Did you know that Bloomfield is one of the oldest townships in Michigan?  Originally part of a larger piece of land known as Oakland, in 1820 the southern portion was designated as Bloomfield. Long before George and Ellen Booth purchased the property known as Cranbrook, Amasa Bagley was already on the scene.  Arriving to the area in 1819 (when Woodward Avenue was still known as an Indian passage called Saginaw Trail!), Bagley quickly became a community leader. A farmer by trade, he was appointed the first judge of Oakland County, and helped to establish the area’s first bank. Perhaps his most significant contribution of the time – opening the town tavern! Built in 1833, the Bagley Inn was used not only to quench the thirst of locals, but also as a public house for political gatherings. Located at the corner of Long Lake and Woodward, the building still exists today.

~Robbie Terman, archivist

Portrait of Amasa Bagley. Cranbrook Archives.