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In this day and age, when most townies head to Detroit Metro Airport to travel by commercial airplane, it's easy to overlook our own small airfield. In the 1920s--"The Golden Age of Aviation"--Ann Arbor Municipal Airport (ARB/KARB) was front page news. In October of 1928, many well-dressed men and women gathered together on the far edge of our town to celebrate this great achievement. Popping champagne would have been appropriate, if not for prohibition. This was a story of progress, a source of local pride, the scene of many ladies in cloche hats, and a few gentlemen sporting leather aviator caps with large earflaps.

1925 - A Flying Field?

With major advancements in aviation, many airports surfaced across the state of Michigan in the 1920s. On July 2, 1925, an Ann Arbor Times News editorial declared "A flying field, with all the modern conveniences for aviators, is being discussed unofficially in official circles of Ann Arbor...No community of any size will want to be without a landing place within a decade or less." The idea of a local airport was appealing, but ultimately went dormant for a year.

Hackley Butler, park commissioner and Eli A. Gallup, park superintendent, started the movement for Ann Arbor's Municipal Airport in July of 1926.

A large section of Joseph Beal Steere's property, bordered to the north by Ellsworth Road, would eventually become the Ann Arbor Airport. State Street indicated in blue. - Pittsfield Township Plat Map, 1895.
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Looking For A Washtenaw County Obituary?

To request an obituary for the greater Ann Arbor area, email the Ann Arbor District Library Archives at archives@aadl.org. Staff will conduct a search and contact you with any results.

Foreward

Community High School (CHS) is an alternative public high school serving grades 9-12 located at 401 North Division Street in Ann Arbor's historic Kerrytown District. It was one of the first magnet schools to arise from a nation-wide wave of experimental schools that drew on the social movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was specifically influenced by social and political activism in Ann Arbor at the time.

It could have been a quintessential success story about a young entrepreneur-scientist starting a hobby in the basement of his home and within 20 years turning it into a multi-million-dollar international business.

Since 1965, the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ) has inspired, educated, and mobilized people to unite across differences and to act from their shared ethical and spiritual values in pursuit of peace with social and environmental justice. The Ann Arbor District Library, in partnership with ICPJ, has pulled together hundreds of photos, local news articles, and documents spanning five decades of social justice advocacy and activism in our community.

From the very beginning, in 1965, this organization (and its supporters) has envisioned a world free from violence, including the violence of war, poverty, oppression, and environmental devastation. The core of ICPJ’s work over the past five decades has come from a number of volunteer-led program areas and working groups. These program committees bring people together from a variety of religions and backgrounds to work on specific peace and justice issues.

In the past ICPJ has hosted working groups focused on the Prevention of Gun Violence, No Weapons/No War – alternatives to military engagement, Common Ground for Peace in Israel/Palestine among many other issues. Recent areas of work have included Racial and Economic Justice, Climate Change and Earth Care, Latin American Human Rights Issues, Hunger/Poverty and most recently a themed year (2015) exploring Food & Justice with a 2016 focus on Income Inequality and Racial Justice coming up.

Please take a moment to explore the rich history of this important social justice organization. Below are some of the themes, work groups, and events during 50 years of ICPJ history in Ann Arbor:

Hunger: Since 1975 ICPJ has organized the annual Washtenaw County CROP Hunger Walks as an interfaith response to local and world hunger. Over the last 28 years walkers from some 50 area congregations and schools have raised more than one million dollars to assist both local and international agencies in relieving hunger and addressing its root causes. ICPJ works closely with Bread for the World in education, action and advocacy efforts; provides resources for congregations and groups doing programs about world hunger; and cooperates with area agencies in raising community awareness and soliciting funds.

Latin America: The Latin American Task Force devotes itself to education and action on Latin America concerns, especially U.S. policy in that region. It stands in solidarity with the movement to close the U.S. Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly the School of Americas), as its graduates have committed atrocities across Latin America, leading many to consider it to be a “School of Assassins.” The task force also organizes educational programs about the U.S. military presence in Colombia and Honduras and how corporate globalization affects the poor in Latin America. Related events reflected in our photo history are: School of Assassins Watch (SOAW) events, ICPJ's early involvement with the establishment of our Sister Cty in Juigalpa, Nicaragua, and the events associated with the Religious Coalition on Latin America (RCLA).

Dozens of other topics and events are represented in the Photos collection, including annual Hiroshima Day events and Nuclear Disarmament protests; and programs and events associated with ICPJ's Middle East Task Force (METF). You will also find photos of ICPJ's participation in parades, at numerous vigils, and many other local and national events.