Looking Back

Published April 16, 2018

Early Birmingham resident noted in 19th-century chautauqua scene

BIRMINGHAM — Before families tuned into television or even the radio for information, there were the chautauqua programs. Farmers in small towns and villages out in the countryside would gather together to hear lectures on a variety of subjects, hear about current events and enjoy a little live entertainment.

Published April 16, 2018

Royal Oak Review

Green infrastructure report to help city implement improvements

ROYAL OAK — On April 9, the City Commission heard from representatives who worked on a 2017 Royal Oak stormwater management study for green infrastructure, which identifies green infrastructure and stormwater management options to reduce the amount of water entering the city’s sewer system.

Published April 16, 2018

Royal Oak Review

Royal Oak City Commission reduces public comment from 5 to 3 minutes

ROYAL OAK — On April 9, the Royal Oak City Commission voted 5-2 to reduce its public comment time limit from five minutes to three minutes. The resolution included the caveat that the commission would revisit the rule in four months if any problems arise.

Published April 10, 2018

Royal Oak Review

Clawson Women’s Club celebrates 50th anniversary

CLAWSON — The organization that is now known as the General Federation of Women’s Clubs Clawson Women’s Club is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year.

Published April 10, 2018

Southfield Sun

Task force commemorates 50th anniversary of MLK assassination

Members of Girl Scout Troop 40347 rang a bell 39 times April 4 to signify the 39 years Martin Luther King Jr. spent on this Earth.

Published April 10, 2018

Woodward Talk

Huge fire in Berkley happened 40 years ago this month

A fire can start anywhere and take any size, and just a couple of blocks away from the 12 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway intersection, what some call the largest fire to ever occur in Berkley took place.

Musician, songwriter and storyteller Michael Deren gets into character March 21 while displaying artifacts related to the Erie Canal at Macomb Community College’s Lorenzo Cultural Center in Clinton Township.

Published April 5, 2018

C&G Newspapers

Traveling back in time on the Erie Canal

MACOMB COUNTY — The Erie Canal — the waterway that begins at the Hudson River in New York and drains into Lake Erie — is 363 miles long.

Published April 3, 2018

Roseville - Eastpointe Eastsider

Belgian museum gives residents a glimpse into their past

Learning your family’s history has a lot of benefits, including being able to pass it on to future generations.

Published March 28, 2018

Woodward Talk

Looking Back: Berkley Historical Museum

rding to Berkley Historical Museum Vice Chairman Jeffrey Tong, Hamlet Harris in 1839 bought 40 acres of land for $1.25 an acre in what became Berkley. Hamlet’s wife, Jane, had been a slave and Hamlet bought her freedom. When he was allowed to vote for the first time, it is said that “Tears ran down Hamlet’s cheeks as he repeated several times, ‘Now I am a man.’” The house he built still stands on what became Catalpa Drive, near Woodward Avenue.

Published March 26, 2018

Farmington Press

Looking Back: Farmington Civic Theater, 1940s to today

FARMINGTON — Movies and air conditioning were both big draws for the Farmington Civic Theater, as the sign in this late 1940s photo suggests.

Published March 26, 2018

Mount Clemens - Clinton - Harrison Journal

Looking Back: South River Road School, 1874

South River Road School one-room schoolhouse sat in what is now Harrison Township. Jacob Hatzenbuhler sold a corner of his farm for $25 as the site for the new school in 1874. Since most of the students were named Hatzenbuhler, conjecture has it that he wanted to keep his kids close to home. Today his land is the site of South River Elementary School.

Published March 23, 2018

St. Clair Shores Sentinel

Looking Back: 1954 fire truck

ST. CLAIR SHORES — This is the “delivery photo” that was taken Aug. 23, 1954, the day the new fire truck arrived at the St. Clair Shores Fire Department.

Published March 12, 2018

Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

Looking Back: The Civil War adventures of Birmingham’s John Bigelow

BIRMINGHAM — In 1861, John Bigelow tried to enlist in the Union Army. Bigelow was initially rejected because of a hand injury he had sustained while working in a mill as a teen. But he persisted and got an officer to swear him in for limited clerical duty.

Published February 27, 2018

Rochester Post

Looking Back: The 1928 Rochester High School football team

ROCHESTER — During the 1920s, Rochester schools experienced an exciting period of advancement. A quote from the book “One-Hundred Years of Rochester Schools,” by Dr. Max Mallon, explains.

Published February 22, 2018

Mount Clemens - Clinton - Harrison Journal

Looking Back: Winter 1938

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — The winter of 2018 has been rough, with all the snow and ice and frigid temperatures. This 1938 Detroit News photo shows that these conditions are nothing new to Clinton River business owners and residents.

Published February 19, 2018

C&G Newspapers

History buffs join forces in Preservation Farmington series

OAKLAND COUNTY — Farmington Hills resident Ken Klemmer’s 1920s storybook Tudor home, 31805 Bond Blvd. in Farmington Hills, is a fixer-upper.

Published February 16, 2018

Advertiser Times

Belle Isle landmark seeks support from fundraising event

DETROIT — The Belle Isle Boat House is asking for support to maintain the historic building and inviting the public to check out what the Belle Isle landmark can offer.

Published February 6, 2018

Farmington Press

Downtown Farmington 1890s barn free to willing mover

FARMINGTON — An 1890s barn located at 32905 Grand River Ave. in downtown Farmington is causing a small stir in the community and beyond. Its owner is giving it away.

Published January 31, 2018

Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

Looking Back: Birmingham loans ‘Eyes’ during World War I

BIRMINGHAM — Upon the United States’ entry into World War I in 1917, the Navy discovered that it faced a particular problem: It didn’t have enough binoculars to outfit the seamen on ships looking for submarines, which were beginning to be extensively employed by countries on both sides of the conflict.

Published January 30, 2018

Rochester Post

Find romantic history at Cranberry Lake

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — The Cranberry Lake Farm Historic District will present the history of courtship and a pastry demonstration at an upcoming event celebrating Valentine’s Day.