The museum relies on several sources for historical research. Below are descriptions of several books we use - and what we would like to find more of. Donations to the historical society are appreciated, and occasionally we may be able to buy a book. If you have these books, or know where to find them, please contact info@ferndalehistoricalsociety.org. Thank You!

 

HOME DESIGNS OF THE 1920 & 30S: We have a variety of catalogs for Sears, Aladdin, and other kit homes at the museum. We are looking for home plan catalogs from Detroit-area builders, specifically the "Miller-Storm Home Company" (later called "Miller Homes"). We have access to some scans of these catalogs but are in search of more. A sample of what we have is HERE. We know they built several homes in Ferndale and are working on a history of the companies.

 

 

 

OAKLAND HIGHWAYS: These were published annually by the county road commission to document projects & plans. They are usually packed with photos and stories about area developments from about 1913 until at least the 1940s. We have pretty good coverage from 1923 thru 1933, but are looking for more editions. Our Oakland Highways list is HERE. If you can fill-in the blanks please contact us!

 

 

 

 

OAKLAND COUNTY HISTORIES & ATLASES: We are always on the lookout for Oakland County maps, atlases, and histories. We have:

• 1857 Hess Map of Oakland County, S. H. Burhans, Cincinnati Ohio (Digital, partial)
• 1872 Atlas of Oakland County, F.W. Beers Co
• 1873 Map of Oakland County, H.F. Walling (Digital, 1 page only)
• 1874 Lyman's Historical Chart, National Publishing Co, Cincinnati Ohio
• 1877 History of Oakland Co, L.H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia PA (Digital Only)
• 1891 Portrait & Bio Album of Oakland County, Chapman Bros, Chicago (Digital only, partial)
• 1894 Wayne County-Oakland-Macomb Map, Silas Farmer & Co, Detroit (Digital only)
• 1896 Illus Atlas of Oakland County Mi, Kace Publishing, Racine Wi (Digital Only)
• 1908 Standard Atlas of Oakland County Mi, Geo. A. Ogle & Co, Chicago
• 1912 History of Oakland County, Thaddeus D. Seeley, Lewis Publishing Chicago (Digital Only)
• 1927 Atlas Plat Book, Thrift Press, Rockford Ill
• Sanborn Maps: Ferndale 1931 with 1950 markups (also have digital versions of Ferndale in 1926 and Royal Oak area 1916, 1921, & 1931)

 

 

 

 

R.L. POLK BOOKS (1920s-1950s): These fragile books provide a glimpse of who lived at a street address in the past. They list addresses with names (reverse of phonebook listing we are familiar with) and often include family members at that address. They also list names with address and businesses (like a phonebook). Our museum has several different years, as do local libraries and other museums. Occasionally they can be found online. Our list is HERE. If you can fill-in the blanks please contact us!

 

YEARBOOKS: We have a complete set of Ferndale High School Yearbooks. We have a few yearbooks from other Ferndale schools. For more information please click HERE.

 

SEE ALSO: MAPS & RESOURCES