Historical Society Sells Civil War Maps Showing Oakland County Contributions

Beginning today, the Oakland Township Historical Society is selling one-of-a-kind civil war maps that detail the artifacts and sites that tell the tale of the Civil War from a local perspective.

The maps are $20 each and are available for purchase at several Oakland County-area historical societies, including the Oakland Township Historical Society and Rochester-Avon Historical Society, with half of all proceeds benefiting the individual organizations.

"Oakland Township and Rochester were both very responsive to our call for information, so we’re very happy to partner with them," said Melissa Luginski, a member of the Oakland County Historical Commission. "We’re trying to get the map back into the hands of the people who contributed to it."

To gather information for the map, the Oakland County Historical Commission solicited help from several local historical societies, including the Oakland Township Historical Society.

"I compiled the information and worked with collectors for photographs, and we found a lot of artifacts," Luginski said.

The map itself was then created by the commission in partnership with award-winning graphic artists from the Oakland County Planning & Economic Development Services.

"Our responsibility is to ensure that local history is concentrated on within the county, and to support local historical society’s efforts," said Luginski, who also served as the primary field researcher and editor of the map project.

If you are interested in purchasing a map, email Oakland Township Historical Society President Diana Borrusch at dianaoths74@comcast.net.