Fraser historians digitizing photos

FRASER — Preserving the past sometimes means looking to the future.

The Fraser Historical Commission is looking to preserve its photos and make them more widely available to the public by digitizing them. Commission member Tom Iwanicki volunteered to take on the project, which started in February. The Library of Michigan, under the direction of Biz Gallo, loaned the commission equipment to start the undertaking.

“The goal is to digitize all the photos and documents in the three buildings, the barn, the depot, as well as the house,” Iwanicki said.

Iwanicki said while the project isn’t as big as some cities, it’ll take a bit of time. For now, they’re starting with the photos and seeing where the process takes them. The Fraser photos vary including subjects like people, schools, government buildings and churches. The commission recently received photos of McKinley Airport, which was located where the Meijer at 15 Mile Road and Utica Road currently sits.

“The original project with the Library of Michigan, we wanted to try to get 50 photos done,” Iwanicki said. “Well, we’ve got 300.”

One surprise for Iwanicki during the process was finding out that there was a large fire in downtown Fraser, then a village, in 1905.

“It had a very large fire which wiped out a lot of buildings in there,” Iwanicki said. “It’s been reinvented several times but that fire, early on because things were built of wood, claimed a large part of the village.”

Iwanicki said the photos will be stored at the Library of Michigan and in a cloud account. This is to ensure they’re safe and the digitizing doesn’t need to be redone. He’s looking into potentially making the digitized collection available to those who want to buy a digitized copy for a fee.

“People have asked before,” Fraser Historical Commission Chairwoman Marilyn Wright said at the meeting.

The hope is to make the information more easily accessible.

“That’s pretty much the goal,” Iwanicki said. “Being able to share the history of the city to a bigger audience.”

The original photos are currently available to look at for visitors to the museum, but aren’t available online just yet. Iwanicki is hoping to potentially start that by the end of the summer.

Residents are encouraged to submit photos to the commission if they feel they have historical value. They’re also encouraged to reach out if they’re up for assisting with the digitization. The best way to reach out is to call (586) 294-6633.

“It’s going to be a long project,” Iwanicki said.

 

Baumgartner House sesquicentennial planned
In addition to updating the old photos, the commission is working on updating the Baumgartner House’s curtains and giving the parlor a new rug. Commissioners also want to get signage for the Hemme Barn, detailing the structure’s history. Proceeds from the museum’s shop have gone toward new fencing around the parking lot and garden. This is all leading up to the Baumgartner House’s 150th anniversary next year.

“It’s going to be a big celebration,” Wright said. “We’re working on it a year ahead of time in order to make plans to make it into something big.”

Wright said there would be crafts for the kids, and visitors are encouraged to dress up in period clothing from the time the house was built.

Preparations for the anniversary haven’t been easy. In late 2022, the Baumgartner House experienced flooding when multiple radiator pipes burst.

“It was a cold, cold day,” Wright said. “The pipes just burst inside of the radiators and it was just from the top floor to the main floor. … It was just like a sprinkler.”

This ruined the rug in the parlor. Recently, when the commission tried to wash the curtains, they fell apart.

“It’s just one thing after another being that the house is so old,” Wright said.

She said unpaid volunteers have helped the house endure.

“It feels great that the house is standing that long,” Wright said. “We’re not paid doing this. We’re volunteers keeping up the museum.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Hemme Barn being moved near the house. Iwanicki said the barn was moved to the property in late June. He said parts of the barn may be as old or even older than the house itself.