The Great Lakes Bay Area of Michigan has a few interesting examples of medievalism and the medieval.
Sadly, the pandemic has moved out conference online, but you can still enjoy a virtual visit to these local sites:
The Castle Museum, Saginaw
Built as a post-office in 1898, the building was commissioned in a “French Renaissance Revival” style to reflect the French influence as the first European presence in the area. This gives the museum its “medieval” look – and its name.
Learn more about the Castle museum in this brief video by Delta College History Department’s Dr Amy French.
Hoyt Public Library, Saginaw
Close to the Castle Museum, this is another public library in Saginaw with a distinctive “medieval” look, including a “heavy Romanesque exterior.”
Sanilac PetroglyphsIn the era that Europeans call “the Middle Ages,” the indigenous people of Michigan were creating these petroglyphs, the largest collection of such Native American designs in the state. Known as ezhibiigadek asin in the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) language, the symbols represent figures and concepts from the religious life of the Anishinaabe people.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival takes place each fall at Holly, MI, about an hour south of the Delta campus. This design is from a t-shirt that was worn by an employee at the festival in 1991.
Send your own suggestions for “Michigan Medievalisms” to medievalism2021@gmail.com
