About the Museum
The City of Clawson purchased the three story home in 1972 along with other property on Roth Avenue to provide additional parking and a driveway for the library. In November of 1973, the city council allocated two rooms on the second floor to the Historical Commission to be used as a museum.
The rooms were first opened with fewer than 100 items on December 11, 1973. By 1976, the collection had grown and artifacts were on all three floors and in the basement. On March 14, 1976, the entire building was officially dedicated as the Clawson Historical Museum. The first curator, Deloris Kumler, was appointed in August, 1977. She retired in December, 2007.
The house was built about 1919 by Oswald and Deborah Fisher and reflects the furnishings of the 1920’s or earlier. The archives contain over 5,000 photographs which are currently being digitized; some are available on the website. A special exhibit room features a rotating display that changes during the year. The research room has Clawson High School yearbooks, city yearbooks, local history resources and genealogical materials.
The archives hold an extensive collection of newspaper clippings and over 5,000 photographs are stored and available for research, including early local newspapers on computer. Magazines, periodicals, catalogs, clothing patterns and fashion books are also part of the archives and may be viewed on request. We can provide copies of newspaper clippings, photographs and historical information to citizens requesting them. We can also scan photographs and other information that are brought in so that the copies can be filed in the museum archives.
The museum is owned by the City of Clawson and the operation of the museum is under the direction of the Curator and the Clawson Historical Commission.
