Capitol Chronology

The Michigan State Capitol Chronology is a collection of documents including state reports, newspaper articles, personal recollections, speeches, and publication excerpts that chronicle the history of Michigan’s three capitol buildings. It was born in the 1980s out of a need to better understand the complicated and ever-evolving histories of the present Michigan State Capitol, which was about to undergo a massive restoration.

The Chrono, as it is affectionally know to Capitol staff, was created by Jerry Lawler, the longtime Executive Director of the Michigan State Capitol Committee and Capitol Facilities Director, and Kerry Chartkoff, former Michigan State Capitol Historian. Both spent years combing through old newspapers, reports, books, journals, and scrapbooks in the attempt to learn new things about the Capitol, and piece together its fascinating past. Their work is now carried on by a dedicated staff that continues to collect Capitol related documents and information for the Chrono.

Today the Michigan State Capitol Chronology is the largest and most complete collection of Capitol-related materials available for research and study. We hope that you will enjoy exploring it and learning more about the rich and complicated histories of Michigan’s three capitols.  

Please check back regularly to learn more! We plan to continue updating this site with additional Chrono entries in the future.