City of Berkley Timeline

Date	Description

1815	Before 1815, the area along the Saginaw Trail, north of Twelve Mile Road (now Roseland Cemetery) was the site of Ottawa Indian Gardens. The Gardens included irrigation ditches and already had trees growing on them that were more than 4 feet around when the first settlers arrived.

1815	Before 1815 there was a flowing artesian spring near Coolidge and Wiltshire that was the water supply for the village until 1926. It is now directed to the Twelve Town Drain.

1825	Mary Ann Chappell, "Mother Handsome," had an Inn on the west side of Saginaw Trail just north of Eleven Mile Road

1825	Augustus Ellwood, came to Berkley in 1831 and built a house in 1845 at 4030 Thomas. Ellwood Avenue is named after this family.

1825	The Quick family came to Berkley in 1831. Their home still stands at 2440 Oxford.

1829	Lyman H. Blackmon bought land on both sides of Coolidge from Twelve Mile to Catalpa. The home still stands and is now the Sawyer's Funeral Home. Mr. Blackmon donated a half acre of land in 1834 for a school for School District #7 to be built on the northeast corner of Coolidge and Catalpa. That school was in use before 1840 to 1901.

1830	John Benjamin bought land on both sides of Saginaw Trail north of Twelve Mile Road including Roseland Cemetery and St. Johns' Woods. The Ottawa Indians tended gardens within the southwest part of cemetery.

1832	Robert W. Brown's home is still standing at Eleven Mile and Tyler.

1833	John McClelland's farm house still stands at 2178 Greenfield south of Oxford.

1834	Hamlet Harris' 1844 farm house still stands at 1364 Catalpa.

1835	The Hoagland family purchased land where the Post Office and drug store now stand. Their log cabin was still standing near Twelve Mile and Wakefield until about 1918.

1870	The Remole family came and their house still stands at 1608 Eleven Mile Road.

1900	1900 U.S. Census for Royal Oak Township - population was 468 people.

1901	Baker School at the northeast corner of Coolidge and Eleven Mile used until 1920.

1910	The first phone line was strung along Eleven Mile Road and links ten subscribers

1913	The farms were all sold and made into subdivisions between 1913 and 1919.

1918	School District changes from a primary district to a graded district.

1918	The "Tar Paper School" was used between 1918 and 1920 on the northeast side of Catalpa and Coolidge.

1919	Construction was begun on Berkley School on Berkley Avenue north of Catalpa.

1919	Electric lights came to Berkley

1919	First outing by Berkley neighbors and friends which was the origin of Berkley Days

1920	Olive Leaf, I.O.O.F. formed

1920	Masons groups formed

1920	Radio Temple organized at Twelve Mile and Gardner. The radio talks always welcomed people to Berkley.

1920	Berkley Community Church organized

1921	Angell School is authorized, located at Beverly and Bacon.

1922	Berkley Community Church purchased the "Tar Paper School." Using children's wagons, baby buggies, and cars the church was relocated to the corner of Wiltshire and Kipling . The first meeting was held in the "new" church September 10, 1922.

1922	Phone service is now provided 24 hours a day.

1923	Berkley Village Charter written.

1923	Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church was built on Catalpa on the property that is now Community Field.

1923	Trinity Lutheran Church founded.

1923	First General Election for the Village of Berkley

1923	The first village purchase was for a tractor used for pulling long lines of cars through the mud and snow to Woodward for the drive to and from work as well as any work the city needed done.

1924	House numbers are being placed in the village.

1924	First water main in place to receive water from Royal Oak.

1924	First Police Department formed comprised of Police Chief Allen L. McCabe and four patrolmen. Chief Allen was also appointed Fire Chief.

1924	First Fire Engine, Type #25 American LaFrance is purchased.

1925	Marion L. Burton School and Pattengill School are opened.

1926	First Berkley Days festival begun by Independent Order of Odd Fellows celebrated the extension of Coolidge Highway from Twelve Mile Road to Woodward Avenue

1926	Twelve Mile Road paved

1926	Water Tower is built. The first well hit water at 219 feet.

1927	Coolidge Highway south of Twelve Mile Road is paved.

1927	The infrastructure for Berkley - sewers, water, sidewalks, streets, etc. - is being created.

1927	Berkley Commission votes to purchase property at Coolidge and Rosemont for a new village hall and will include police and fire facilities.

1927	The Catholic Church located at what is now Community Field traded property and in exchange received the property at Coolidge and Harvard. Shortly thereafter the church was moved to the new location.

1928	Berkley Village Hall, Police and Fire station is built. It is the only building in the area that has a real jail and all the local villages hold their prisoners in the Berkley jail.

1928	The "Tar Paper School" was used between 1918 and 1920 on the northeast side of Catalpa and Coolidge.

1928	Woman's Club volunteered to maintain a library. From 1928 to 1947 the library was located on the 2nd floor in the northwest corner of the City Hall building.

1928	The Leone family built a theatre on Twelve Mile Road. An explosion and fire destroy the theater and nearby stores.

1929	Methodist Church founded on Twelve Mile in a store front at the corner of Berkley Ave. and Twelve Mile Road.

1929	Stock Market crashes and 90% of residents living in Berkley lose their jobs.

1929	U.S. Federal Census lists 5,558 people in the Village of Berkley

1930	In January, School District #7 placed all students on a half day schedule and stopped all gym, art, and music classes. People had no money to pay their taxes.

1930	Street lights in Berkley were turned off because the people had no money to pay their taxes.

1931	Berkley and Angell Schools remain open, but Pattengill and Burton Schools are closed.

1931	Frank Irons became the Chief of Police. The present Fire and Police Building is named after him.

1932	Village of Berkley becomes a City and the taxes are lower.

1932	LaSalette Fathers take over the Parish of Our Lady of Refuge.

1932	Methodist Church built.

1934	Berkley High School holds its first outdoor graduation ceremony at Angell School grounds for 54 graduates and 1000 attendees.

1939	Berkley Advance, a weekly paper, is founded by Jerry Neff.

1941	Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese and the United States declares war on Japan and Germany.

1941	Japanese land in Alaska and also shell the Pacific coastline.

1942	Gethsemane Lutheran Church was organized.

1942	Pattengill School reopens

1942	St. John Woods Association founded.

1943	1st two classrooms are started in the basement of LaSalette Church.

1943	Berkley Service Honor Roll erected on City Hall lawn.

1943	Berkley voters approve a city manager form of government, the first City Manager was David King.

1945	World War II ends

1946	Greenfield Presbyterian Church founded

1946	LaSalette School is opened.

1947	VFW Post 9222 was organized and granted a charter by Congress.

1947	The library moves to a rented store at 2657 Coolidge.

1947	Berkley becomes the first local fire department to have a two-way radio in the fire truck.

1949	Tyler (now Avery) School and Oxford School are built.

1951	Hamilton (now Rogers) School built.

1952	Library moved to a larger building at 2799 Coolidge which was formerly occupied by Modern Engineering Company.

1953	New Church built by Methodist Congregation on Twelve Mile Road.

1954	Two hundred volunteers go door to door to raise funds to build a community recreation center.

1954	City Council hires an architect to design a new City Hall. There is much opposition because more than $20,000 taken from the water department funds.

1955	Anderson Middle School is built on the land that was originally owned by the Catholic Church and where Our Lady of Refuge Parish was built. It is now Community Field and Anderson MIddle School faces Catalpa Drive.

1956	Norup Middle School is built in Oak Park.

1957	New Berkley City Hall is attached to the east side of the Old City Hall.

1958	Berkley stages its first Christmas Parade

1960	New municipal court replaces a Justice of the Peace court.

1963	New rectory is completed for Our Lady of LaSalette

1963	New Library building, located at 3155 Beverly at Beverly, was completed in December 1964

1964	Tyndall School is built in Oak Park.

1965	New Parish Church of Our Lady of LaSalette is dedicated.

1967	Municipal Court becomes 45-A District Court .

1970	Berkley Police and Fire Departments combine into Public Safety Department.

1973	New gymnasium built at Berkley High School, and is referred to as "The gym Bruce Flowers built".

1978	Berkley Elementary School is demolished

1979	Gethsemane Lutheran merged with St. Peter's Lutheran of Detroit to form Cana Lutheran Church.

1983	Cable TV Channel 32, the city's first municipal access channel is established

1983	Oxford School is closed and those students sent to Angell. The School District Offices were moved to Oxford School and Adult Education Classes were continued in the building

1986	Berkley High School auditorium constructed

1989	The new Public Safety Building opens and is dedicated to Police Chief Frank Irons, a long time Police Chief in Berkley.

1998	Re-dedication of expanded and renovated Library Building

2003	Launch of the citys first website

2007	Observed the 75th Anniversary of the City of Berkley.