All Posts

In 1854, Jackson was a gathering place for antislavery activists who helped organize a new political movement opposed to the expansion of slavery. Seventy years later, on July 4, 1924, thousands of Ku Klux Klan members marched through the same community as part of one of the top three largest Klan gatherings held in the nation. The two events stand among the more striking contrasts in Jackson County history. The community known for abolitionists, assistance to freedom seekers

Former Brown’s Lake resident Katherine Van Gieson sat comfortably in the chair of her Jackson apartment holding pieces of Brown’s Lake history in her hands; although some would say her very presence is historic. Kay Van Giseon holds Indian artifacts on her property abstract in her Jackson apartment. (Courtesy Linda Hass) At 102 years old, Kay, as her family calls her, is a living repository of Brown’s Lake history, filled with memories that might amaze today’s listeners. Eve

The 2025 Civil War Muster was filled with all the pageantry, color and unpredictable weather that one would expect of the Midwest’s...

If you have eyes, and an appreciation of symbolic reminders of the past, let me suggest a visit this Thursday afternoon to the 1840...

This month, history will come alive once again in Jackson as the Jackson Civil War Muster returns on August 23 and 24, 2025. For 37...