“Gals with Gumption” was created to reflect the accomplishments and struggles of women in the city of Ypsilanti. Graduate students from Eastern Michigan University spent four months researching this topic using a variety of primary and secondary sources from local historic sites. After narrowing down an extensive list of possible individuals to focus on, they created the beginning of a tour that promises to continue to grow in the oncoming years. The goal of “Gals with Gumption” is to provide the community, and visitors to it, an opportunity to explore both firsthand and digitally the rich history of women in Ypsilanti.
Students from the graduate programs in Historic Preservation and Women and Gender Studies met during the winter 2013 semester for a new, “Special Topics” course on women’s history. “Interpreting Women’s Lives in Public History Sites,” taught by Professor Nancy Bryk, explores the opportunities and challenges surrounding the interpretation of women in sites such as museums, historic houses, and public sculpture.
Nancy E. Villa Bryk is an Assistant Professor in Eastern Michigan University’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation since August 2011. She teaches historic site interpretation, administration, and curatorship.
If you have any questions or comments on the tour feel free to comment on the page directly or e-mail Nancy Bryk at nbryk@emich.edu
Gals with Gumption 
Great Work!
Great work… Many years ago my grandmother was apart of the Palm Leaf Club in Ypsilanti, MI…. I’m looking up family history because my grandparents Rev. James H. and Evelyn J Reeves contributed allot to the city. and community of Washtenaw County MI. Thank you for sharing!