A day-long event made up of six programs exploring various aspects of Grand Rapids history. Presented by area historians and members of historical and cultural organizations, topics are varied and reflect the unique heritage of West Michigan. Topics include: Lawrence C. Earle is Grand Rapids’ First Artist African American Women in Turn-of-the-Twentieth Century Grand Rapids […]

Known for its thriving medical institutions, it may surprise many that the very existence of a medical field in Grand Rapids is the result of the efforts of three different groups of charitable nineteenth-century women. Founders and leaders of medical charities in this city’s early history, these women were gradually pushed from the center of […]

You have another chance to catch this program and its tremendous visuals! World War I had a surprising impact on women and they, in turn, had tremendous impact on the war -- far greater than is generally known. This program will tell the story of American women as citizens during the largest wartime mobilization of […]

Then & Now: The 2018 Completion of a 1918 Collection Join us for our signature women's history month event - the GGRWHC reception and brief annual meeting! Mingle with friends new and old during our cocktail hour, get an update on our year-in-review, and stay to learn about and celebrate the work behind the now-digitized […]

Twenty years after their Grandfather Del Havens died, sisters Lynne Doele and Dr. Deb Havens discovered a secret that stunned their entire family: a box of pictures and post cards from their grandfather’s post-World War I service in Europe. Among them were sad messages from a mysterious woman named Dora Gallner, claiming to be his […]

Once again we will present at the MHA Conference. Admission is free, open to the public, and includes a complimentary lunch on both days - click here to RSVP. Our programs this year conclude a three-year GGRWHC project illustrating women's initiatives to register women for work during WWI and to create a home defense. Most […]

Back by popular demand, the GGRWHC will take to the streets to honor parading suffragists from a hundred years ago. Meet us at the corner of Calvin and Alexander at 8am & join the fun with bands, bicyclists, candy, and placards! To quote a past participant: this event is “oddly exhilarating”!

United States suffragists persisted for over 70 years and four generations organizing referenda, circulating countless petitions, and giving speeches, even though they were frequently harassed and ridiculed just because they wanted the right to vote. Finally on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment guaranteeing universal suffrage became the law of the land. In order to […]

Melanie Daniel (Canadian, b.1972)Sharing (detail) 2018Oil on Canvas Learn more about these women artists during a docent led tour at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). Join the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council for an evening of art at GRAM. One of GRAM’s docents will guide us through the gallery featuring Maya Lin: Flow […]