Search

The Horace M. Huffman, Jr. Files series (1.7 linear feet) contains the files kept by Huffman who served variously as trustee, vice-president of Membership, Executive Committee secretary and chairman of Building and Grounds Committee. Files relating to the many roles he played in the organization can be found among the contents listing. The extent of Huffman's files indicates the degree of his influence on LTC, given the fact that he was not officially involved with all of the activities that they detail.

The series consists of topical files arranged alphabetically, with the items within the files in chronological order. These files span the duration of Huffman's tenure at LTC, not just his period as Executive Committee secretary, bearing witness to his strong guiding hand in the affairs of the organization, both in official capacities and from behind the scenes. The Colonial Point-Burt Lake file contains photographs of red oak trees in the Colonial Point Forest and the Office, Powell Road file has photographs of the renovated office exterior.

Other significant items in the series include correspondence relating to the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, of which Huffman was a founder and strong supporting member, and which shared office space with the Little Traverse Conservancy. Part of its role is ensuring clean waterways in the region, and its stance is one of more open advocacy than is LTC's. The Inland Lakes Program file was compiled by Huffman as part of the Watershed Council rather than LTC and contains a letter with a brief description of how the two organizations differ.

It should be noted that the files entitled "Cement Plant, Petoskey," "Dundee Cement Plant," and "Holnam Project" all refer to the same endeavor: the attempt by LTC to secure the site of a former cement plant in Petoskey (owned by the Holnam Company, which has another, active plant in Dundee, in southeastern lower Michigan) for preservation. During this same time, a developer by the name of LoPatin was in competing negotiations with Holnam to purchase the site in order to turn it into a resort area.