Birmingham Eccentric Newspaper Archive

The Bloomfield Township Public Library, in cooperation with the Birmingham Eccentric Newspaper, have provided the first twenty-four years—dating from January 6, 1882—of the newspaper in electronic form on the BTPL web site, www.btpl.org. At the launch of this new feature on the web site, newspaper issues from 1882 through 1905 are provided.

The newspaper's weekly issues are now available for viewing. Scans of the four- to eight-page newspaper's archival microfilmed pages reveal life in the early Birmingham and Bloomfield area. Local news, some national news, social events, and advertisements of the time offer an informative look at  our local history.

Learn how sewage problems plagued American communities and the model for sewage control which was offered by one English town. Discover the number of cases of rheumatism, neuralgia, and bronchitis in Michigan in December 1881. Marvel at the many “female ailments” to be cured by a $1.50 bottle of “Dr. Pengelly’s Improved Women’s Friend”—a cure-all tonic of the time.

Many volunteers have been involved in the six-month-old project, along with many staff from several library departments. Supervision of the automated scanning process, security of the archival microfilm, and, in the future, indexing of the scanned pages, are required to make this unique resource readily available on the Internet for browsing and research.  If you would like to volunteer to participate in this historic project, please contact Marty McGee, Volunteer Coordinator at 248-642-5800, ext. 160.

Visit www.btpl.org and click on Adult Services, Local History, Birmingham Eccentric to read the newspaper. Then view Bloomfield Blossoms, a history of Bloomfield Township, also in electronic form, searchable as part of the Making of Modern Michigan project, linked from www.btpl.org. Other local history resources linked from www.btpl.org include Bloomfield Township historic records, the pre-1940 plat atlas, and a list of the Original Land Owners of Bloomfield Township.