buildings, ships, monuments, roads, clothing, or even the landscape itself. They try to find out a

little bit more about how people lived, whether in faraway lands or right here in our backyard.

Sounds an awful lot like your 13 year old, doesn’t it?

That’s why the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society (GWBHS) and the Detroit Center for

Public Archaeology (DCPA) have come together to offer tweens the opportunity to get their

hands dirty and learn about the history of their community, inspiring them to think about the stuff

they use and play with on a regular basis.

“GWBHS is excited to bring archaeology learning opportunities to the community with classes

based at the Orchard Lake Museum,” explained Gina Gregory, President of GWBHS. “American

Indian artifacts have been found in this area and learning about archaeology in a handson

setting in our own backyard is rewarding.”

Our community’s shared history doesn’t belong to one person or even to a group of people; it

belongs to all human beings. These classes are meant to teach tweens the importance of

preservation and the fun that can be had by exploring our history.

“We use handson

activities to explore not only archaeology, but the life ways of the earlier

people archaeologists study,” explained Liam Collins of Detroit Center for Public Archaeology.

“What makes us different is we focus on archaeology that is literally happening in YOUR

backyard.”

Studying archaeology in school is important to having a career, but archaeologists don’t have to

have a lot of fancy degrees to do what they do; anyone can be an archaeologist! This class

gives tweens a taste of this interesting world.

“All you have to have is some basic training in the correct way to explore the hidden past and a

desire to share that past with everyone,” Collins said. “We get your tweens onsite of some

actual archaeology going on in your community.”

Archeologists have to know a little bit about a lot of fields. It’s the perfect opportunity for

someone who likes: biology, medicine, architecture, chemistry, engineering, geology, physics,

art, history, philosophy, linguistics, astronomy, logic, math, botany, zoology, or conservation.

construction deadlines is not an easy feat, but it is an important one. It takes activism and

dedication to ensure our community’s history continues to thrive for generations to come.

The campus of The Orchard Lake Schools, which includes St. Mary’s Preparatory, SS. Cyril &

Methodius Seminary, and The Polish Mission, is located along Orchard Lake, at a site that, from

1877 1908,

was the location of the Michigan Military Academy. Orchard Lake Schools is on the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places and one of the buildings of historic significance on the

campus is called the Galeria. Once the dining hall of the Michigan Military Academy, today, the

Galeria is the central chapel on campus and houses a permanent art collection.

As The Polish Mission has a need for more building space, a project to expand the historic

Galeria is planned. Community organizations, Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society

(GWBHS), and Detroit Center for Public Archaeology (DCPA) have come together with The

Polish Mission to preserve the archaeological history in advance of the new construction.

“We applaud The Polish Mission as it works to expand its programming and building space

while honoring the traditions and architecture of the past,” explained Gina Gregory, President of

GWBHS. “We look forward to seeing the Galeria building expansion project unfold.”

In this particular project, it was identified that The Polish Mission’s need for Galeria grounds

expansion was important, but before construction begins, GWBHS and DCPA are coming

together to perform archaeological research on the east side of the building to document and

preserve any historically significant finds.

This sort of preservation is becoming an important trend. “During my time on the Board of

Preservation Detroit, it became very clear that the historic preservation tax credits for residential

and commercial properties brought increased revenue into communities and greatly enhanced

resident’s lives,” said Liam Collins of Detroit Center for Public Archaeology. “Archaeologists

were a major part in helping research and establish the eligibility of properties for preservation

development, just like with The Polish Mission project.”

In addition to the importance of sharing community history by preserving architecture, public

archaeology is another aspect that allows the public to get involved and discover the lost history

of their families and communities. Teaching the public the importance and fun of archaeology,

and getting them involved in their own digs, is why GWBHS and DCPA have put together a

series of workshops for tweens and adults.

“We don’t own the past; we are merely stewards of what remains for those who will come after

us,” Collins said. “During these ‘taste of archaeology’ classes, we use handson

activities to

explore not only archaeology, but the life ways of the earlier people archaeologists study. What

makes us different is we focus on archaeology that is literally happening in YOUR backyard.”

Originally called the Keego Firemans Club, the West Bloomfield Fire Department was organized in 1923 with 15 volunteer firefighters, mostly businessmen from Keego Harbor. The first fire station, donated by a local judge, was housed in an old garage on Orchard Lake Road, now the site of the Keego Hardware parking lot. The first paid firefighter received $1.00 per night in 1931 to spend the night at the fire station and keep the fire truck clean and ready to go.

In 1939 the Township built a new fire station in Keego Harbor where most of the population was centered. The Michigan State Police set up their headquarters in the upstairs, answered the fire phone and set off the siren for firefighters. In 1968 the communities of Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake and Orchard Lake formed their own fire department, known as the Tri-City Fire Department.

Men from the Walnut Lake Fire Department and Early Fire Car, Left to right: Ray Hetcher, Claude Whitman, Ernest Jacobson and Clayton LaMotte. Photo Courtesy of Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society

Fireman Bill Stewart, Red Morgan, Chet Hunt and Wayne Vogelsburg selling the Inter-Lake News for Goodfellows. Photo Courtesy of Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society

By:  DuAnne Sonneville

The Snow Apple or Fameuse (also known as:  Snow Chimney, Chimney Apple, Red American, Royal Snow, Pomme De Neige, or Chimney Point) is aptly named for both the fruit’s white flesh and the tree’s winter hardiness.  Tolerating cold winters, it is well-suited to northern climes.  An unknown disease or severe cold snap killed almost all the trees in the 1860s.  Following the demise of the Quebec line, the Snow Apple fell into obscurity and is rarely grown today.
The Snow Apple is one of the oldest known apple varieties on record, most likely originating in France in the late 1600s (1650-1699), although some European pomologists claim its origins were in Canada.  Its start in North America may have been a seedling orchard from seeds brought from France (one of the few apples that often reproduce true to variety from seed).  This variety (Malus domestica) was noted in Canada in 1739 and was first introduced to the United States that same year.  Snow Apples were found in almost every French settlement in the late 1700s and were the most commonly cultivated apple in Quebec for over 100 years.
The distinctive bright ‘snow white’ flesh can also be a pale pink, red, red-flushed, or pale-yellow and/or can have a red streak or occasional crimson stains near the skin.  (My father would reminisce about eating Snow Apples with pink flesh, on his paternal grandparents’ farm, saying the redder the flesh, the colder the winter to come).  The skin is crimson with green stripes.  This apple is small to medium in size and ripens in early fall (late September to early October).  The Snow Apple is very sweet (sub-acid), tender and juicy, with a nice crisp and a smooth sweet wine-like flavor and strawberry-like aroma, making it good for apple cider because of this aromatic and distinct flavor.  Storage is fair, one to two months, so apples are best eaten fresh or used for baked goods or sauce.
The tree has heavy branching so needs regular pruning.  Without early thinning, it tends to produce a heavy crop biennially.  The Snow Apple is very mildew resistant, and has some resistance to both bacterial canker and fire-blight, although very susceptible to scab.  A probable ancestor, the McIntosh apple, is a cross between the Fameuse and the Detroit Red and was discovered by a Canadian farmer around 1800 who gave his name to the variety.
In his comprehensive book Le Journal D’Agriculture Illustre published in 1889, writer and botanist Jules N. Paquet said:  “But I remain without expressions when I eat a Fameuse apple in our happy winter evenings.  Is there a most succulent, most tasty; with a richer taste and more flavourful?  In one word, is the Fameuse, no species will equal it in quality, argue its glorious title; Admittedly it has certainly not stolen it’s picturesque name.”

See this sign and other related items at an Orchard Lake Museum Open House, the second Sunday of each month, from 1-4 p.m.

By:  DuAnne Sonneville

The Wayside Exhibits is a project of the MotorCities National Heritage Area dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive and labor heritage of the State of Michigan.  MotorCities, an affiliate of the National Park Service, was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1998 to “preserve the cultural and historic landscape associated with the automobile in Southeastern and Central Michigan.”  The Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society (Orchard Lake Museum), West Bloomfield Parks & Recreation, Westacres Community Association, the Oakland County’s Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs, local governments, and many volunteers worked with the MotorCities National Heritage Area Wayside Exhibit program to help create more than 20 local outdoor exhibits about the automotive heritage of Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake, and West Bloomfield.  Beginning in 2012, GWBHS volunteer historians, Cara Kazanowski, Helen Jane Peters and Sue Williams, provided historical information and images for the design of many of the exhibit signs.  The Orchard Lake area exhibits are a part of a network of approximately 250-300 (2’x3’) signs that will be created throughout central and southeastern Michigan to chronicle automotive and railway transportation.  This historic project was made possible through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.

By:  DuAnne Sonneville

A grindstone is a round stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools and was an indispensable necessity on any working farm.  An abrasive material is rubbed against the cutting edge to be sharpened or shaped.  Grindstones came in a wide range of grit sizes (the sharpening surface substance must be harder than the material being sharpened), with the most traditional material being a natural stone such as sandstone or granite.  The typical “farmyard” grindstone would have been used to sharpen ax blades, knives, hoes, and other farm implements.  Small amounts of water dripping on the stone as it turns (wet grinding), keeps the stone from over-heating.
Early grinding wheels, rotated by two cranks, one on each end of its axle, date from around 1340.  Circa 1480, the early medieval rotary grindstone was improved with a treadle and crank mechanism.  Pedals to power the rotating lathe allow the operator to speed and slow the stone.  The Orchard Lake Museum’s grindstone, once owned by Mrs. Albert D. Noble, is a ‘one-person’ grindstone with the wheel being turned by a pushrod connected to a foot pedal.  The museum’s grindstone is on display at all Open Houses (second Sunday of each month from 1-4 PM).

And what about the adage of ‘nose to the grindstone,’ meaning to continuously work hard?  The first known citation is found in John Frith’s A Mirrour or Glasse to Know Thyselfe, from 1532:  “This text holdeth their noses so hard to the grindstone, that it clean disfigureth their faces.”  All early citations refer to holding someone’s nose to the grindstone as a form of punishment and comes from the practice of knife grinders, when sharpening blades, bending over the stone or even lying flat on their fronts with their faces near the grindstone, in order to hold the blades against the stone.

By DuAnne Sonneville

1) Upon his retirement from the Michigan Supreme Court, Joseph Tar Copeland, built a home on the campus grounds of the Michigan Military Academy, currently the site of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.  This impressive oak and brick home had the architectural lines of a mid-Victorian castle.  At the onset of the Civil War, Copeland was called out of retirement and fought with the 1st Michigan Cavalry.  A few years after the war ended, Lt. Col. Copeland, with the help of a few investors, added on to his home, creating the Orchard Lake Hotel.  The hotel opened on June 20, 1872, accommodating about one hundred guests.  (It closed in 1877, never having recovered from the financial panic of 1873.)  In 1871 J. Henry Whittemore composed Orchard Lake Polka, “Dedicated to the Stockholders and Patrons of the Orchard Lake Hotel, the Saratoga of Michigan.”  The cover features a picture of the hotel and Orchard Lake.

2) In 1899, Orchard Lake Cadets March was published.  The piece was dedicated to the Michigan Military Academy.  Its composer, Richard W. Groom, served as music director at the MMA from 1899-1908.  The Grand Rapids Press called it “a composition of real merit – one that exactly hits the nail of popular taste on the head.”  Its cover features a picture of Superintendent Col. J Sumner Rogers, as well as the lake.  The cost was 40 cents for the piano solo and 50 cents for the full band score.

3) Apple Island Legend was written by noted composer, publisher and Port Huron native James Curnow.  Supporters of the Orchard Lake Middle School Band program donated the necessary funds for the commission of this piece.  The composer conducted the premier performance on Jan. 18, 1997 at the annual State Music Educators Mid-Western Conference at Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium, featuring the Orchard Lake Middle School Symphony Band.  According to Doug Blackwell, former band director of the OLMS Symphony Band, this was the first time any West Bloomfield ensemble had been chosen to perform.  The band reprised their performance 4 years later.  Apple Island Legend quickly was added to the State List of compositions that could be selected for performance at District and State Band Festivals.  Curnow dedicated the piece “to the many young musicians who, with bright eyes and strong hearts, share their gift of music.”  This piece can be heard at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXCpcxdYgBs

Sylvan Lake’s history dates back to 1818 when an expedition led by Rev. John Montieth rode into the area to see what lay between Detroit and the newly established post of Pontiac. The expedition discovered a chain of lakes. The lake which lay closest to Pontiac was surrounded by a fringe of tamaracks and was considered by the group to be the most beautiful. The explorers named this body of water Timber Lake, afterward changed to Sylvan Lake.

Download presentation documents

• Sylvan Lake History Presentation Part I
• Sylvan Lake History Presentation Part II

Since its earliest settlement, these residents have been deeply committed to education as the key to passing on their heritage and preparing their children to shape the future of our township. Peal of The Bell chronicles the community’s history to carry that mission into the 21st Century.

This report includes a virtual exhibit of photos and documents of the history of the schools serving children living in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Like other more traditional museum exhibits it combines original artifacts and primary documents with text, captions, and analysis to help the reader understand the importance and significance of these items.

This presentation allows you to enlarge images for closer inspection or readability because we believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. You might want to focus on people’s faces to see if you recognize them or to examine their expression. Perhaps you want to study clothing styles, penmanship, or advertisements of the day. These images also help you to visualize the environment of the scene and place yourself within it. Many of the pictures in this exhibit are actual original documents and artifacts produced by the people who made the history of West Bloomfield Schools. Examining them will bring you one step closer to the events that shaped our current school system.

• POB01 History of the School System (PDF)
• POB02 Pine Lake Elementary School (PDF)
• POB03 Scotch Elementary School (PDF)
• POB04 Walnut Lake Elementary School (PDF)
• POB05 Green School (PDF)
• POB06 Early Years (PDF)
• POB07 Whitfield School (PDF)
• POB08 Keego Harbor School (PDF)
• POB09 DUR (PDF)
• POB10 Farming (PDF)