As part of the events to celebrate National Library Awareness Month, the Ypsilant District Library hosted local historian Peter Fletcher finished up the Spring leg of the “Historic Homes Series.” Mr. Fletcher’s talk, “Urban Renewal Circa 1850,” focused on interesting anecdotes of some of Ypsilanti’s most interesting homes.

We learned how the Gilbert Residence came to be, why there are no pastel bricks at the corner of Pearl and Ballard, as well as the more famous stops on the Underground Railroad. The series will continue in the Fall, and the library is taking suggestions as to what other topics people would like to hear.

This brings up an interesting question: Who is the true historian of Ypsilanti?