Orson Starr House

05/30/2026

05/21/2026

Will the person who dropped off this cool hat stretcher please contact the Museum? We need to know the object's history and who it belonged to. Please let us know its connection to Royal Oak.

05/17/2026

Well done!

05/07/2026

Granny's Attic Sale

Spring Cleaning?
We’re having a Granny’s Attic Sale and your things can help support the museum.
Drop-off times:
Anytime during regular
Museum hours, 1-4 pm,
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Other times are
6-8pm May 22 and May 28.
(No clothing or bedding please)

Saturday
May 30th
10am - 3pm

Royal Oak Historical Society
1411 W. Webster Rd.,
Royal Oak, Ml 48073
RoyalOakHistoricalSociety.com

05/07/2026

No Open House this Sunday! Wishing all the mothers and grandmothers a wonderful Mother’s Day!!

04/28/2026

Help honor our veterans at Oakview Cemetery. Join volunteers for a Veterans Grave Cleaning Day:

🗓️ Saturday, May 2
🗓️ Saturday, May 9
⏰ 10 AM – Noon
📍 Oakview Cemetery, 1032 N Main St. (Meet by the pond near the entrance)
☔ Rain or shine (unless severe weather)

Look for orange T-shirts from 10:00–10:15 AM to grab lawn bags and pick up supplies.

What to bring:
• Brooms
• Manual or electric trimmers
• Gloves
• Water
• Optional: Rags for headstones

👏 Special shoutout to Royal Oak High School National Honor Society students, who will be focusing their efforts on the graves of 20 individuals whose names are remembered on the Royal Oak War Memorial in Centennial Commons and are laid to rest at Oakview Cemetery.

04/15/2026

HENRY FORD VISITS ROYAL OAK — Ralzemond A. Parker was an attorney who lived on his family’s estate near the southwest corner of Woodward Ave. and 13 Mile Rd. in Royal Oak. His 17-room, two-story Italianate-style brick pre-Civil War house was built in 1859. One of Parker’s most eminent clients happened to be Henry Ford.

In the early 1920s, Parker mentioned to Ford that he still had the first automobile he ever purchased — a 1901 “Locomobile” — stored in his garage. This roused Ford’s curiosity, so he requested to visit Parker's Royal Oak home in order to see it. A Locomobile was a steam-powered vehicle, popular in its day. The company was taken over by Durant Motors in 1922 and went out of business in 1929.

Included here are several photos documenting the event from April 1923 — over 100 years ago! First is Henry Ford’s initial glimpse of the Locomobile, still inside Parker’s barn. The second shows the Locomobile out of the barn and the Parkers with Henry’s wife Clara. Henry is seen firing up the car, or at least trying to. Whether he actually got it to run or not is anyone’s guess. But if Henry Ford couldn’t get it to run, nobody could.

The third photo shows apparent success, as we see Ralzemond and wife Sarah in the driveway perched atop the seat with the top down, enjoying the sunshine, while Ford looks on. The Parker home is in the background. The final photo shows Henry enjoying a ride with Parker at the controls. Could be that these photos were staged — the front tires look pretty dry rotted. At any rate, it’s still pretty cool.

Ralzemond Parker died in 1925 at age 82, and his wife Sarah in 1930 at age 83. The home was occupied by descendants of the Parker family for years, but bit by bit, the farm was sold to developers until finally, in 1953, the house itself was razed to make way for the construction of the Northwood Shopping Center. Finally, the few remaining acres of the Parker Farm containing its famed apple orchard, ‘Parker Groves,’ was the last to go. The former Parker Elementary School and Parker Drive, both in Royal Oak, were named for the pioneering family.

04/11/2026

Come out and visit us tomorrow!
Open house!
1-4

04/07/2026

04/03/2026

Congratulations to the Royal Oak Historical Society for taking home top honors in the 'Assembly & Gathering Spaces' category in the Michigan Battle of the Buildings!

This statewide competition celebrates buildings that lead the way in energy efficiency and the museum, at 1411 W Webster Rd, grabbed a trophy.

Preserving the past while building a smarter, more sustainable future deserves a standing ovation. 👏