Welcome to these web pages.
I have a number of family connections to the area's history, since my great-great-grandfather, James Bayley, arrived in 1824 and settled only 4 miles by road from the center of Birmingham. He built his first log cabin on the site of the Troy Municipal Building where I-75 and Big Beaver Road intersect.
Great-grandfather Isaiah Davenport settled 3 miles from Birmingham in 1836. His home was located in Troy just a little north of where Beach Road crosses Wattles Road.
Great-grandfather William H. Smith moved less than 2 miles from the heart of the Village in 1865. He purchased the first mill in Bloomfield Township. It had once been owned by pioneer John W. Hunter. The mill pond is now known as Endicott Lake and is on Chesterfield, about a quarter mile west of Woodward Avenue.
The last to come was great-grandfather Groves, a first generation immigrant from Rathfryland, Ireland. Around 1867 he brought his family to a spot on 14 Mile Road in what is now the City of Clawson.
Having, in the past, been a member of the City of Birmingham's Historical Board, a member of the Birmingham Historical Society's Board and the Martha Baldwin Park Board I decided to put this site together so that I might share my enthusiasm concerning Birmingham's History with web surfers around the world.
Your Host--Hartland Smith
If you have comments regarding what you see and read here, if you are acquainted with anyone who has ever lived in Birmingham, or if you have Birmingham photos or anecdotes to share with me PLEASE send an e-mail by clicking on BIRMINGHAM,MICHIGAN HISTORY . Thanks
The Birmingham Historical Society provides free public lectures several times a year. Members receive 5 copies a year of the THE BIRMINGHAM HERITAGE which contains news and views concerning Birmingham's Historic Resources. Members are also entitled to a discount on admission to the Historical Museum and Park. The organization, through the years, has been involved with moving the John West Hunter House to its present location in the Historic Park and with turning the Allen House into a Museum. In addition it has published a number of books and videos about old Birmingham history.
If you'd care to learn more about the Society and its recent activities, you can request a sample copy of THE BIRMINGHAM HERITAGE by contacting the MUSEUM.