Mount Clemens Local History

Mount Clemens, Michigan has a rich and colorful history centered around the discovery of mineral water wells by Dorr Kellogg in 1870. As word of the therapeutic value of bathing in Mount Clemens' mineral water spread, an industry grew and thrived. Turn of the century Mount Clemens was replete with bath houses and fine hotels. People came from all over the world to take the health-giving baths, and Mount Clemens became known as the "Bath City." The bath industry flourished until the late 1920s, and the Great Depression closed most of the large hotels and baths. The last bath house in operation, the Arethusa, closed in 1974.

The library has an excellent local history collection for those engaged in Mount Clemens research, including:

• The Centennial History of Mount Clemens, Michigan, 1879-1979 [E-Book edition] 
• Mount Clemens/Macomb County  newspapers on microfilm, 1880-present [with some gaps]
• Oral history interviews with long-time Mount Clemens residents, produced by the Mount Clemens Historical Commission. Read some transcribed excerpts from these fascinating interviews:
  • Marie Frazher, bath house attendant
  • Madelyn Dankers Stevenson, on the mineral springs
  • Charles E. Doll, Jr., pottery manager
  • Alfred Betts, on the interurban streetcars
  • Milton Kendrick, on the founding of the Macomb Theatre
• Mount Clemens High School yearbooks, 1920-present [with some gaps]
• List of graduates of Mount Clemens High School, 1869-1902
• Mount Clemens High School Yearbook Master Name Index  
• Pageant of Progress online index
• Suburban Library Cooperative's online digital media archive - contains thousands of photos of Mount Clemens and other Macomb County communities (turn your pop-up blocker off to search this archive).
• 1875 Macomb County map, (with notes on the founding and early settlers of the townships and villages)
• Macomb County plat books for 1875, 1895 and 1916
• Macomb County Extinct Towns, Railroad Stops & Place Name Changes  
• 1881 panoramic map of Mount Clemens (bird's eye view)
• City of Mount Clemens Sanborn fire insurance maps on microfilm for years 1888, 1892, 1897,1903,1909,1921,1930, and 1945
• Guide to Mount Clemens street name changes
• Mount Clemens city directories, 1896-1966 [some gaps]
• Mount Clemens City Directory Master Index  
• Mount Clemens Telephone Directory, 1908 [A-F] [G-L] [M-R] [S-Z]
• Index to burials in Clinton Grove Cemetery [through 1975]
• Old Crowd Memorial List (Deaths, 1880-2006)
• Local history clipping file
• Tracing the History of Your House: A Guide to Local Resources

In addition to the library's resources, researchers will want to visit the outstanding exhibits on Mount Clemens and Macomb County history at the Macomb County Historical Society's Crocker House Museum, the Selfridge Military Air Museum, and the Michigan Transit Museum at the historic Mount Clemens train depot. Also, visit our list of links to Mount Clemens history pages on the web!

Read About Mount Clemens' Rich History
(excerpts from the library's Local History Collection)

If you have a question about Mount Clemens history, you may ask our trained reference staff for assistance at askmcpl@libcoop.net

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Last update: June 22, 2007