The formal settlement
of the area now known as
Birmingham
occurred over 180 years ago. The pioneer story of this small
Michigan
community began
when four enterprising men purchase the first parcels totaling 640 acres of
land in 1818. They included Elijah Willits, Benjamin Pierce, John
Hamilton and John West Hunter. Hunter was the first permanent resident
building his log cabin during the winter of 1819. Unlike other pioneering
communities that attracted farmers looking for rich new farmland,
Birmingham
's founders
quickly established a manufacturer based local economy. Foundries,
tanneries, blacksmith shops, broom and brick making factories were just some of
the businesses that were quickly defining this frontier community.
Birmingham
's name was chosen by those optimistic about the
potential growth of the village, with its manufacturing capabilities after
England
's
biggest industrial center.
Most of the
manufacturers of the 1830s were gone by the 1860s and so were the visions of
Birmingham
as a major
industrial center. Instead the quiet
Village
of
Birmingham
emerged. The Eccentric Newspaper, banks, merchants, shop owners and other
professional such as doctors, dentist and lawyer established their business in
town. By 1890s long-time residents who had been lobbying for many
improvements began to see better roads, the opening of the interurban street
car lines, the establishment of paid fire department, clean water supply and
for a new public library.
These improvements,
along with others made
Birmingham
a very acquaint but highly desirable place to live. In 1933, the
growth in population driven in part by the mobility of the automobiles led to
the incorporation of
Birmingham
as a city. Today,
Birmingham
's
business district and residential areas still enjoy many of the small town
charm that characterized days gone by.
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