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Burton Historical Collection


Contact information:

Location:
Main Library, 1st Floor
Phone:
(313) 833-1480.
Hours:
Tu, W: 12:00 - 8:00 pm; Th, F, Sa: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Coordinator for Special Collections
Mark Patrick
E-mail: mpatricK@detroit.lib.mi.us

ATTENTION NON-RESIDENT CUSTOMERS

You will need a Library Card or a daily use pass to access materials in the following collections :

Burton Historical Collection
E. Azalia Hackley Collection
National Automotive History Collection

FEES:
A Non-resident library card is $100
A Daily Use Pass is $10.

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Description:

The Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library began life as the private library of Clarence Monroe Burton. In addition to being a prominent attorney, Mr. Burton was a Detroit historiographer and the founder of the C. M. Burton Abstract Co. Mr. Burton’s original intention was to assemble a collection on the history of Detroit. Realizing that Detroit’s history was inextricably connected to that of Michigan and the Old Northwest and those histories to that of Canada and New France, he assembled a collection that was one of the most important private historical collections in the county.

Over the course of 40 years, Mr. Burton systematically collected original documents and personal papers of prominent citizens of Detroit and Michigan. By 1914 the library contained 30,000 volumes, 40,000 pamphlets and 500,000 unpublished papers. Mr. Burton donated his collection, including the building it was housed in, to the Detroit Public Library in 1915. The collection was moved to the new main library in 1921.

Materials and Technology

The Harwell Collection
Donated by sportscaster Ernie Harwell in 1966, consists of books, team annuals, and scorecards, clippings and photographs.

Kate Greenaway Collection
Include children's picture books, original art work, first editions and manuscripts. Her collection along with illustrations by her compatriots, Walter Crane and Randolph Caldecott.

Rare Book Collection
Preserves and makes available to the public for research rare material such as first editions, illuminated manuscripts, and incunabula. Information on autographs, book collecting, the history of printing, bookplates, book values, calligraphy, conservation and preservation can be found in the Collection.

Samuel Clemens Collection
Donated by Clara Clemens, from her father's estate to the Detroit Public Library. It includes rarities such as the original manuscript of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Collection
Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of children's books about pioneer life in the United States, presented some pictures and drawings as well as the manuscripts for The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years to the Detroit Public Library. These along with her many published books are now available for research.

Photograph Collection:
Thousands of photographs and other photographic formats of Detroit and Michigan scenes, Great Lakes ships, and people make up the Burton image collection. Books, magazines, and newspapers have been indexed for illustrations. A large collection of postcards shows how the city and state looked to tourists of earlier days. It is necessary to complete a Reproduction Permission Form for any reproduction (other than photocopies) of photos owned by the Collection.

To get to the photo price list, please go to the Photo Collection page and click on Reproduction Price List.

Maps & Atlases:
A collection of maps, including those on the Great Lakes area and St. Lawrence River and Valley, historical maps on the eastern portion of the United States, and manuscript maps from 1645 to the present, have been moved to the Map Collection in the History & Travel Department. There is a collection of historical atlases in Burton.

Manuscripts:
Over 12 million items, consisting of personal papers, records of organizations, businesses and churches, and the governmental archives of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan make up the manuscript collection. Of particular interest are: the Grace Bedell letter to Abraham Lincoln; French licenses to voyageurs; correspondence and papers of local notables such as Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, Anthony Wayne, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft and Lewis Cass.

Genealogical materials include: federal census population schedules, family histories, cemetery inscriptions, church records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths, military records, hereditary society indexes, heraldry books, immigration records, probate indexes and records, vital records, obituaries, land records.See Obituary Search.

Policies/Fees

All materials in the Burton Collection are reference and cannot leave the reading room. Material is accessed through a number of card catalogs. Only items that have been added to the collection since 1987 are in the library's iBistro electronic catalog. Photocopying is subject to approval; many items are fragile, oversized or subject to other restrictions and cannot be placed on a copier. Use of patron's digital camera may be permitted for items not approved for photocopying. Inquiries may be made by phone, mail (including e-mail), and in person. A list of researchers is provided to those needing extensive research.

The Burton Historical Collection is both a repository of records of the past and a workshop of historical activity in the present. Its emphasis is on the history of Detroit and Michigan from the time of settlement in the 17th century to the present. The background history encompasses the Great Lakes area, New England, and New France. One will find local and county histories for both the United States and Canada. Noted for its source material, the Collection contains books, pamphlets, bound newspapers, atlases, maps, pictures, photographs, personal papers, archives, business records, and ephemeral items such newspaper clippings, broadsides, and scrapbooks.

Related E-Sources

Roman Catholic Records
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Researchers
View a list of local researchers that can help you with extensive research.
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Links
For internet links or databases related to this collection/subject
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