Most Birmingham residents are familiar with the historic structure on the southeast corner of Old Woodward and Brown. It is often referred to as the Ford/Peabody Mansion. Built by Frank Ford, it was later occupied by his daughter Alta and her husband J. Bert Peabody. This is how it looked one wintry day around 1900.
The building visible on the far left is the UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. During the mid-1950's it was moved from the northeast corner of Old Woodward and Brown to 280 East Lincoln Avenue where it now forms a notable portion of GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH. While being moved by Charlie Fancher, the Church gained a certain amount of notoriety when it became mired in the mud of then unpaved Grant St.
Here, seated on the front steps of the home during more pleasant weather are, at the top left, Alta Ford Peabody and at the right J. Bert Peabody with his younger son, Clyde, on his knee. At the left, in front, is daughter Cora who is seated next to her elder brother Ford. Clyde was born in 1902. What is your guess as to the date of the picture?
In the winter of 1909-1910 Edward R. Smith, Jr. had a team of ponies named CAPTAIN and COLONEL. CAPTAIN was later sold and used as a prize by the DETROIT NEWS in a subscription contest held for paperboys. COLONEL was probably from the Watkins family who wintered their BOB-LO ISLAND ponies in the Birmingham area, loaning them out to people who would give them good care.
On May 2, 1878, two entrepeneurs, Almeron Whitehead and George H. Mitchell first printedTHE BIRMINGHAM ECCENTRIC. The two began their publishing enterprise in their general store located on the southwest corner of Maple and Pierce. At a price of two cents per copy, the paper provided a "live HOME paper, replete with all the news of the day" with considerable emphasis on the "local items of importance occurring in Birmingham and immediate vicinity." They later started the EXCHANGE BANK in the building which they built next to the store.
The Masonic Temple was first confined to the 2nd floor of the store and was later expanded to include the 2nd floor of the new bank building.
In the early 1900's the same corner looked like this when snapped by postcard photographer Pesha. The store on the left had been sold to Charles J. Shain who had moved the entrance from the center to the east side of the building. Next door is the EXCHANGE BANK, still operated by Mr. Whitehead. In the distance can be seen the Methodist Church on the west side of Henrietta.
Well over a century after these two buildings were constructed, they still stand in the same location. You can tell their age, especially if you closely examine the east wall along Pierce St.
Birmingham's Hill School was noted throughout the area for its excellent educational program. Students paid tuition in order to come from Royal Oak, Clawson and even Pontiac to attend school here. This is a photo of the 1906 Chemistry Class. Pussie Robinsn (later Mrs. Scott Hersey) stamds 3rd from the front in the middle row.
In May of 1976 the late Gerald Ford was campaigning for the Repulican nomination for candidate in the upcoming fall Presidential election. In this photo, snapped by Joan Berndt, you can see President Ford and then Congressman William Broomfield waving to the crowds as their auto heads toward the Birmingham Municipal Building where President Ford spoke while standing on the lawn at the northwest corner of the building.
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