Search

President's correspondence, executive committee minutes, and minutes of annual conventions; also files on individual churches in the Synod, including clippings, reports, church histories and programs; and photographs.

The records of the Michigan Synod of the Lutheran Church in America include president's correspondence; executive committee minutes; and minutes of annual conventions; files on individual churches in the Synod, including clippings, reports, church histories and programs; and photographs. The records have been arranged into the following series: Organizational and Administrative Records; Archivist's files; Organizational units and programs; Lutheran Church Women; Printed material; Church files; Topical files; and Visual Materials. Most of the records prior to 1962 originally came from the archives of United Lutheran Church in America.

The Penrod/Hiawatha Company collection is mainly comprised of postcards, although some supplemental photographic items directed toward tourists is also included. The postcards, numbering more than 5,000, primarily are of the Michigan landscape and its towns and cities, covering every region of the state. Typical postcard themes dominate, particularly natural scenery, outdoor recreation, and shopping districts. The postcards date from the 1950s through the opening decades of the twenty-first century, although very few display copyright dates. The collection is divided into the following series.

1. Non-Postcard Items (calendars, brochures, booklets): Box 1
2. Non-Penrod/Hiawatha Postcards: Box 2
3. Penrod/Hiawatha Postcards, 1970s-1990s: Boxes 2-5
4. Penrod/Hiawatha Postcards, mid- to late 1990s: Boxes 5-6
5. Penrod/Hiawatha Postcards, late 1990s-2000): Boxes 6-7
6. Penrod/Hiawatha Postcards, 2001-2004: Box 8
7. Penrod/Hiawatha Postcards, 2005-2014: Box 9
8. Oversize and miscellaneous: Box 10

As batches of postcards are received every years, it was decided to arrange the items in blocks of time according to the date of their accession. Thus for the researcher interested in a specific city, it will be necessary to examine the listing for each of the series.

Developed by the J.L. Hudson company as one of the first enclosed shopping centers in the United States. Originally built in Nankin Township, Michigan, the area would rename itself after the shopping center and become the city of Westland. Includes photographs of events held at the shopping center during the 1980s and 1990s, video histories of Hudson's, and printed brochures and pamphlets.

The Westland Shopping Center collection primarily consists of the records of the mall during the 1990s and 2000s, although some material related to its opening date in the 1960s. Two VHS videocassettes, produced during the 1990s, provide a history of the J.L. Hudson company. Also included are pamphlets and brochures, certificates, and an issue of a magazine documenting the building and opening of the mall from 1965.

Photographs and photo albums from the 1990s and 2000s make up the bulk of the collection, depicting employees taking part in company events and performing typical job duties. The oversize volume contains photographs of staff members at Hudson company events, while an oversize framed item features a group staff photograph from the 1990s. The oversize folder houses posters with pictures of Christmas time at Westland Shopping Center which would always attract many visitors.