Midland County Historical Society Launches New Podcast

While embarking on a path of collecting over 100 oral history testimonials from residents of Midland County, the Midland County Historical Society has now launched a podcast to share these stories with the community. Originating from a grant received by Michigan Humanities, Midland In Our Own Words was launched and available on all podcast platforms for listening.

“This is an exciting launch for the Historical Society to further our efforts to make the archives and lived experiences in Midland County more easily accessible for our community to enjoy,” said Jake Huss, Historical Programs Manager at Midland Center for the Arts. The podcast, which releases multiple new episodes bi-weekly, encapsulates the oral history events, and then transformed into an engaging audio segment for public enjoyment.

The podcast, created through a partnership with Tridge Media Productions, features stories from prominent Midland voices like Vern Fauver and Cheryl Levy, and dives into the perspectives of those like Coach Ernest Carter who taught and coached in the Midland Public School system for 32 years.

“As a Midland-based company, we are thrilled to partner with the Center and Midland County Historical Society to bring these incredible stories to podcast form with Midland In Our Own Words,” said Dan Tuma, Co-Founder of Tridge Media Productions. “This is our opportunity to ensure these stories, and the voices of these individuals, come forth for our friends and neighbors to enjoy, and to enlighten the future historians and residents of Midland County for many generations to come,” added Adam Ferman, Co-Founder of Tridge Media Productions.

The Historical Society’s oral history project has sought out to capture over 100 hours of oral interviews from community members in Midland County, sharing their stories relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating 500-year flood, racial injustice in society, and much more. The Historical Society is utilizing the digital platform, Zoom, to record and facilitate these discussions, with each conversation hosted by a local historian or volunteer.

Midland In Our Own Words is available now and can be experienced on all popular podcast platforms. The Midland County Historical Society archives, programs and operates facilities maintained, housed and administered by Midland Center for the Arts. For more information, visit MidlandCenter.org

The Oral History Project is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.