Creating a Campus: A Cartographic Celebration of U-M's Bicentennial

Introduction

Welcome to Creating a Campus: A Cartographic Celebration of U-M’s Bicentennial. In honor of the University of Michigan’s 200th birthday in 2017, this exhibit presents the story of the evolution of the campus, from before its establishment in Ann Arbor to 1963. Drawing on maps, plans, photos and other materials, the exhibit explores the creation and growth of the campus. “Creating a Campus” details the founding of the university in Detroit and the school’s historic move to Ann Arbor. “Growing a Campus” focuses on the plans created to direct the expansion and development of campus as the university continued to grow over the ensuing decades. Highlights include a rare copy of the first official survey of Michigan (1825) and the lost 1840 plan of campus, as portrayed in the 1854 Pettibone map of Ann Arbor. Of particular interest are those plans that depict the campus as it never was.

Creating a Campus

Traversing across its streets and sidewalks, too often we are rarely conscious of the methodical planning that has shaped our..

Growing the Campus: 1850s - 1869

Much like for the rest of the country, the Civil War marked an important turning point in the university’s history..

Wall Maps

The following maps were mounted throughout the Clark Library to supplement the exhibit and provide additional ways to study campus...