Michigan SHPO Receives Underrepresented Communities Grant

LANSING, MICH. -- The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the Michigan Strategic Fund has been awarded a $90,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Fund’s Underrepresented Communities Grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), National Park Service (NPS), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today.

The grant funds will hire a preservation consultant to complete a survey of approximately 200 properties in Woodland Park, including residential homes, resort complexes, hotels, and landscape features. The information gathered during the survey will be used to produce a nomination for a historic district in Woodland Park to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under a thematic listing for African American Recreational Tourism in Michigan, which is currently underway.

“This grant will allow the SHPO to continue broadening Michigan’s historical narrative so it more fully reflects the diversity of our state’s history,” said State Historic Preservation Officer Ryan Schumaker. “The survey of Woodland Park, along with the effort to list it in the National Register of Historic Places, is intended to elevate this important historic site and place its story within the broader context of African American recreational tourism in Michigan. We look forward to working with community members and stakeholders to help shine a light on Woodland Park and create greater awareness of this important site.”

Woodland Park is a resort community located in Merrill Township, Newaygo County. It is a significant, early twentieth-century African American resort community, established when segregation and discrimination prevented Black vacationers from freely enjoying most Michigan resort areas and public accommodations, generally. Established by Marion and Ella Auther in 1921, the community was platted over the following decades and developed into an important vacation destination for Michiganders and other travelers from the surrounding Midwestern states. Set in forested terrain and organized around Woodland Lake, Woodland Park was a quieter alternative to Idlewild’s renowned entertainment and nightlife. Like other Black resorts, it declined after the civil rights legislation of the 1960s opened public accommodations to African Americans and reduced the need for separate resorts. Some important public buildings have been lost over time, but others, like the Kelsonia Inn, remain and are tangible connections to this significant part of Michigan history.

“Preserving our nation’s history is about honoring the people, events, and cultures that shaped who we are,” said Jessica Bowron, NPS Comptroller on behalf of the Director. “These grants empower communities to tell their stories, celebrate their heritage, and ensure that future generations can connect with the past in meaningful ways.” 

“The Woodland Park Work Group is beyond thrilled to learn that the project was selected as an awardee of the Underrepresented Communities federal grant," said Ziyadah Shakir of the Woodland Park Work Group. "This grant will support our efforts to preserve Woodland Park's history, culture, and heritage. Through this project we will seek to strengthen the recognition of our place in African American history. The grant will afford us the opportunity to honor the people whose lives, dedication, and commitments have shaped and continue to shape its 103-year-old legacy. It will help ensure that our history is not only recognized but documented and carried forward.”

The Woodland Park project is one of 18 projects funded across the country as part of the Underrepresented Communities Program. This year’s award is the latest in a series of grants received by the Michigan SHPO from the National Park Service’s African American Civil Rights and Underrepresented Communities Grant programs, the combination of which are focused on raising awareness of and preserving sites associated with historically underrepresented communities. To learn more about the SHPO’s efforts to tell the story of the people, events, and sites that shaped our history statewide, visit here.

About the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office

Focused on the historic preservation of culturally or archaeologically significant sites throughout the state, Michigan's State Historic Preservation Office’s main function is to provide technical assistance to local communities and property owners in their efforts to identify, evaluate, designate, interpret and celebrate Michigan’s historic above- and below-ground resources. SHPO also administers an incentives program that includes state and federal tax credits and pass-through grants available to certified local governments. Learn more about the State Historic Preservation Office.

The Woodland Park Historic District Survey and National Register project is being supported in part by an Underrepresented Communities grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, under Grant Number P26AP02038. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads.