Hazel Park Historical Commission and Museum
BY Richard Robinson
HAZEL PARK’S HISTORICAL COMMISSION HAS BEEN BUSY FILLING THE OLD ERICKSON LIBRARY, ON 45 EAST PEARL, WITH ARTIFACTS THAT REFLECT THE HISTORY OF HAZEL PARK. The Commission, created in 1967, was allowed the use of the Erickson Library building through a unique partnership between the City of Hazel Park and the Hazel Park School District, to create the Hazel Park Historical Museum in that space. Donations of chairs and many other items from the Hazel Park District Library make the Museum a truly unique entity in the city, through the cooperative efforts of many.
The Hazel Park Historical Museum has exhibits that are reflective of the past, showing how the City was 
created, from its early days as a farming community through the years of growth and development. Businesses, schools, and people from Hazel Park are all well-represented. We have new acquisitions from the recently-closed Hazel Park Raceway, and we are planning more themed exhibits soon as time permits. We have scanned copies of yearbooks, from 1935 to almost the present day, available to look at on our computer, as well as some hard copies of yearbooks donated by patrons.
The Museum may be all about the past, but it is rooted in the present as well. Civic meetings have been held at the museum, such the 75th Anniversary City Council meeting, the 8 Mile Boulevard Association, and STEAM programming through the Hazel Park School District. Our Historical Museum is open on the first 
Sunday of the month, from 12:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., and on the third Thursday of the month from 6:00 P.M to 8:00 P.M. We also hold our Historical Commission meetings on that same third Thursday. We are also open by appointment as well.
The Hazel Park Historical Commission is always looking to the future as well. History never stops; it is continually being made daily. We are trying to collect artifacts from the past, of course, but always keeping an eye on the future. We are working toward digital collections of online repositories of news, if they are available, as hard copies of news articles are becoming increasingly scarce locally.
Our future needs for the Museum itself entail renovations of the building’s kitchen facilities, bathroom, and 
floors. We’ve received some donations for bathroom fixtures recently and would welcome help with facility development from the community.
Contacting the Commission is easy. Leave a message at (248) 397-4992, email us at hphistorical@gmail.com, or send a letter to 45 East Pearl, Hazel Park Michigan, 48030. We also have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hazelparkhistorical. We’d be happy to hear from you!
