Menu
Saturday, Sept 9th
10am until 1pm (or until sold out)
Grand Ledge Area District Library Lobby
131 E. Jefferson St.
Grand Ledge
Ticket sale table will be just inside the door next to the elevator.
The Grand Ledge Area Historical Society formed in 1975 in response to the nation’s bicentennial. The Historical Society is a nonprofit that is operated by a 12–14-member board of directors whose purpose is to preserve materials and information relating to the history of the Grand Ledge area, to promote a continuing interest in the area’s history, and to perpetuate the spirit of pride in our historical roots.
The Society hosts a variety of events throughout the year to support its mission and goals. These events include regular educational meetings that are open to all community members, the annual Holiday Traditions Tour, and various fund-raisers.
The building with its high-pitched roof and tall gables is a classic example of Gothic architecture common during the 1870s in Grand Ledge. Popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing in the 1850s, Gothic Revival Buildings were meant to be picturesque and often symmetrical.
Built in 1886, it was once the Grand Ledge fire barn. In the 1940s, it was home to the city offices and, for a time, the police department. It was vacant in 1975 when the non-profit, Ledge Craft Lane, LLC moved in and began leasing from the city. In 2018, Ledge Craft Lane purchased the building from the city.
Furniture Manufacturing can be traced back to the earliest roots of Grand Ledge. Edmund Lampson, the first settler, was trained as a chair maker. He operated a saw mill that also made furniture. George Bull was also a local chair maker in the 1860s.
