Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society (GWBHS), West Bloomfield Parks & Recreation, Westacres Community Association, and many volunteers worked with the MotorCities National Heritage Area Wayside Exhibit program to create more than 20 outdoor exhibits about the automotive heritage of Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake, and West Bloomfield. Beginning in 2012, GWBHS volunteer historians provided historical information and images for the design of many of the exhibit signs. They continue to work closely with MotorCities and Oakland County’s Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs on this historic project.
Locations of some of the exhibits include the Sylvan Lake Community Center, downtown Keego Harbor and the West Bloomfield Trail. The West Bloomfield area exhibits are a part of a network of approximately 250 exhibits that will be created throughout central and southeastern Michigan.
The project was possible through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation through the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. MotorCities National Heritage Area is an affiliate of the National Park Service dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the automotive and labor heritage of the State of Michigan.
- Click here for more information about the Wayside Exhibit Program
- Watch video of the August 15, 2013 event dedicating the Sylvan Lake Wayside Exhibits
- MotorCities Markers Tri-Fold Brochure
- Watch GWBHS “History Outdoors: MotorCities Markers Presentation”
Below is an interactive map of the Wayside Markers locations. Click the button to the left of the “History Outdoors: MotorCities Markers” title to pull up a key where you can search for Wayside Markers by city.
