate the occasion with a book. Ypsilanti Histories: A Look Back at the Last Fifty Years is the joint effort of nearly forty local historians. The book is edited by EMU History Professor John McCurdy and Ypsilanti Historical Society President Bill Nickels.

“The history of Ypsilanti has been written before,” said Professor McCurdy. “On the occasion of the city’s centennial in 1923, several community members worked to produce the Story of Ypsilanti, and this account was updated for the sesquicentennial. But we don’t have a good account of the monumental changes that have rocked Ypsilanti since 1973, so we decided the focus on the last fifty years for the bicentennial.”

Ypsilanti Histories is a collection of essays. The book captures various experiences, from the university mascot to school consolidation, while celebrating the city’s oldest African American civic organization and the pioneering Ypsilanti Heritage Foundation. Beloved businesses like the Ypsilanti Food Coop and Ypsilanti Thrift Shop are profiled. George Goodman and Medal of Honor recipient Charles Kettles are also featured. Topics include deindustrialization and its challenges to Michigan Avenue, Depot Town, and neighborhoods. 

To write the essays, McCurdy and Nickels asked community members to lend their experience and expertise to the project. Former mayors and city councilors contributed essays, as did several community leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners. EMU is well represented in Ypsilanti Histories. McCurdy and other history faculty members Kathy Chamberlain, Mary-Elizabeth Murphy, and Steven Ramold contributed an essay. Several authors are EMU alumni, including Tom Warner, Evan Milan, and Janice Anschuetz, and one, Connor Ashley, is currently completing his master’s degree in history and preservation studies at EMU. 

“Ypsilanti Histories would have never happened without the generous support of the community,” McCurdy said. “In addition to the authors, we are indebted to several local institutions for this book.” The layout of Ypsilanti Histories was generously provided without cost by Fifth Avenue Press, the imprint of the Ann Arbor District Library. Funds to print copies of the book were generously provided by Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dana Heller, the Ypsilanti Historical Society, and the City of Ypsilanti. 

Copies of Ypsilanti Histories will be available for purchase at the Book Release Party at the Ypsilanti District Library, 5577 Whittaker Rd. in Ypsilanti, MI 48197, on July 16, from 2 - 4 p.m. Books can also be obtained from the Ypsilanti Historical Society and John McCurdy (jmccurdy@emich.edu). Ypsilanti Histories is available for $20, and all proceeds from the book sale will go to the Ypsilanti Historical Society.

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 14,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.