History   

• What Is This Tool? 

• IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom, 2275 Platt Road

  Join us for a hands-on session puzzling over dozens of mostly odd and unfamiliar tools, hardware, and other objects, some of which have not been identified, and many of which are distinctly old. Many of these metal, wood, and other objects come from past trades or practices, or are not readily available outside of museums. You will have an opportunity to add your own expertise, and perhaps uncover the nature and origin of some of these oddball items. Elderwise Learning participants will certainly recognize more of these curios than will their children and grandchildren! Tom Friedlander is a retired University of Michigan trained tree-and-shrub taxonomist who spent 38 years teaching and coaching at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor.

  

   

• Fee: $20.00

• Instructor(s): Tom Friedlander

• Dates: 5/26/2026 - 5/26/2026

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: Tu

• Building: 2275 Platt Road

  Room: Classroom

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• Ken Burns: Thomas Jefferson 

• IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom, 2275 Platt Road

  On July 4 of this year, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's birth. At risk to their lives, a group of American colonial leaders signed a Declaration of Independence from Great Britian. The document's stirring words were principally authored by a young soft-spoken farmer from Virginia, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson went on to play a pivotal role in shaping the new nation's democracy. He served as Vice President under both George Washington and John Adams, then as America's third President for eight years, then as Minister to France, then as Governor of Virginia, and founder of the University of Virginia. Along the way, he doubled the size of the new nation by negotiating the Louisiana Purchase from France, wrote eight books, learned multiple languages, discovered plant species unknown to botanists, and insisted that slavery be banned from the Northwest Ordinance states. John Stewart is a retired software developer with degrees in biology from the University of Michigan. He is in awe of the career of Ann Arbor high school graduate, Ken Burns. 

  

   

   

   

• Fee: $40.00

• Instructor(s): John Stewart

• Dates: 6/2/2026 - 6/9/2026

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 2

  Days: Tu

• Building: 2275 Platt Road

  Room: Classroom

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• Sutherland-Wilson Farmstead Tour 

• OFFSITE TOUR: 797 W. Textile Road, Ann Arbor

  This class has an enrollment limit of 20. A waitlist will be available.
  
  Please let the Elderwise office know if, after registering, you are unable to attend this class. This gives students on the waitlist an opportunity to join. It also helps the onsite class assistant have an accurate roster.

  The Past IS Worth Preserving. Join us for a story of the Sutherlands and Wilsons. This tour of the Sutherland-Wilson farm includes a presentation on the history of Pittsfield Township, as well as the six generations who lived in this home. We will explore the house, barn, and outbuildings, and learn how they have been renovated over the years by the Pittsfield Township Historical Society. If you enjoy local history, you will enjoy this tour. Carol Pollack-Rundle, a retired ophthalmic technologist at Michigan Medicine, has been interested in history for years. She is a charter member of the Pittsfield Township Historical Society and has served as its treasurer for four years. She is also a house docent and owes her knowledge of the house to other members of the historical society, especially Ed and Mary Ellen Wall, the authors of many books on Pittsfield Township history. Additional important information will be emailed to class registrants a few days before the tour.

  

  

   

   

• Fee: $20.00

• Instructor(s): Carol Pollack-Rundle

• Dates: 6/5/2026 - 6/5/2026

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: F

• Building: Offsite

  Room: Sutherland-Wilson Farmstead, Ann Arbor

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