Newsletter 1

LIVING HISTORY Fourth Quarter 2010 October-December

Pictures tell a story Below are two typical snapshots from the archives. They

are candid pictures of Helen Bowman, taken on the

northwest corner of 14 Mile and Main Street about 1910.

Although they are very small and poor quality, they still tell

a story about the past.

Helen is dressed typically for a little girl, in a simple dress of

linen or cotton, stockings and shoes. She would probably

have gone barefoot in summer, but there are leaves on the

ground, so perhaps it was a cool day when the photo was

taken. In addition to Helen herself, part of North Main

Street at its east side are visible. In an enlargement of the

pictures, the tracks of the Interurban are clearly visible on

the west side of the unpaved street. Several small sheds and

part of a house are also visible, as well as two dogs. Even

poor photos such as these offer a unique snapshot of

Clawson’s past.

What’s In Your Attic?

Do you have one of those attics or basements with boxes of papers and “stuff” from years gone by? Did you or someone in the family save programs, flyers, awards, photographs, and other memorabilia, that now is just moldering away in a forgotten corner?

When the time comes to finally go through those boxes, keep the historical museum in mind! Many documents have historical value. Maps, land abstracts, mortgages, personal papers and other items could contain information that is unavailable anywhere else.

Photographs are especially useful. A picture of a downtown building, for example, might tell us how and when it was constructed, or how it was previously used. We may find a clue to former owners. Even a photograph of Grandma in her Easter bonnet may contain interesting information, not just about your family, but about the home they lived in. We are always looking to find pieces of the historic puzzle. Keep us in mind as you sort those hidden treasures!

Inside This Issue

2 New items; library update; 4th of July recap

Thank you to our donors

3 What Artifacts Tell Us –

The Yard Swing – a Poem

4 From the Archives – When Eastern Michigan Rode the

Rails, by Jack Schramm

5 Kit House Update – Dr. Fred Reid’s former home

From the Curator’s Desk

6 Clawson Family File: James and Esther Briggs

Newsletter 2

New Items at the Museum

A collection of toys has been donated to the museum. They include marbles, metal trucks and cars and other metal toys dating from the 1920s. The toys will be on display as soon as they are cleaned and accessioned. Thank you to Ruth McMyn for this donation from the estate of her father, G. Knox McMyn.

Annual 4th of July Parade a great success Clawson’s annual 4th of July celebration is always one of the best around, and this year the parade was bigger and better than ever. Hope you enjoyed the festivities. Below is a photo of the Museum’s float, featuring pictures from the past and our 1928 Folmer Graflex camera, donated to the museum by Don Parke. It was a great success, and we have even bigger plans for next year.

Thank you Donors! Ruth McMyn, for donating items from the estate of her parents, Knox and Frieda (Beeler) McMyn

Bill Hayes, for donating the proceeds from his book “Two Square Miles.” Thank you, Bill!

Visit us at www.clawsonhistoricalsociety.org

Library Update The Blair Memorial Library will be closed until mid-November. Here are a few photographs taken in August that show the work being done to expand the library. The grand re-opening is scheduled for December 4th.

The new entrance taking shape, mid-August

Some demolition to make way for new mechanical systems

Newsletter 3

“The Yard Swing”

George A. Grice

Our yard swing was old and needed repair.

The boards were rotten and cracked here and there.

We thought that replacing one board would do

And it would again be as good as new.

My grandson said he would help with the task.

He was right in his glory, I had but to ask.

We worked together as man and boy

He whistled along, with heart full of joy.

We found one board was rotten, so was another

On closer inspection, so was every other.

We went to the woods and cut down some trees

And measured each part to get the same length as these.

We used new bolts, nails and screws

And made a new swing with no time to lose.

We are both proud of the job well done

It was hard work but we both had fun.

He likes to invite his friends to see

The best lawn swing there ever could be.

You couldn’t find one like it, however you try

It’s a swing full of memories that money can’t buy.

Reprinted from Pebbles and Pearls, George A. Grice, former

Clawson resident

What Artifacts Tell Us A Tin Doll One of my favorite dolls in our collection is a blond-haired boy doll in his original faded red jumper and striped socks. He is unique among our “kids,” as he has a cloth body, but his head and arms are made of molded tin. Two little holes in the top of each shoulder hold a metal pin that fastens the arms to the body. He has “sleepy” eyes – they close if he is laid on his back. He has seen a lot of wear and tear in his nearly 95 years of life; he has been repainted, and his cloth body has been re-covered. Dolls of his vintage were made of a variety of materials; heads were often china or porcelain bisque, and bodies could be cloth or leather. There were celluloid, fabric and plaster doll heads. There were composition materials that resemble a kind of plastic or plaster, but were actually a mixture of glue and sawdust. These were the dolls typically marketed as “unbreakable.” But our tin doll is tougher still. Tin doll heads were made from the mid-1800s through the 1920s. Our doll, with tin arms and moving eyes, is a pretty rare find. These dolls were nearly indestructible, but the could get hot if left in the sun, or be too cold

to snuggle in the winter! He may have been a doll marketed to both boys and girls. For centuries dolls have been, and continue to be, a perennially popular toy.

Newsletter 4

CLAWSON H I STOR ICAL

MUSEUM

41 FISHER COURT

MAILING ADDRESS: 425 N. MAIN STREET, CLAWSON MI 48017

PHONE: 248-588-9169

FAX 248-588-+9169

EMAIL: HISTORICALMUSEUM@CITYOFCLAWSON.COM

MUSEUM OPEN WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY, 1-4 P.M.,

EXCEPT HOLIDAYS. ADMISSION IS FREE

GROUP TOURS BY APPOINTMENT

PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE

Clawson Historical Museum Purposes and Policies

The Clawson Historical Museum is owned by the City of Clawson It is governed by a Historical Commission of five members appointed by the Clawson City Council. It is managed by a curator appointed by the City Manager. Its operating budget is funded through the City of Clawson and augmented by generous donations from the Clawson Historical Society.

Museum Purpose: The Clawson Historical Museum exists to collect, preserve and encourage the use of documents, photographs and artifacts related to the early history of Clawson, from its settlement in 1823 to the present, focusing especially on the decade of the 1920s, when Clawson Incorporated as a Home Rule Village.

Collections: Historical records include those related to area public and civic organizations, as well as personal oral histories of residents, property abstracts, school and business records and thousands of photographs documenting Clawson’s buildings, homes, streets, and the changes they have undergone through the decades. Also included in the collection are maps, almanacs, and contemporary published materials such as newspapers, books, magazines and periodicals that reflect the culture of the 1920s.

These materials are available to the public for research on

genealogy, property history, environmental investigations and

other personal interests. Student research is especially

encouraged. �

FROM THE AR CH I VE S

When Eastern Michigan Rode the Rails, in

two volumes, offers a look at the

history and development of Michigan’s

Interurban and inner-city rail transit

systems. Starting with the early years

of horse-drawn cars, author Jack

Schramm covers the various lines that

once connected outlying communities

with the bustling city of Detroit.

Communities such as Clawson, which

grew rapidly after World War I, were

able to do so in part because of the

convenience the trains afforded to

reach jobs and shopping in Royal Oak

and Detroit. For over 30 years, the

Interurban was the way the travel;

their smooth rails and fast trains made

short work of what otherwise was a

tiresome journey over unpaved, rutted

roads. Ultimately improvements in roads

heralded the end of the Interurban era.

Woodward had just been paved when

this 1917 photo was taken at Bloomfield

Center, now Bloomfield Hills. This was

the location of the Long Lake “Y.” In

1925 the Highway Commission widened

Woodward Avenue into a divided

highway and forced the interurban tracks

into the center of the roadway. The

Pontiac Division suffered a heavy

enough blow with the first paving of

Woodward to Pontiac. But, it became a

fatal blow when, in the mid-twenties,

the road was enlarged to an eight-lane

highway. The interurban company had

to bear the expense of moving its track

solely for the convenience of highway

user. This 1926 view is looking north

on Woodward at Nine Mile Road,

Ferndale. There is a Pontiac Interurban

followed by a Flint interurban in the

distance.

Living History 5

Decoding

From the Curator’s Desk With the hot weather this summer we had, and the on-going Library construction, it has been a difficult season for the museum. We were closed more often than I would have liked, and I thank everyone for their patience and understanding. Hopefully with the arrival of fall, the weather and humidity will break and we will be able to resume more regular hours. I am very excited to be starting a history club at Kenwood Elementary. I have the opportunity to visit an actual archaeological dig with the students so they can experience first hand what such a site looks like, and how artifacts are found and interpreted. We hope to visit the ice house at the Wisner mansion in Pontiac, and have a tour led by an archaeologist. Just a reminder that if you would like to receive the newsletter via email only, drop me a line at historicalmuseum@cityofclawson.com. Otherwise, you’ll continue to receive the paper version. Please pass it on to a friend or neighbor when you are finished with it.

Until next time, Melodie Nichols

Kit House Update – Is it a Kit, or a Copy? Decoding the past of a house. An interesting home is currently for sale in Clawson. It stands on Broadacre, near the corner of Main Street, and it once belonged to a local doctor, Fred Reid. Fred’s parents and other relatives once owned farms on West 14 Mile Road, and were some of the earlier settlers to the area. The house as it is today has undergone numerous renovations, and is currently in need of much cosmetic repair. A large garage with a second story addition and a make-shift sun room, added mid-century, partially obscure the original lines of the home. It is an interesting home, though, with clever built-in cabinets, large windows, a fireplace and lovely hardwood floors. I was curious whether it was a kit home. I had never seen a model like it in the pattern books, and I was unsure what it had looked like when originally built, until last week when I was stopped at a light in Royal Oak. I’m a bit obsessed with house-watching now, and something about a large Tudor-revival caught my eye as I waited for the light to change. It was the twin for Dr. Reid’s house! I circled the block to get a second look, and, my every-ready camera in hand, snapped a couple of photos for comparison. Sure enough, they seem to be the same house, with the floor plan reversed. Having visited the house in Clawson, I looked for anything that might be a clue to its origin as a “kit” house. I wasn’t able to access the attic (we didn’t bring a ladder), and there didn’t appear to be anything on the beams in the basement. It doesn’t match any plans I have seen, and I have no records, other than that it was built in 1926. But the existence of another house so completely similar is suggests that, if it was not offered as a kit, it was at least a published plan made available to local builders. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.

The house on

Broadacre

(above), and its

mirror image, with

different exterior

and minus the

additions, on

Catalpa in Royal

Oak (right). They

appear to have

been made from

identical plans.

The architect is

unknown.

Living History 6

Clawson Family File James and Esther Briggs Esther Briggs was born June 15, 1891 in Freemont

Ohio. She and her husband, James, came to

Clawson June 28, 1918 from St. Clair Heights. Mr.

Leslie Straub owned a spring wagon with horses,

and while helping the family to move, the wagon

got stuck because of tall grass. Mrs. Linden, who

lived next door to the Cadger family, invited the

family in for lunch until the wagon wheels were

freed of grass.

The Briggs’ first residence was on Phillips Street.

Jack (John) Mooney had this whole area and built

new homes and sold them. The land had belonged

to his wife, Mary Baker Phillips Mooney. Many of

the streets were named for her family. Daughter

Violet was born there; Dr. Bradshaw of Royal Oak

delivered her, since Clawson had no local doctor

then.

From June until January 1, 1919, they lived on

Phillips, and then moved to 26 W. Baker. She

recalls that the stone in the yard was hauled by

horse sled from city park area about 1920, after the

house was built. There was a well in the basement

and everyone carried water from their home to use.

Esther rode the Interurban to work at Crowley’s in

Detroit for 7 years. She recalled a milk depot on

the northeast corner of Main and 14 Mile roads.

Mr. Mote had a farm and was a milkman. He

delivered the milk on horseback. There was also a

bus shanty beside the Post Office at the southwest

corner of 14 & Main.

Mr. Hunter was the druggist when they came to

town, and Elliott Dry Goods store was also in

town. Mrs. Schroeder had a bakery there in the

1930’s.

Esther was a charter member of the Methodist

Episcopal Church – WSCS. They had dinners, a

fairgrounds booth, and helped to pay off the

church mortgage.

Esther in front of her home, 1973

Esther was also an early member of the

Clawson Historical Society. Esther and

James had four daughters, Catherine, who

married Ira Martin of Martin Bus Lines,

Mildred (William) Withers, Alyce Joslyn

and Violet Beaubien, and two sons, Arthur

and James. Her husband James died in

1946. Esther died in 1975 at the age of 84.

Recent Group Tours Residents of Royal Oak’s Waltonwood Assisted living facility were treated to a visit from the museum in September that featured a PowerPoint presentation and virtual tour. The Clawson High School Class of 1960 held their 50th reunion this fa.ll, and included the museum in their walk down memory lane. Shown below are some classmates during their visit.

The Mt. Clemens Salvation Army Senior Center visited August. Two dozen visitors enjoyed their tour of Clawson’s history that included lunch in town. We hope evyerone will have great memories of their time in Clawson.