Hummel's Hometown 

Brief Bio|History|Attractions|Other Items|Map|Links

Brief Hummel Bio

My name is Christine Hummel.  I live in Kalamazoo, MI but my hometown is Parchment, MI.  As you can see by the picture below my family is not small, but is not real large either.  Included in the photo is my son, my mom and stepdad, my dad and stepmom, my sister and brother-in-law, nephew, my brother, and one of my cousins.  I graduated from Parchment high school in 1983.  I was at Army basic training in Ft. Dix, NJ by November 1983.  My first duty assignment was at Ft. Campbell, KY, where I also had my son.  My military occupational specialty (MOS) was as a Personnel Information Systems Management Specialist (also know as 75F).  From Ft. Campbell I was transferred to Garlstedt, Germany and then to the Presidio, CA.  In 1992, I returned to Michigan and joined the National Guard.  My MOS in the guard was as an Automated Logistics Specialist (also know as 92A).  In 2003 my unit was deployed to Iraq for a year.  While deployed we traveled to Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq.  In Iraq we traveled to many places, such as Baghdad, Camp Dogwood, Taji, Camp Anaconda, and Mosul.  The year in Iraq helped me appreciate things that I have here in the U.S., such as running water, indoor restrooms, and electricity.  My civilian job is as an office associate for The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University.  I have been with the Center almost 10 years and enjoy my work and the people.  I received my associates degree for Business Information in 2005 and began to work on my bachelor's for E-BizD in 2006.

History of Parchment

In 1909, Jacob Kindleberger opened the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company along the Kalamazoo River.  In 1930, Parchment officially became a village with a population of approximately 511.  In 1939 Parchment became a city.  The name Parchment comes from the parchment mill that was the center of the town at that time.  Since the main item produced in Parchment was paper, it also became know as the Paper City, at least until 2000.  The paper mills have changed owners many times over the years.  I grew up with it as Brown Company, then it changed to James River, and the final owner was Crown Vantage.  In 2006 there was a population of approximately 2,000. Many of the residents grew up in Parchment and now their children are also growing up there. 

Parchment is north of Kalamazoo and east of the Kalamazoo river.  The main road that runs through Parchment is Riverview drive. There is only one high school and one middle school in Parchment.  The high school teaches grades 9-12 and the middle school teaches grades 6-8.  The high school still looks like it did when I attended but the middle school went through some remodeling. 

Parchment Attractions          

The one attraction of Parchment that has last throughout the years is Kindleberger Park.  The park is approximately 40 acres and was given to the city of Parchment by the Kindleberger family.  The park has two playgrounds, 2 softball diamonds, a 4 diamond little league complex, a tennis court, a stage for outdoor performances, 3 picnic pavilions that are covered, many paved pathways for walking, running, or riding of bikes, and a sunken formal garden with a gazebo.  The park is a place where many weddings have been performed because of the beautiful landscaping, which includes tall trees, lush grass, and rolling hills.

Interesting Parchment Items

The main drag, as some would refer to it, is only 3 lights long.  The buildings that were there when I was growing up are still there but have changed ownership.  Surprisingly, the pizza shop that was there when I was growing up is still located in the same location in the main part of town.

Map of Parchment

Links

www.multimap.com/world/US/Michigan/Parchment

All other pictures are from my personal albums.