| ABOUT THE MUSEUM
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The Grand Blanc Heritage Association is located at 203 E. Grand Blanc Road in the City Hall complex. Founded in 1972, it is incorporated by the State of Michigan as a not-for-profit, educational, public service organization. The function of the Association is to discover, document, collect, preserve, research and exhibit any tangible materials that help to establish or illustrate the history of the community and surrounding area.
In 1976 the City of Grand Blanc gave the Association a single room to display items collected from its members. The Heritage Museum has since grown to two floors filled with exhibits. These items have been donated to the Association for the education and enjoyment of the community. The Museum is administered by the Grand Blanc Heritage Association Board of Directors, and is operated by volunteers.
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| ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
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Activities of the Museum include: five newsletters a year, monthly member programs, tours, genealogical information and research, quilting and weaving, research for State Historical markers, preservation of the Heritage Museum building, transcription of letters, diaries, ledgers and public records, restoration and electronic preservation of photographs, and publishing books of local history. Special public events include: Memorial Day Weekend Open House, Old-Fashioned Christmas Program, and a Bi-Annual Quilt Show.
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| QUILTMAKING
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The Museum Piece-rs meet every Wednesday, year around, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The group makes a quilt that is raffled in the spring to provide funding for the Heritage Museum. They also provide help to those that inquire about quilts and quilting. Visitors and new members are welcome.
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| WEAVING
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Museum members operate several looms on the upper level, producing rag rugs which are available for sale through the gift shop.
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To schedule a tour or request information, please call the museum directly at (810) 694-7274
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Dan Harrett, Director
203 E. Grand Blanc Road
(810) 694 - 7274
Open WEDNESDAYS
10 AM-2 PM
The museum building as built in 1885 as the First Congregational Church of Grand Blanc.
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| CLUBS & MEETING TIMES
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These clubs and organizations hold their regular meetings in the Museum lower level:
| EGA Creative Stitchers |
1st Wednesdays, 7PM |
| Touch The Earth Garden Club |
2nd Tuesdays, 7PM |
| Flint Antique and Collectors Club |
2nd Thursdays, 7PM |
| Bee Gee Bead Club |
2nd Fridays, 10AM-2PM |
| ANG (American Needlepoint Guild) |
3rd Wednesdays, 7PM |
| Crazy Quilt Club |
4th Fridays, 10AM-2PM |
| Grand Blanc Arts Council |
4th Wednesdays, 7PM |
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| GIFT SHOP
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The Museum has a variety of items for sale in the gift shop on the lower level. These include tote bags and needlework sewn by members of the Museum Piece-rs, postcards of vintage area photographs, and many books of local history:
Footsteps Through the ‘Great White’ Country - $7.00
A Pioneer History of Grand Blanc Township - $15.00
The George Willis Butts Family - $20.00
1870 Federal Census- Grand Blanc Town & Township - $6.00
1880 Federal Census- Grand Blanc Town & Township - $5.00
The following stocked books are published by the Flint Genealogical Society:
Maple (Gibson) Cemetery Burial Records 1835-1997 - $6.00
Perry-McFarlan Cemetery Burial Records 1834-2000 - $10.00
Gen. Co. MI Burial Records Vol. V Evergreen Cemetery - $15.00
Weddings & Obituaries Scrapbooks-Goodrich/Atlas/Grand Blanc:
Volume I: 1894-1937 - $12.00
Volume II: 1904-1937 - $15.00
Volume III: 1929-1942 - $15.00
Gr. Blanc Twp Consolidated School Scrapbook 1921-1942: $15
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| HERITAGE ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
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| President |
Lorene Wilson |
| Vice President |
Carole Harrett |
| Recording Secretary |
Ginny Knag |
| Corresponding Sec. |
Helene Fowler |
| Treasurer |
Chuck Henson |
| Asst. Treasurer |
Gary Goodman |
| Trustee |
Jane Brewer |
| Trustee |
Jerry Seamans |
| Trustee/Quilt Chair |
Janet Seamans |
| Museum Director |
Dan Harrett |
| Museum Curator |
Dorothy Schlaud |
| Historian |
Valetta Calder |
| Genealogist |
John Schlaud |
| Hospitality |
Jean Darnell |
| Sunshine |
Retta Green |
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| MEMBERSHIP
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Grand Blanc Heritage Association memberships are as follows:
| Student |
$ 1 |
| Individual |
$ 10 |
| Family |
$ 15 |
| Contributing |
$ 20 |
| Sustaining |
$ 30 |
| Life (Individual) |
$ 100 |
| Life (Couple) |
$ 150 |
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| MECHANICAL MUSIC
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The Museum has a variety of working musical instruments from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Outstanding among these is a fully restored and operational 1922 Bush & Lane/Farrand player piano. Visitors are invited to test their latent musical talents on this vintage instrument, using the museum’s extensive library of vintage and current music rolls.
A recent addition to the museum’s collection is an 1875 Estey Style 14 reed organ. This instrument has moved on to a second life as a museum exhibit, having previously served as the music source in the late 19th century, when the museum building was the Congregational Church of Grand Blanc. Recent restoration efforts have brought back the glorious sounds of this handsome instrument.
The parlor/music room contains two working examples of early recorded music machines. A 1905 Edison Standard talking machine (left) and a 1916 Victor Victrola provide high-fidelity (circa 1900) musical entertainment for visitors.
A non-working Phonoharp Celestaphone (zither) is also on display.
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