Happy Birthday

Historical Society

of Battle Creek!

On January 12, 1916, the Historical Society of Battle Creek was founded.

For additional information on the history of the Historical Society of Battle Creek, click here.

One of the first projects of the newly-formed Historical Society was to collect many of the photographs of the early city.  J.H. Brown then re-photographed a great number of  these images. Without his work these original images would not have been preserved!

photos:  top: Group of pioneers. This photo may have been taken to commemorate the chartering of the 1st National Bank of Battle Creek in 1865: standing l to r - Dr. Edw. Cox, Geo. Wakefield, Alonzo Noble, Loyal C. Kellogg; seated l to r - John Adams, Jr., Wm Andrus, and John Adams.

bottom: One of the first street scenes of Battle Creek, taken looking north on N. Jefferson (Capital Avenue NE) toward Van Buren Street in the 1850s.

To see previous weeks of BC Black Squirrel's History Highlights click here...

History Highlights 

Week of February 7, 2010

February 12, 1838 – The Bank of Battle Creek files articles of incorporation, with town founder Sands McCamly as president.  The bank was incorporated under the state’s liberal “wildcat” banking laws which allowed banks to print their own money.  There were few regulations about the amount of hard cash had to be available to back up this currency.  McCamly’s bank failed a year later in February 1839.

February 8, 1923 – The development of Leila Arboretum gets underway as surveyors established the boundaries of the 72 acre tract.  The land was the gift to the city of Leila Post Montgomery, widow of cereal magnate C. W Post.  The park was being developed by landscape architect T. Clifton Shepard, who was also doing Irving Park at the same time.  The plan for the arboretum was to plant “one of every type of tree that can thrive in Michigan.”  The majority of the original planting was completed by 1930.

February 13, 1926 – The first 12 “traffic controllers,” or overhead traffic lights, are installed in downtown Battle Creek.  There was only one accident reported, when the smokestack of an interurban train hit one of the new signals.  Before this, traffic control at major downtown intersections was done by an innovative system of semaphore flags, developed in 1920 by Police Chief LaVerne Fonda. Policemen stood in sidewalk booths and regulated traffic flow by raising and lowering flags by remote control.

Greetings!  During the coldest winter months in Michigan, Kimball House Museum closes down programming.  However, that does not mean the organization closes!  During this time plans and preparations are being made for new exhibits and new research work is completed at the Research Center.  There is plenty to be done before March so if you are interested in helping, contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone 269-966-4157!

The complete spring schedule will be posted soon!

FOR MORE INFORMATION...

 Join us on Facebook - Heritage Battle Creek!

To unite Battle Creek with its past and to proudly celebrate its collective heritage. -- Leading the way to a better future by building on the past.

Heritage Battle Creek consists of Kimball House Museum, Research Center and Community Archives, Sojourner Truth Institute and the Historical Society of Battle Creek