History Skills Workshops® | Historical Society of Michigan

Hone your skills with our educational workshops

Learn more about a particular topic or hone a skill from experts in different historical fields

Our History Skills Workshops^® are training opportunities for historical organizations and interested history advocates to gain skills that can be applied in museums, organizations, and personal collections. Check out our list of upcoming workshops and learn more about our program below.

Did you know? HSM members receive a discounted rate for our workshops. Learn more about HSM membership here.

Or call (800) 692-1828

Details

Workshops are $49 for members and $89 for nonmembers (price includes a one-year HSM household membership).
Workshops are either virtual or in-person.
Instructions for joining the virtual meeting (and any handouts) will be sent to registered attendees one day prior to the scheduled workshop.
Workshops are not recorded, and HSM is unable to issue refunds for missed attendance.

Upcoming Workshops

NOTE: Registration for each workshop closes the Wednesday prior to the event at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Events

Guiding History Adventures: Creating and Leading Tours

Fri, Apr 25 2025, 9am - 12pm

Virtual

Historic house tours, site tours, cemetery tours, historic district tours, tours for children or adults—all are popular but require preparation to succeed. Learn the steps to create successful tours, including how to recruit and train guides, write scripts, time the events, secure permissions from off-site locations, and decide on fees.

Hands-On Gravestone Restoration

Fri, May 9 2025, 9am - 12pm

IN-PERSON

Looking for the specifics on caring for and restoring gravestones and cemeteries? Meet at the Highland Cemetery in Ypsilanti to join Professor Thomas Henthorn and students of the University of Michigan-Flint’s cemetery preservation program to delve into the different types of headstones, monuments, and markers, and how caring for each can vary. Explore various preservation issues and types of stones, in addition to participating in hands-on cleaning methods.

Do It Yourself! Practical Window Restoration

Fri, May 30 2025, 9am - 12pm

IN-PERSON

Looking to breathing new life into old windows? This hands-on workshop will take you through all the steps of restoring old house windows to their original condition, from stripping paint to re-glazing to the final finish. Learn everything from the basics to the little tricks that will make your home’s window sashes good for another century, as well as more environmentally friendly.

Get the most out of Michigan's history

If you're considering attending one of our workshops, or have participated in a previous one, we encourage you to check out our HSM membership program. With significant discounts to all of our workshops and events, the membership is a great way to save and enjoy all of our additional history content. All HSM members receive event discounts, free access to weekly History Hounds® live lectures and previously recorded lectures, both Michigan History and Chronicle magazines, and more.

Explore Our Memberships

Questions?

We'd love to help! Reach out to our HSM staff today at hsm@hsmichigan.org or by calling us at (517) 324-1828.