The Pioneer Society of the County Washtenaw was formed on December 17, in 1857when 19 citizens of Ann Arbor called for “a county convention for the purpose of forming a County Historical Association” to be composed of anyone from the townships who cared to attend” .

The group met again on January 13, 1858 to adopt the constitution and elect officers. The Honorable Munnis Kinney of Webster Township was elected president. The object was "to collect and preserve the history of the first settlement and growth of Washtenaw County, and to publish the same from time to time as shall be deemed advisable."

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The newsletter Impressions was "published occasionally by the Washtenaw Historical Society" as early as 1941. It began as a summary of the program from the meetings. Over the years, articles about local history were added. Many of them were writtem and edited by local historians Geneva Smyth, Karl Guthe, Lela Duff, Alice Ziegler, Susan Wineberg and Laura Bien. Many feature guest writers and lots of photos. This page will be updated as we discover more issues in the archive!

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