Help Us Preserve Frankenmuth’s History!

Frankenmuth Historical has always relied on the generosity of members and residents who, over the years, have donated approximately 95% of our collection. At times, they have even bid at auctions and donated their purchases to the Museum. They not only made it possible to preserve many important artifacts, but also to document and preserve the stories which these artifacts illustrate.

A few “illustrations” are still needed to tell the stories of Frankenmuth, Frankentrost, Richville and Frankenlust. Although no list can be complete, the following are objects we hope to add to the collection.

• Locally made items with information on their makers (examples: Springerle boards, handmade tools, women’s crafts, Fraktur work, small quilts/wall hangings.)

• Toys and childhood objects

• Photographs of school interiors and children at play



• Clothing, especially work clothes, Bavarian Festival Princess Dirndls, black wedding dresses, and German immigrants’ clothing.
• Holiday decorations, holiday-related recipes, and photographs.
• Objects, documents and photographs relating to being German in Frankenmuth from 1917-1946 (scrap brigade, bond sales, and relief efforts)
• Objects, documents, photographs and stories relating to clamming or cutting ice on the
  Cass River.
• Objects, documents and photographs relating to local rifle clubs (Schuetzenverein)

• Objects/documents relating to midwifery or to the following doctors: Kahn, Sarles, Friedrich.
• Objects, documents and photographs relating to political opinion in Frankenmuth before 1910
• A Gus Beyerlein fishing rod
• Letters (English or German) and anything written in Old German Script
• Minutes of Frankenmuth clubs and bands
• Diaries
• Business ledgers
• The following issues (only) of Der Lutheraner: 1846, 1849, 1850, 1855, 1856, 1858, 1866,
  and 1868.
• Books with Frankenmuth Township Library bookplates
• St. Lorenz and public elementary school yearbooks.
• Frankenmuth High School yearbooks (1959, 1963, 1973, 1974, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2008).
• The following schoolbooks (English or German):

Nelson/Holcomb readers (1860s)
Towns/Holbrook readers (1860s)
Progressive readers (1860s)
Sheldon’s readers (1880s)
Thompson’s arithmetic (pre 1883)
Mitchell’s geography for Michigan
Colton’s geography (1880s)
Pinneo’s grammer (pre-1883)
Whitney/Lockwood grammar (1904-1916)
Parley’s United States History (1860s)
W. C. Hewitt’s Civil Government (post-1887)
“Yaggy’s Anatomical Charts” (post-1887)
Webster’s speller (1870’s)

Aerial images of Frankenmuth

Identified photographs of St. Lorenz confirmation classes for years:
1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1911, 1913, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1938, 1939, pre-1900 and post-1941 and identified photographs of St. John’s, Frankenmuth confirmation classes (any year).

… and anything you consider important about life in Frankenmuth today!

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