The Birmingham Museum

The Birmingham Museum We are open 1-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. Admission is $7/adults, $5/students and seniors, under 5 free

The Birmingham Museum is a small, local historical museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting Birmingham's history. The museum is composed of the 1928 Allen House, the 1822 Hunter House, and the John West Hunter Historic Park. It features regularly rotating exhibits as well as traditional historic house displays. Mission Statement:
Mission Statement: The Birmingham Museum will e

xplore meaningful connections with our past, in order to enrich our community and enhance its character and sustainability. Our mission is to promote understanding of Birmingham's historical and cultural legacy through preservation and interpretation of its ongoing story.

06/11/2026

Save the date and meet us on the steps of city hall for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence on Wednesday, July 8, the 250th anniversary of the declaration’s first public reading in Philadelphia in 1776.

Co-hosted by Piety Hill Chapter NSDAR Birmingham MI and The Birmingham Museum, the event is one of hundreds of simultaneous public readings happening across the country on July 8, as communities large and small gather in public spaces to reenact the original public reading.

Don’t miss this chance to re-experience the words of America’s founding document with sections read by six local community representatives! Join us at 151 Martin Street on July 8; program starts at 5:50 p.m!

On this date in 1922, film, music and vaudeville star Judy Garland was born.While no huge movie stars were born in Birmi...
06/10/2026

On this date in 1922, film, music and vaudeville star Judy Garland was born.
While no huge movie stars were born in Birmingham in 1922, there was A LOT happening in the village. Just a few of those things were:
-annexing the Quarton Lake Subdivision
-Residents of the Leinbach-Humphrey Subdivision chose to rename it "Eco Subdivision"
-There was a rare ice storm in April
-The Birmingham High graduating class had 29 seniors
-A national mail fraud case was cracked by Birmingham's police chief
-In June, Birmingham had a new sweet shop that opened and a strawberry festival (see the clipping from the June 9, 1922 issue of the Birmingham Eccentric below)

06/09/2026

Just one week left to choose your favorite designs in Birmingham’s first-ever “I voted” sticker contest! Visit bhamgov.org/stickercontest to get a closer look at the 25 creative entries submitted by Birmingham residents and vote for your favorites through June 15!

Winning designs will be featured on stickers given to Birmingham voters during the Aug. 4 and Nov. 3 2026 elections. Good luck to our artists!

Join us for our next event!On June 19 "Juneteenth Celebration of the Taylor and Harris Family" at noon at Greenwood Ceme...
06/09/2026

Join us for our next event!
On June 19 "Juneteenth Celebration of the Taylor and Harris Family" at noon at Greenwood Cemetery.
This special event will honor the stories of George and Eliza Dosier Taylor and Abe and Abbie Farmer Harris, who formed an early Black community in Birmingham. The Taylors were both formerly enslaved and met in the area after the Civil War, making Birmingham their final home. They were the first African American property owners here and were connected through their daughter to the Harris family of Royal Oak. Abe and Abbie Harris’ descendants resided in Birmingham for more than 100 years until the late 20th century. Museum staff invite the public to join them in a Juneteenth celebration of the Taylors and Harrises on Friday, June 19 at 12 noon at the Taylor burial site in Section E of Greenwood Cemetery.

Check out our website for more June events! https://ow.ly/rpLw50Z3nyF

On this date in 1944, the largest seaborne invasion in history took place on the beaches of Normandy, France during WWII...
06/06/2026

On this date in 1944, the largest seaborne invasion in history took place on the beaches of Normandy, France during WWII. The D-Day invasion was a coordinated effort among the Allied nations against N**i Germany, which was occupying France. The invasion fleet comprised of almost 7,000 vessels, nearly 200,000 naval personnel, along with landing vehicles, and ground troops.
Victory on D-Day gave the Allies a foothold in France that they used to push the German army back.

Several days later, on June 8, 1944, the Birmingham Eccentric reported on how D-Day had been observed throughout the city. At 10 am, the air raid siren sounded, and residents were encouraged to engage in silent prayer for the success of the effort.

This 1968 Schwinn Breeze bicycle was purchased in 1968 or 1969 by the parents of former Birmingham Mayor Elaine McClain ...
06/03/2026

This 1968 Schwinn Breeze bicycle was purchased in 1968 or 1969 by the parents of former Birmingham Mayor Elaine McClain at the Birmingham Bike Shop on Maple Road.
By the mid-20th century, bicycles had moved from the realm of liberating women to being primarily thought of as a child’s toy. But kids found bikes to be just as liberating as women had decades prior. On a bike, kids had independence to go where they wanted, to go as fast or as slow as they wanted and they could even decorate their bikes as they wanted!
Though this bike is no longer on display, it is a part of our collection.

06/02/2026

We’re excited to announce that the new Birmingham Historic Preservation Master Plan – one of the first historic preservation master plans adopted by a community in Michigan – has earned a 2026 Michigan Historic Preservation Award in the government/institutions category!

The Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN) presents the award to agencies, cities and/or institutions that accomplish significant positive changes in the historic preservation climate and activity in Michigan. Calling Birmingham’s plan “a proactive, long-range strategy built on strong public engagement,” praised the plan’s GIS mapping of the city's building stock, 31 specific action recommendations and clear road map for implementation.

The product of more than three years of study and community engagement, the city’s plan was formally adopted by the City Commission in January. Next step: building on this momentum to implement the plan. Read the plan and learn more at bhamgov.org/hpmp

Congratulations to the City of Birmingham Planning Department and Historic District Commission for this well-deserved recognition of their hard work, and thank you to all the residents who participated in the process!

For June's "They Changed Birmingham" display at City Hall we are focusing on W.D. Clizbe. W.D. Clizbe was a controversia...
06/01/2026

For June's "They Changed Birmingham" display at City Hall we are focusing on W.D. Clizbe. W.D. Clizbe was a controversial public figure at the turn of the 20th century who loved Birmingham and was determined to bring it into the modern era. Over forty years, Clizbe continuously advocated to improve schools, cultural facilities and public infrastructure. He also showed foresight by introducing early municipal planning concepts like a tree ordinance and street paving, and was often seen cleaning up trash in empty lots around town. But he really made waves in 1922 when he contracted to modernize Birmingham’s water system despite a public vote defeating the bond issue. Within two years, however, the bond issue was approved when Birmingham voters realized just how necessary the water system was. Clizbe (whose daughter Marion married Harry Allen and built the Allen House) had followers and detractors in Birmingham, but he never compromised on his dedication to what he saw as the public good. When he died in 1926, his funeral drew the largest number of mourners Birmingham had ever seen. Look for the Around Town article for more information on this fascinating character who changed Birmingham here https://ow.ly/QvAk50Z3neh

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556 W Maple Road
Birmingham, MI
48009

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