LET'S TURN THE PAGES OF AN OLD PHOTO ALBUM

Photo from the Shirley Hersey Collection

We are looking east, a little west of the Chester-Maple intersection. On the right, across Chester, you can see the original St. James Episcopal Church building. On the left is a white house which later became Hilly Acres Dairy where many an ice cream cone was purchased by a Baldwin High student. The large residence just beyond it was the home of J. Allen Bigelow grandfather of Mort Neff whose TV Program MICHIGAN OUTDOORS was popular in the Detroit area for many years. Captain Bigelow lost an arm in the Civil War. He operated the store at the southwest corner of Maple and Pierce which later was taken over by Whitehead and Mitchell who were followed by Charlie Shain.

Scott Hersey and Roswell Meyers are seated in the rather ancient motorcar. Who can tell us the make and model of the vehicle? Taken in March of 1913, the photo was snapped in front of the Chatfield Home where Scott's wife to be, Puss Robinson, lived with her grandparents.

Sue Scott Boczek sent us this photo taken in the early 1930's near Woodward and Harmon. The camera is pointed south. That looks like a model T Ford truck coming down the hill, northbound on Woodward. It is dwarfed by the larger truck with canvas covered trailers, a type of vehicle which was common on Woodward Avenue back then.

As so often happened in the old days, Woodward is flooded by the east branch of the River Rouge.

The DUR Interuban power house and car barns were located on the west side of Woodward near this point, but since no evidence of the electric line is visible in the photo, it may very well have been snapped after the demise of the railway in 1931.

Photo Courtesy of Marge Shepherd

Posed in the early 1920's at the southeast corner of Oakland Avenue and Park Street, are these Shepherd family youngsters. As you can tell, they were proud to display the American flag as well as this really nifty race car.

Photo Courtesy of Marge Shepherd

One of Birmingham's more popular retail outlets, over a period of many years, was a book store and gift shop operated by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred J. Labelle. Although many residents recall LABELLE'S being in Birmingham, very few of them know that there was also a summer branch operated in northern Michigan at Mullet Lake.

View: BIRMINGHAM'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES