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| Ready to go back to Michigan Territory? |
But oh! what fun I had in my searches! A true labor of love.
And then I gathered up this collection of photographs and bits of information to sort of make a blog version of a historic Michigan Territory village, as if I could do what Henry Ford did with his Greenfield Village and just take each apart and relocate them in one period setting.
And that setting is right here...in living color!
I hope you enjoy your visit~
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There are modern "experts" that find the uprooting of old historic buildings from their original sites and placed inside such open-air museums such as Greenfield Village, Crossroads Village, Old Sturbridge Village, Old World Wisconsin, and others, most objectionable, for they feel by doing so strips them of their historical context. I've heard this argument countless times during discussions. I've also read newspaper and magazine editorials concerning this practice, and it never ceases to amaze me that some can't see the forest for the trees. It is in my opinion that to collect history and then exhibit it in a museum or, in this case, a sort of village setting does a brilliant service to the past. Though I may be going against the grain, I feel that ancient houses that are spread out miles/hours from each other, usually surrounded by more modern structures, are not as conducive and telling as having them relocated and restored inside a historic village setting so the public can see them in their place and time. Unless, of course, the houses are already situated in a natural historic setting such as in the City of Monroe or the Village of Romeo.
Or if they happen to still be a residence.
(Or if they, with little or no notice, meet the wrecking ball, as you shall soon see as you read)~
A good example of what I am attempting to convey about this sort of hidden history is what happened to the Firestone Farm, the birthplace and childhood home of tire magnate Harvey Firestone. In 1965, nearly thirty years after Harvey's death, his descendants and the local historical society restored the house and opened it to the public for tours, but because of the farm's remote location, it failed to attract many visitors. It was in 1983 that Harvey's two surviving sons, both in their 70's, gave the house and barn, together with furnishings and a sizable endowment for maintenance, to Greenfield Village as a way to keep the memory of their father alive.
The Firestone Farm, as it now stands in Dearborn's historic Greenfield Village, is a living history re-creation and testimony of Firestone family life on their farm of the 1880's in Eastern Ohio, and has been restored to look as it did in 1882. And ever since the reconstruction took place inside Greenfield Village in 1985, literally millions of visitors, including former United States President Gerald Ford, have entered this once off-the-beaten-path historical home, and have learned, through sight, sound, smell, and even touch, about mid-western farm life in the late 19th century, including indoor and outdoor chores for both the men and the women.
And this is why I feel the way I do about the "uprooting of old historic buildings from their original sites and placed inside open-air museums."
Just my opinion.
And now here is a very quick piece of settlement history of Michigan:
Before the European explorers and settlers arrived in "Meicigama" (Ojibwa for "large or great water"), there were numerous Indian tribes who called the area their home, including the Chippewa (Ojibwa), Miami, Sauk, Wyandotte, Ottawa, Huron, Potawatomi, and a number of others who were spread out across the land. It was in the early 1600s that the waterways - the Great Lakes - were explored by the Europeans who came here. And it was in 1701 when Cadillac founded Fort Detroit.
Yet, aside from a few areas such as Detroit, Mackinac, Monroe, and Sault Ste. Marie, most east coast settlers were not finding their way to this region.
However, a few did - - - -
The area was part of Canada (New France) from 1668 to 1763. When New France was defeated in the French and Indian War, it ceded the region to Britain in 1763. After the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War, the Treaty of Paris (1783) expanded the United States' boundaries to include nearly all land east of the Mississippi River and south of Canada. Michigan was then part of the "Old Northwest," and from 1787 to 1800, it was part of the Northwest Territory.
And this is where we will begin our journey to the past.
So, over the summer I have been in search of these off-the-beaten-path historical structures in my own state of Michigan. To keep my search focused, I set up criteria for myself to follow:
What most Americans do not know is that Michigan is the number one state in the Union for
lighthouses. No kidding! Not Maine, not Florida, or even California. With three of the largest
Great Lakes (Huron, Michigan, and Superior, and even a bit of Erie) creating Michigan's two
peninsulas - 3,288 miles of shoreline, which is the most of any state except Alaska - it's no wonder
it has the most lighthouses.
The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (including the Cottage keeper's house) is located in Fort Gratiot
(near Port Huron), Michigan. The entrance into the St. Claire River from Lake Huron had long been
deemed of strategic importance. With the surge in vessel traffic on Lake Huron in the early 1800's,
the need for a lighthouse to guide vessels into the river and away from the shallows at the River
entrance became a matter of increasing importance.
In response to this need, Congress appropriated $3,500 to construct a lighthouse "near Fort Gratiot,
in Michigan Territory" on March 3rd of 1823. Work commenced on the structure, and with the
completion of construction on August 8th, 1825, Fort Gratiot Light House held the honor of
becoming the first lighthouse in the State of Michigan.
Now this next house is a real treat for me, for there is a Greenfield Village connection:
Edward Loranger was born in Three Rivers, Quebec, in 1796. A brick mason, he moved to Frenchtown in the territory of Michigan in 1816 to help build a church (Frenchtown became Monroe, named after the then current President, James Monroe, in 1817).
Loranger remained in the Michigan territory and, in 1822, purchased the land on which this house is now located. He became one of the most prominent landowners and architects in early Monroe, and constructed many buildings, including houses and stores, in the area.
Yes, he even built his own house, pictured below, in 1825.
Loranger married Marianne Navarre in 1826, and the couple had five children.
Feeling the new settlement needed a grist and saw mill, Loranger himself hewed oak timbers for beams, cut with a broad axe the whitewood siding of the building, and cut logs for a dam in the river to impound the water for power to turn the wheels.
By 1832 his mills were up and running, sitting next to each other on the Stoney Creek near US 24 (Telegraph Rd)..
According to The History of Monroe County Michigan, Edward Loranger was very popular and well-respected by all who knew him.
Loranger died in 1887.
Next up we have the Charles Trowbridge House from 1826, which is the oldest documented building in the city of Detroit.
From The Detroit Historical Society:
The Charles C. Trowbridge House is considered the oldest known building in the City of Detroit. Located at 1380 E. Jefferson Avenue, the house was built in 1826 at a cost of $2,500. The land was originally part of a French land grant to Charles Chauvin.
The Trowbridge family sold the house to Marie Cavanaugh in 1942, and it was then converted back to a single-family residence. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
"Musgrove Evans built this dwelling in 1826. It is the oldest frame house in Tecumseh and believed to be the oldest still-standing in Lenawee County.
Evans was a pioneer settler in this area. He platted the Village of Tecumseh, served as its first postmaster and probate judge, and helped to organize Michigan's first temperance society.
Used as an inn and a home, the Evans house was moved to this location in 1886 from the northeast corner of Ottawa Street and Chicago Blvd. However, its appearance has changed little over the years."
From the Michigan Historic Site placard that sits in the front yard.
In 1834, Evans moved with his children to colonial Texas, where his eldest son, Samuel Brown Evans (1812–1836), died in the Battle of the Alamo.
The Tibbits House and barn in Plymouth was built in 1826
However, from what I understand, it is the barn that holds history in its walls.
You need to look good and hard and you can barely make out the red barn on the left. This is the historic Tibbitts Barn located behind the home that was built by John Tibbitts around the same time he built his home, circa 1826. The barn is “where it began.” Plymouth was first settled in 1824, and in 1827 the town’s people met at this farmstead of John Tibbitts; they gathered in the barn and voted in the first town council and chose the name PLYMOUTH right here! From what I understand, the current owner has put quite a bit of work in preserving this wonderful piece of Plymouth’s history, although it is difficult to see from North Territorial Rd.
I would love to see this barn up close one day.
And now another Plymouth house.
Though the property was originally deeded to James Taft in 1825, it was sold to Zenas Burd in 1828. It is unclear if the home existed prior to the purchase by Mr. Burd but it is considered one of the oldest in Plymouth. Although the home has seen some significant changes through its many years of existence, it still has its original stone foundation and the original hand hewed structural timbers.
Most of the changes were made in the 1950's
In 1825, twenty-three-year-old Joshua Simmons, along with his wife, Hannah, moved from Bristol,
New York to a 160-acre parcel of land in what is now Livonia. Simmons named his farm
"Meadow Brook," and built a small log cabin on the property in 1826, and in 1829 he built what is
known as the North barn; it was the first barn constructed in Livonia.
In 1841 they constructed a house in the Greek Revival style, popular in New York State.
Joshua, who died in 1882, hewed lumber to build the earliest barns and mills in Livonia, Farmington, and Plymouth. He continued to acquire acreage, becoming one of Livonia’s most prominent landholders. In 1920, Sherwin and Jean Boyd Hill purchased the farm and renamed it Greenmead. The city of Livonia acquired the property in 1976 as a park.
I do not have an exact year for this next structure, which is actually a log cabin, though I've read it was probably built in the late 1820s to about 1830.
Austin Eli Wing was born in 1792 in Conway, Massachusetts, and graduated from Williams College in 1814. Lewis Cass and William Woodbridge convinced Wing to move to the Michigan Territory, where he joined Woodbridge's law firm. He was appointed sheriff of the territory, and served as a delegate from the Michigan Territory to the US House of Representatives from 1825–29 and 1831-33. In 1828, Wing purchased the property on which this house now stands. It is strongly suspected the house itself was constructed as early as 1829.
Wing and his wife Harriet lived in the house until 1844, when they passed it on to their son, Talcott E. Wing. Austin Wing died in 1849.
It is the oldest Michigan tavern still in its original location and still in use as a tavern (without the overnight guests---unless you count the ghosts).
It was also a stop along the underground railroad, for a secret passageway was found during a recent renovation.
As with the Salter Log Cabin, at one time, the Gardner House was a part of Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. The structure was in place inside Greenfield Village by June of 1929 and remained there until 1995 when it was removed to the premises of the Dearborn Historical Museum, where it can still be visited according to the hours of the society.
Henry Ford saved this piece of Michigan history from certain demolition, as you can see by this following picture, which was how it looked when Ford purchased it for his open-air museum:
A diamond in the rough, now saved for future generations. Just think if Ford didn't uproot this old historic building from its original site...I shudder to think about it...
About 11 miles up the road heading west from Parks/Eagle Tavern was the home of Sylvester and Lucy Walker. Built as a modest farmhouse around 1832, the couple took in weary travelers for meals and overnight stays, as was common during that time. It was converted into an actual tavern in 1843. Walker Tavern is still located in its original location in the green rolling Irish Hills on the historic Old Chicago Road (U.S. 12) and has been restored to its mid-19th century appearance.
Since the roads, some nothing but dirt and some corduroy, were laid out to follow the routes having the fewest obstacles, they were seldom straight. The Chicago Road became "practically an extension of the Erie Canal and...a great axis of settlement in southern Michigan," and it "stretches itself by devious and irregular windings east and west like a huge serpent lazily pursuing its onward course utterly unconcerned as to its destination."
The condition of the roads were not of a high order. Little money and labor was put toward them. Riding in a stagecoach has been described as being "like a ship rocking or beating against a heavy sea; straining all her timbers with a low moaning sound as she drives over the contending waves."
In 1860, Milton C. Botsford purchased the inn, renaming it the Botsford Tavern.
The Botsford family owned the inn until the 1920s. At that time, Grand River Avenue was being widened, and the inn was in danger of being razed. However, in 1924 (before his Greenfield Village idea), Henry Ford purchased the Inn from the Botsford family and moved it a ways back from its original site out of the way of the road widening project. Ford had attended gatherings at the inn when he was younger, and had courted his wife Clara there. Ford rehabilitated the structure, enlarging the ell and installing period woodwork.
In the mid-1960s, a medical group purchased much of the property associated with the Inn, constructing Botsford Hospital. However, by the 1990s, economic pressures made it difficult to keep the inn open. In 1993, the the inn was sold, and by 2000, the Botsford Inn had closed its doors. In 2007, Botsford Hospital restored the historic portions of the building, and the Inn is now part of the Botsford Hospital complex.
The founding father of Atlas, Michigan was Judge Norman Davison, who arrived here in 1831 from Livingston County, New York. He cleared the land and built a house for his family near the river on the site where the Atlas Country Club now stands.
Soon after Davison settled in this location, many more settlers came to the town, and it was here that he erected a gristmill in 1836, for these necessities of rural life were flourishing with the influx of new immigrants from the east.
The Atlas Gristmill remained in operation until 1943, when, due in part to WWII, replacement parts for repairs were no longer available.
It is now restored and functioning inside Crossroads Village in Flint, Michigan.
As restored and situated inside Crossroads Village, the sights and sounds of the spinning, grinding wheels gives the modern public a first-hand glimpse of an earlier age...of the time of our ancestors.
The sluice is like a water trough on the side of the building, which holds the water taken from the mill pond until the lever inside the building is pulled to open the sluice gates, allowing the water to push through to turn the grindstones, which begins the milling procedure.
The turning wheels could grind one barrel of flour (whole wheat or buckwheat) or corn meal an hour.
The entire building shakes as the water power from the sluice turns the large stone wheels used for grinding.
The grain is poured into the hopper - - - - - -
You better eat everything on your plate!
Now you know why.
To visit the Atlas Mill is an early portrayal of early Michigan living history, with the specks of ground flour whirling through the air almost as a fine dry mist, turning the brown wood white. So real does it feel while inside the mill as it is running that one can just imagine local farmers back in 1836, with their pack horse, ox cart, or on foot, waiting outside after coming traveling from miles around, with their grain ready to be ground into flour.
By 1835, because of the influx of new settlers, Michigan had a large enough population to draw up a constitution for Statehood. However, the infamous “Toledo War,” dispute in 1836 between Ohio and Michigan over the coveted Toledo Strip, delayed Michigan’s official statehood. You see, to become a state, Michigan also had to establish its borders. It was at this time that they included Toledo because of its location on Lake Erie and the Saint Lawrence Seaway system, a shipping lane linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean together. Ohio blocked the petition and sent an armed militia to occupy the territory.
After what was thankfully a nonviolent dispute, President Andrew Jackson and Congress gave Toledo to Ohio and, as consolation, awarded 9,000 square miles of land in the Upper Peninsula to Michigan during what was called the “Frostbitten Convention.”
Methinks Michigan got the better end of the deal.
A good example of what I am attempting to convey about this sort of hidden history is what happened to the Firestone Farm, the birthplace and childhood home of tire magnate Harvey Firestone. In 1965, nearly thirty years after Harvey's death, his descendants and the local historical society restored the house and opened it to the public for tours, but because of the farm's remote location, it failed to attract many visitors. It was in 1983 that Harvey's two surviving sons, both in their 70's, gave the house and barn, together with furnishings and a sizable endowment for maintenance, to Greenfield Village as a way to keep the memory of their father alive.
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| President Ford in the Firestone Kitchen |
And this is why I feel the way I do about the "uprooting of old historic buildings from their original sites and placed inside open-air museums."
Just my opinion.
~ ~ ~
And now here is a very quick piece of settlement history of Michigan:
Before the European explorers and settlers arrived in "Meicigama" (Ojibwa for "large or great water"), there were numerous Indian tribes who called the area their home, including the Chippewa (Ojibwa), Miami, Sauk, Wyandotte, Ottawa, Huron, Potawatomi, and a number of others who were spread out across the land. It was in the early 1600s that the waterways - the Great Lakes - were explored by the Europeans who came here. And it was in 1701 when Cadillac founded Fort Detroit.
Yet, aside from a few areas such as Detroit, Mackinac, Monroe, and Sault Ste. Marie, most east coast settlers were not finding their way to this region.
However, a few did - - - -
The area was part of Canada (New France) from 1668 to 1763. When New France was defeated in the French and Indian War, it ceded the region to Britain in 1763. After the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War, the Treaty of Paris (1783) expanded the United States' boundaries to include nearly all land east of the Mississippi River and south of Canada. Michigan was then part of the "Old Northwest," and from 1787 to 1800, it was part of the Northwest Territory.
And this is where we will begin our journey to the past.
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The territories of
Michigan & Wisconsin |
~the buildings must be 'native' to Michigan soil (including if it was relocated from one spot to another, as long as it remained in Michigan),
~they must not be a reconstructed version - they must be most, if not all, original
~they must be documented to be pre-1837.
Why pre-1837?
Because it was in January of that year Michigan became the 26th state, and what I am looking for are the "Michigan Territory" and "Old Northwest Territory" structures that are still standing.
~and to become a part of this posting, I have to physically visit the building...and take the picture.
~and to become a part of this posting, I have to physically visit the building...and take the picture.
Now, what I have found in my travels is there are more than a few ancient buildings that, until fairly recently, I've not been aware of, much less seen (mainly due to their location). I took it upon myself to pay a visit to every pre-1837 structure within a relatively short drive from my house that I could, meaning I did not travel up to Mackinac Island or Sault Ste. Marie, which is quite a drive (though I hope to make it up that way in the not-too-distant future to see them).
So!
Onto what I have found from when Michigan was still a territory and before:
When I first visited the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post in the city of Monroe in 2019, I was shocked to learn that it was an actual 18th century building that was still standing right here in southeastern Michigan, and it was less than an hour drive from my home!
How cool!
The building you see in the above pictures was built in 1789 by Utreau Navarre and is the oldest wooden residence still standing in the state. It is the most complete example of French-Canadian piece-sur-piece construction in the Old Northwest. It has been restored to about 1797.
The complex was originally located several miles downstream in the present-day Old Village Historic District. When advancing development threatened this historical complex, it was moved in 1894, and then again in 1971. The complex was restored back to its appearance from what it looked like in the late 1700s.
Today, the complex is owned by the Monroe County Historical Museum and is established to represent a French pioneer homestead along the old River Raisin. It is open to the public for special events, such as historic reenactments and group tours.
Other buildings on the complex include the Navarre-Morris 1810 cookhouse, and a replica 1790’s French-Canadian style barn.
Before we move into the early 19th century:
The United States did not take full control of the Old Northwest Territory until 1796, for it was that year that Detroit and other posts in Michigan were turned over to the United States under terms of the Jay Treaty. Wayne County was established as an administrative division of the Northwest Territory.
Yes, I've read about all of this in my books, but visiting the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post made it all come alive.
In 1800, the Indiana Territory was created, and most of the current state Michigan lay within it, with only the easternmost parts of the state remaining in the Northwest Territory. In 1802, when Ohio was admitted to the Union, the whole of Michigan was attached to the Territory of Indiana, and so remained until 1805, when the Territory of Michigan was established.
It was after returning home upon my first time to the trading post complex that I did a bit of research and came to realize that Michigan had numerous 200+ year old structures still standing, including the cookhouse next to the trading post:.
And next to the kitchen we have the "beehive" oven.
A beehive oven is a type of oven used since the Middle Ages in Europe, and it was later brought to North America. A beehive oven is a dome-shaped brick structure that looks a bit like an insect's nest, hence the name 'beehive'. The dome shape traps heat in the oven so food cooks evenly.
Many Michigan native plants are still in the wooded areas, such as viburnum, jewelweed, Joe Pye weed, and more.
Moving on, I was able to visit the John W. Hunter House, located not too far away, in Birmingham. As I found on Wikipedia: "John W. Hunter was originally from New York state, and moved to the Michigan territory in 1818."
By the late 1820s, Hunter began manufacturing farm implements. Not only did he build a foundry near his home, he was also a farmer as well as a blacksmith.
Hunter died in 1880.
James H. Murray moved from New York State to Washtenaw County, Michigan in 1830. In 1836, he moved north to Genesee County to an area that would become known as Linden. Upon arrival, he settled his family in this house.
After his arrival, James H. Murray constructed the area's first dam, sawmill, and gristmill. He opened Linden's first store, and later opened both copper and blacksmith shops. Additions were made to the house in the later 19th century.
So you have just seen only a very few of the earliest structures built by settlers from the east who made it to this area in those days before the Erie Canal. These earliest of Michigan Territory buildings are rare indeed, and we are lucky to have what we have. But it was the Erie Canal, first proposed in the 1780s, that opened up immigration to these parts, and, as we shall soon see, many more homes and opportunities arose shortly after.
Reasons for no large-scale movement into southeastern Michigan before 1825 was due to the difficulty in reaching the territory. Transportation to Michigan by water was "dangerous, unreliable, and fraught with discomfort." Navigation on Lake Erie was regarded as more dangerous than on the Atlantic. Accommodations for passengers were poor. To reach Detroit from the south by land it was necessary to cross the Black Swamp in northwestern Ohio.
So!
Onto what I have found from when Michigan was still a territory and before:
When I first visited the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post in the city of Monroe in 2019, I was shocked to learn that it was an actual 18th century building that was still standing right here in southeastern Michigan, and it was less than an hour drive from my home!
How cool!
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| The 1789 Navarre-Anderson Trading Post - located in what was then known as Frenchtown. |
The complex was originally located several miles downstream in the present-day Old Village Historic District. When advancing development threatened this historical complex, it was moved in 1894, and then again in 1971. The complex was restored back to its appearance from what it looked like in the late 1700s.
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| Revolutionary War reenactment 2019 |
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| Trading inside the trading post. |
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| Here you see the trading post, the cook house, and the replicated barn. I did not include the barn here in this posting other than this picture because it is replication and not the real deal. |
The United States did not take full control of the Old Northwest Territory until 1796, for it was that year that Detroit and other posts in Michigan were turned over to the United States under terms of the Jay Treaty. Wayne County was established as an administrative division of the Northwest Territory.
Yes, I've read about all of this in my books, but visiting the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post made it all come alive.
In 1800, the Indiana Territory was created, and most of the current state Michigan lay within it, with only the easternmost parts of the state remaining in the Northwest Territory. In 1802, when Ohio was admitted to the Union, the whole of Michigan was attached to the Territory of Indiana, and so remained until 1805, when the Territory of Michigan was established.
It was after returning home upon my first time to the trading post complex that I did a bit of research and came to realize that Michigan had numerous 200+ year old structures still standing, including the cookhouse next to the trading post:.
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| The building right next to the Trading Post is known as the cook house and was built in 1810. Research shows that the Post did have a separate kitchen built in 1789, so though it may not be the original kitchen to the trading post, it is still historically accurate to have such a structure situated as it is here.
|
A beehive oven is a type of oven used since the Middle Ages in Europe, and it was later brought to North America. A beehive oven is a dome-shaped brick structure that looks a bit like an insect's nest, hence the name 'beehive'. The dome shape traps heat in the oven so food cooks evenly.
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| The beehive oven next to the 1810 cook house. |
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| The back of the cook house. |
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| The buildings on this complex may not always be open for public viewing, but the grounds are open year-round, and, besides the buildings themselves, visitors can still see the beehive oven and an orchard on the river-front property. |
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| Spying the complex from the River Raisin. |
Moving on, I was able to visit the John W. Hunter House, located not too far away, in Birmingham. As I found on Wikipedia: "John W. Hunter was originally from New York state, and moved to the Michigan territory in 1818."
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| Hunter settled in what is now the city of Birmingham, and was soon joined by his wife, parents, and daughters. He first constructed a log cabin on his property. In 1822, Hunter hired itinerant carpenter George Taylor to construct this house, which was the first frame house built in Bloomfield Township.
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Hunter died in 1880.
James H. Murray moved from New York State to Washtenaw County, Michigan in 1830. In 1836, he moved north to Genesee County to an area that would become known as Linden. Upon arrival, he settled his family in this house.
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| The house itself could have been constructed as early as 1823 by Philemon C. Murray, who was likely James' father.
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So you have just seen only a very few of the earliest structures built by settlers from the east who made it to this area in those days before the Erie Canal. These earliest of Michigan Territory buildings are rare indeed, and we are lucky to have what we have. But it was the Erie Canal, first proposed in the 1780s, that opened up immigration to these parts, and, as we shall soon see, many more homes and opportunities arose shortly after.
Reasons for no large-scale movement into southeastern Michigan before 1825 was due to the difficulty in reaching the territory. Transportation to Michigan by water was "dangerous, unreliable, and fraught with discomfort." Navigation on Lake Erie was regarded as more dangerous than on the Atlantic. Accommodations for passengers were poor. To reach Detroit from the south by land it was necessary to cross the Black Swamp in northwestern Ohio.
The Great Black Swamp (also known simply as the Black Swamp) was a glacially fed wetland in northwest Ohio, sections of lower Michigan, and extreme northeast Indiana, United States, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until the late 19th century. Comprising extensive swamps and marshes, with some higher, drier ground interspersed, it occupied what was formerly the southwestern part of proglacial Lake Maumee, a recent precursor to Lake Erie. The area was about 25 miles wide (north to south) and 100 miles long, covering an estimated 1,500 square miles. Gradually, it was drained and settled in the second half of the 19th century, and it is now highly productive farmland.
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| Opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 |
In rainy periods the swamp was virtually impassable. The horrors of the Black Swamp were widely publicized. At a time when plenty of good land was still available in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, there was little incentive for the pioneer to brave the hazards involved in getting to Michigan.
So...what to do...
The completion in 1825 of the Erie Canal, connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River, was an event of major importance in Michigan history because it greatly facilitated the transportation of passengers and freight between the eastern seaboard and Michigan ports. Although originally intended to mainly haul goods and freight, immigrants soon discovered that traveling west was faster and cheaper on the canal than by carriage. For the first time, New England families, anxious to leave rocky and infertile fields for richer lands in the West, had a route for reaching the "promised land."
(Taken directly from THIS site)
as Michigan Avenue/US 12/Chicago Road). The corner that the inn sat upon spawned a small
village known as Sheldon Corners, made up of a number of homes, a post office, a general store,
a blacksmith, a church, and a school.
The Sheldon Inn was built by Timothy and Rachel Sheldon. The couple moved from Monroe County, New York, with all their possessions in a wagon, intending to settle further to the west, but when they camped for the night on the Chicago Road, two days from Detroit, they were impressed with the surrounding area and decided to settle there. On June 6, 1825, the couple purchased 160 acres near their overnight camping spot, including the property on which this building now sits. They were the third landowners in Sheldon Township, filing their claim only a week after the first two.
The Sheldons built a Greek Revival home on their land, and the building almost immediately became an inn, serving the influx of travellers and settlers spreading westward from Detroit. The Sheldons farmed the surrounding land, and soon the hamlet of Sheldon Corners grew around the inn.
This pre-dated the Township of Canton by nine years.
In 1830, Timothy Sheldon became postmaster of the area's post office, and the next year, Rachel Sheldon purchased an additional 80 acres adjacent to this property. The town eventually boasted a log schoolhouse, two general stores, two churches, a cemetery, a cobbler, and three blacksmiths.
It is interesting to think that this inn was on the same trail - the same road - as other more well-known inns and taverns, such as the Parks Tavern (now known as the Eagle Tavern which has been removed to Greenfield Village) and Walker Tavern, both of which you will read about shortly. To think that the folks heading west on the Chicago Road also used this lesser-known structure...
(Taken directly from THIS site)
Click the link here to hear a wonderful old folk song called "15 Miles on the Erie Canal"
>>>Note: In January 2021, the next building here on my list, the Sheldon Inn, had been torn down---more of our wonderful Michigan history gone forever. I just can't remove it from this posting, for it was such an important historical building, and it was such a shock to hear about.
And after you read of its importance to not only Michigan history, but to America's history, I believe you'll agree that those responsible truly are idiots.
I wrote a blog posting about it HERE <<<
The Sheldon Inn was established in 1825 and was originally adjacent to the Sauk Trail (known now as Michigan Avenue/US 12/Chicago Road). The corner that the inn sat upon spawned a small
village known as Sheldon Corners, made up of a number of homes, a post office, a general store,
a blacksmith, a church, and a school.
The Sheldon Inn was built by Timothy and Rachel Sheldon. The couple moved from Monroe County, New York, with all their possessions in a wagon, intending to settle further to the west, but when they camped for the night on the Chicago Road, two days from Detroit, they were impressed with the surrounding area and decided to settle there. On June 6, 1825, the couple purchased 160 acres near their overnight camping spot, including the property on which this building now sits. They were the third landowners in Sheldon Township, filing their claim only a week after the first two.
The Sheldons built a Greek Revival home on their land, and the building almost immediately became an inn, serving the influx of travellers and settlers spreading westward from Detroit. The Sheldons farmed the surrounding land, and soon the hamlet of Sheldon Corners grew around the inn.
This pre-dated the Township of Canton by nine years.
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| Once a stagecoach stop, the Sheldon Inn as it now sits in its original location, still facing the old Saul Indian Trail, is now, I believe, residential. |
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| The Sheldons added a one-story wing to the house in the 1830s for an unmarried sister. |
>>> Note: In January 2021, the Sheldon Inn had been torn down---more of our wonderful Michigan history gone forever.
I wrote a blog posting about it HERE <<<
What most Americans do not know is that Michigan is the number one state in the Union for
lighthouses. No kidding! Not Maine, not Florida, or even California. With three of the largest
Great Lakes (Huron, Michigan, and Superior, and even a bit of Erie) creating Michigan's two
peninsulas - 3,288 miles of shoreline, which is the most of any state except Alaska - it's no wonder
it has the most lighthouses.
The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (including the Cottage keeper's house) is located in Fort Gratiot
(near Port Huron), Michigan. The entrance into the St. Claire River from Lake Huron had long been
deemed of strategic importance. With the surge in vessel traffic on Lake Huron in the early 1800's,
the need for a lighthouse to guide vessels into the river and away from the shallows at the River
entrance became a matter of increasing importance.
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| Fort Gratiot Lighthouse - Port Huron 1825 - the first lighthouse constructed in Michigan. |
in Michigan Territory" on March 3rd of 1823. Work commenced on the structure, and with the
completion of construction on August 8th, 1825, Fort Gratiot Light House held the honor of
becoming the first lighthouse in the State of Michigan.
Now this next house is a real treat for me, for there is a Greenfield Village connection:
Edward Loranger was born in Three Rivers, Quebec, in 1796. A brick mason, he moved to Frenchtown in the territory of Michigan in 1816 to help build a church (Frenchtown became Monroe, named after the then current President, James Monroe, in 1817).
Loranger remained in the Michigan territory and, in 1822, purchased the land on which this house is now located. He became one of the most prominent landowners and architects in early Monroe, and constructed many buildings, including houses and stores, in the area.
Yes, he even built his own house, pictured below, in 1825.
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| Edward Loranger House - Frenchtown Charter Township 1825 |
Feeling the new settlement needed a grist and saw mill, Loranger himself hewed oak timbers for beams, cut with a broad axe the whitewood siding of the building, and cut logs for a dam in the river to impound the water for power to turn the wheels.
By 1832 his mills were up and running, sitting next to each other on the Stoney Creek near US 24 (Telegraph Rd)..
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| You can now see the 1832 Loranger mill as it sits in historic Greenfield Village. |
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| Inside the gristmill that Loranger built. |
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| This is a fabrication (computer magic) of how the Loranger Gristmill may have looked as it sat on the Stoney Creek back in 1832. This is the direction and location it originally sat, and you can see Loranger's home there in the distance. Yes, I visited the original location and took a ton of photos of the land. Below is an actual photograph taken the mill in its original location taken at the turn of the 20th century. The gristmill is the taller building on the left:  |
Loranger died in 1887.
From The Detroit Historical Society:
The Charles C. Trowbridge House is considered the oldest known building in the City of Detroit. Located at 1380 E. Jefferson Avenue, the house was built in 1826 at a cost of $2,500. The land was originally part of a French land grant to Charles Chauvin.
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| Nestled among the buildings of downtown Detroit we find this historic gem: |
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| Ownership of the land changed hands several times until 1825 when Trowbridge purchased lot four of what was then known as the Mullett Farm. He built the house for himself and his new bride, Catherine Whipple Sibley, the eldest daughter of Solomon Sibley, the first appointed mayor of Detroit. They moved into the house early in 1827. |
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| The house was originally built in a Greek Revival Federal style and was later updated with Victorian elements such as the bay window in the front. Trowbridge lived in the house for 56 years until his death in 1883. After his death, the house remained in the Trowbridge family, and, in 1936, during the Great Depression, it was converted to a rooming house. |
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| From a side angle. |
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| Today, the house is privately owned and serves as office space for several businesses. |
"Musgrove Evans built this dwelling in 1826. It is the oldest frame house in Tecumseh and believed to be the oldest still-standing in Lenawee County.
Evans was a pioneer settler in this area. He platted the Village of Tecumseh, served as its first postmaster and probate judge, and helped to organize Michigan's first temperance society.
Used as an inn and a home, the Evans house was moved to this location in 1886 from the northeast corner of Ottawa Street and Chicago Blvd. However, its appearance has changed little over the years."
From the Michigan Historic Site placard that sits in the front yard.
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| Musgrove's wife's name was Abigail. Sadly, she passed away in the early 1830s. |
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| The Musgrove Evans House is now a private residence. When I asked the owner if I could take a few pictures, she happily said yes. She was quite surprised to hear we drove all the way from Eastpointe - about a 90 minute drive - just to see her house. |
The Tibbits House and barn in Plymouth was built in 1826
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Being that it was raining, I had a bit of a difficult time
taking a picture of the 1826 Tibbits House. |
You need to look good and hard and you can barely make out the red barn on the left. This is the historic Tibbitts Barn located behind the home that was built by John Tibbitts around the same time he built his home, circa 1826. The barn is “where it began.” Plymouth was first settled in 1824, and in 1827 the town’s people met at this farmstead of John Tibbitts; they gathered in the barn and voted in the first town council and chose the name PLYMOUTH right here! From what I understand, the current owner has put quite a bit of work in preserving this wonderful piece of Plymouth’s history, although it is difficult to see from North Territorial Rd.
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Tibbits House and (red) barn
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And now another Plymouth house.
Though the property was originally deeded to James Taft in 1825, it was sold to Zenas Burd in 1828. It is unclear if the home existed prior to the purchase by Mr. Burd but it is considered one of the oldest in Plymouth. Although the home has seen some significant changes through its many years of existence, it still has its original stone foundation and the original hand hewed structural timbers.
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| 1828 James Taft/Zena Burd Plymouth |
In 1825, twenty-three-year-old Joshua Simmons, along with his wife, Hannah, moved from Bristol,
New York to a 160-acre parcel of land in what is now Livonia. Simmons named his farm
"Meadow Brook," and built a small log cabin on the property in 1826, and in 1829 he built what is
known as the North barn; it was the first barn constructed in Livonia.
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| Simmon's barn is located at Greenmead Historic Park/Village. |
Joshua, who died in 1882, hewed lumber to build the earliest barns and mills in Livonia, Farmington, and Plymouth. He continued to acquire acreage, becoming one of Livonia’s most prominent landholders. In 1920, Sherwin and Jean Boyd Hill purchased the farm and renamed it Greenmead. The city of Livonia acquired the property in 1976 as a park.
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| Easily seen from the main thoroughfare known as 8 Mile Road (or Baseline Road), I've passed this old barn from 1829 dozens of times and never realized how old it actually was. And, yes, you can visit this beautiful structure at Greenmead. |
This cabin was originally located about a quarter of a mile from the Ford Farm (in which Henry was born) in Dearborn and had been built and occupied by John Salter, a German immigrant, of which Ford would visit. The Salters, immigrants from Prussia, were farmers, had no children, and practiced a plain and frugal life even by standards of their day. This cabin was never expanded or changed except for plastering the walls and adding clapboard siding during the 40 years they lived there. From 1929 to 1995 the cabin was set up inside Greenfield Village. But in 1995 it was decided that, since they already had a pioneer log cabin in the Village - the McGuffey Birthplace - it was felt there was no need for another and that it would be moved north to Crossroads Village in Flint, where it still stands.
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| A Michigan log cabin, most likely from the late 1820s. |
Greenfield Villages has the records showing this cabin was built in the 1820s (no exact year given).
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| Though small, it does not necessarily have a log cabin appearance on the interior as we tend to think. As you can see, the inside walls were completed, giving it a less rustic feel and more homey. |
Austin Eli Wing was born in 1792 in Conway, Massachusetts, and graduated from Williams College in 1814. Lewis Cass and William Woodbridge convinced Wing to move to the Michigan Territory, where he joined Woodbridge's law firm. He was appointed sheriff of the territory, and served as a delegate from the Michigan Territory to the US House of Representatives from 1825–29 and 1831-33. In 1828, Wing purchased the property on which this house now stands. It is strongly suspected the house itself was constructed as early as 1829.
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| The Wing–Allore House – built in ca1829 in Monroe (now a funeral parlor. Imagine the spirits in this place!) |
Since the 1930s, the house has been a funeral home.
Heading back to Plymouth again, we find a house that was built in 1829 by Benajah Holbrook.
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| Benajah was an older Brother of Henry Holbrook, the namesake of Holbrook Street, which is within walking distance of this house. |
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| The house is hidden by trees, so I tried to sneak a few pictures in between. |
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| Benajah and his wife Barbara owned this property until his death in 1882 |
I am sorry to say that's all I could find on Benajah Holbrook.
Our next stop was found as a fluke:
I have a book called Michigan Haunts (which mentions this Passion for the Past blog for their Greenfield Village chapter) and the authors tell of the hauntings that occur at the New Hudson Inn. Well, though I found the ghost stories interesting, I found the history of this building much more intriguing.
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| The New Hudson Hotel/Inn. The hotel was opened up in 1831 as 'The Old Tavern.' |
The New Hudson Tavern was one of the stops from Detroit to Lansing along Grand River.
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The 18" beams and wooden pegs remain as staunch today as
when they were installed.
It has been updated over the years, needless to say, but the
original structure remains intact and plainly seen. |
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| The once hidden secret passageway. |
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| The updated barroom. Like the Eagle Tavern in Greenfield Village (of which you will read about shortly) it had a spring dance floor that swayed to the steps of the dancers. This was very popular in the 19th century. It is unfortunate that this flooring was pulled up only a few years ago. |
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| With rooms available for rent, the Tavern was renamed 'The New Hudson Hotel.' I believe The Who may have been the previous guests, judging by the condition of this room. |
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| Collected artifacts found over the years. |
So when my friend John and I visited this old tavern, we were served a fine breakfast, then after taking my pictures, it was back in the carriage for our journey home.
I will be back.
By the way, due to the whole coronavirus thing, we were not allowed to see the 2nd floor, but one of the workers very kindly offered to take my camera up to take some shots for me. Many thanks to her.
Next we have The Gardner House:
Originally located in the Scotch Settlement area of Dearborn Township, the Gardner House was built in 1831/32 by Richard Gardner, one of the original settlers of the area, and he and his wife - with their ten children - lived in the relatively small clapboard house for many years.
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| The Gardner House is a very fine example of an early 1830s home |
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Henry Ford recounted a personal memory of the
Gardner House:
"This morning I was by a home called the Gardner Home,
where, as a boy, I used to frequently stop when I
was coming back from Detroit at a late hour...
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"Rather than go on to the house and disturb my father, I would sleep with the Gardner boys. This morning I was by that house because we plan on removing it to the historic village we are about to build."
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| The Gardner House kitchen. |
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| As you can see, hearth cooking was still prominent in the Gardner House in the 1830s. |
I have not heard why this building, which meant so much to Henry Ford, was removed from Greenfield Village. A plus is at least we can still visit this historic structure.
Now to another suburb of Detroit: Northville and the 1831 Cady Inn.
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| It's said that the Cady Inn was built for Daniel Cady and his family about 1831, which not only makes it one of the oldest structures in Northville, but one of the oldest in Michigan. |
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| It was moved to its current location inside Historic Mill Race Village in 1987. This saltbox/breakback-style building was not only a tavern and stagecoach stop, but it’s believed to have been a stop on the underground railroad as well. |
Its first record of public lodging was in 1835.
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| Inside the Cady Inn |
This historical building has been moved only a few blocks from its original location to the quaint Millrace Village.
Aside from being one of Northville's earliest settlers, I can find little else on Daniel Cady.
When the Erie Canal was in full swing, thousands upon thousands of immigrants from the east coast made their way to the western frontier, which included Michigan. For a good number of these pilgrims, the growing City of Detroit was their stopping point. However, many continued on the trail west:
The first road westward also was a military road, designed to connect Detroit with Fort Dearborn. It followed the path of the Old Sauk (Indian) Trail and is the approximate route of the present US 12. It ran westward from Detroit to Ypsilanti, then veered to the southwest, and continued through the southernmost tier of Michigan counties. The eastern portions of this road were in use by the latter 1820s, and by 1835 two stagecoaches a week operated between Detroit and Fort Dearborn.
As traveling increased and roads were made possible for stagecoach travel, taverns were built along this route. One of the stage stops that comes our way on our journey west from Dearborn was originally known as Parks Tavern when it was first built in Clinton, Michigan, around 1831. Parks Tavern was renamed the Eagle Tavern in 1849 and that name remained until the Civil War. It was one of the first of the taverns built on this road, though beaten by the Sheldon Inn by a half-dozen years. The Sauk Trail, as an early stage road, eventually extended to Niles, Michigan in 1832, and then, by the following year, made it to Chicago, when it became known as the Chicago Turnpike, and finally the Chicago Road/US 12.
Clinton was the perfect spot for another tavern/stagecoach stop.
This inn served as an overnight stagecoach stop between Detroit and Chicago, offering food and drink for the weary travelers. People of all types and classes mixed together in taverns, and the patrons ate at a common table, slept in common bedrooms, and socialized in common rooms. There was little privacy. Rooms for overnight accommodations contained several beds, with two or three people - who were often strangers - sharing beds.
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| When Henry Ford restored the old ca 1831 "Parks" tavern for his Greenfield Village, he added a large dining area off the back. I did a little photo-trickery to make it look as it would have when it was built, as you can see by the late 19th century picture below: |
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| An original photograph of this tavern as it appeared in the later 19th century, which was at it looked when built around 1831/32. |
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| Travelers eating at a common table. |
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| This was how the Parks Tavern/Eagle Tavern looked before Henry Ford preserved and restored it to its 19th century glory... |
About 11 miles up the road heading west from Parks/Eagle Tavern was the home of Sylvester and Lucy Walker. Built as a modest farmhouse around 1832, the couple took in weary travelers for meals and overnight stays, as was common during that time. It was converted into an actual tavern in 1843. Walker Tavern is still located in its original location in the green rolling Irish Hills on the historic Old Chicago Road (U.S. 12) and has been restored to its mid-19th century appearance.
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| From 1832 through 1855—when a stagecoach ride from Detroit to Chicago could take as long as 10 to 15 days—a favorite stopping place to change horses, relax, enjoy a meal, or spend the night was this farmhouse-turned-tavern. |
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| The kitchen and dining area of the Walker Tavern. |
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| Tavern help was usually the owner's children or a local looking for work. |
The condition of the roads were not of a high order. Little money and labor was put toward them. Riding in a stagecoach has been described as being "like a ship rocking or beating against a heavy sea; straining all her timbers with a low moaning sound as she drives over the contending waves."
Bad as they were, these roads were of utmost importance in the early settlement of Michigan. Trails branched off along the major routes, which served to guide the traveler to a destination beyond the main roads. It was along these chief roads that taverns were built and towns sprang up.
Next up we have the home of America’s first official Sniper, built by John Berdan circa 1833 Plymouth.
John's son, Hiram Berdan, played a significant role in American History; it was in 1861, during the Civil War, that Hiram was given permission by President Lincoln to form the first regiment of sharpshooters - or "sniper" regiment as we would call it today. General Berdan was a World renowned marksman.
And this was where he honed his skills.
Heading over to Mt. Clemens, we find a house that was built by Captain Sylvester Fisk Atwood in 1835. The Atwood house is believed to be the oldest residence in Mt. Clemens and one of the oldest in Macomb County. Situated on the corner of Moross Avenue and Church Street, the stately modified Greek Revival house reflects the excellent preservation that has enabled it to withstand the ravages of time for 185 years.
The next house on our list was built circa 1835. This was originally the home of Henry Holbrook, younger brother of Banajah Holbrook (who you read about earlier) and the namesake of Holbrook Street, which is within walking distance of his older brother's house.
An interesting notation of life in Plymouth we do not normally think about that occured around the time this house was built:
Henry Munson Utley wrote "there were but few Indians in the neighborhood, and they were mostly of the seedy vagabond variety who never dreamed of taking a scalp, and cared for nothing but enough to eat and plenty of fire water."
Fairfax Downey declared that the Potawatomi "were as savage as they were filthy, a tribe so lice-ridden that the French called them Les Poux-The Fleas."
But our Henry Holbrook wrote "It has been my observation that the Indians in the vicinity of Plymouth were friendly, kindly, neighborly, and helpful so far as it was possible for them to be with the little means they had."
In 1837 the Village of Plymouth was recorded by Henry Holbrook, and included in this list was a church, five stores, a bank, and three taverns.
Near the middle of the Lower Peninsula we find the City of Owosso. Elias Comstock, one of the earliest of settlers here, built the first permanent home in the settlement in 1836 for he and his wife, Lucy, 23 years before the city was incorporated.
Over the years, the Comstock’s made frame additions and added a long front porch to the cabin. The cabin itself became the living room.
Through the efforts of the Shiawassee County chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the cabin was moved, completely intact, to the back of the lot and preserved as a museum. The cabin was later moved to Bentley Park, then moved once again to its current site in 1969 as a project of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Owosso.
Elias died in 1886 and Lucy followed in 1890.
We have another road which lay westward from Detroit known as the Grand River Road. It generally followed the route of the present I-96 freeway, leading through what would become the Capital of Michigan, Lansing. Now known as "Grand River Avenue," it originally followed an old Indian trail.
Clarenceville encompassed parts of not only Farmington Hills, but Livonia and Redford as well.
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| John was a farmer that owned 160 acres and, in 1833, this home literally sat in the middle of his property, right on the Native American trail (now known as Ann Arbor Trail) that ran through the center. |
And this was where he honed his skills.
Heading over to Mt. Clemens, we find a house that was built by Captain Sylvester Fisk Atwood in 1835. The Atwood house is believed to be the oldest residence in Mt. Clemens and one of the oldest in Macomb County. Situated on the corner of Moross Avenue and Church Street, the stately modified Greek Revival house reflects the excellent preservation that has enabled it to withstand the ravages of time for 185 years.
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| Captain Atwood operated the "Lady of the Lake," which carried cargo by river from Detroit to Mount Clemens. Originally this 1835 house was located on the east side of Gratiot Avenue just a few lots south of Shelby Road (now Cass Avenue), where the Macomb County Administration Building now stands. |
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Atwood sold his house in 1836, only a year after building it,
to Judge Horace Stevens.
Thought to have been razed, it is now said that it was taken apart
in pieces and re-constructed in its current location on the corner of
Moross and Church Street in a beautiful residential area of Mt. Clemens.
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The next house on our list was built circa 1835. This was originally the home of Henry Holbrook, younger brother of Banajah Holbrook (who you read about earlier) and the namesake of Holbrook Street, which is within walking distance of his older brother's house.
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| The 1835 Henry Holbrook Home~ Holbrook was one of Plymouth’s earliest settlers that played a significant role in Plymouth history and owned the Plymouth Flour Mill, built in 1845 (since razed) which stood right behind this property. Henry was born in Massachusetts in 1808 and was married to Sarah who was born in New York in 1813. |
Henry Munson Utley wrote "there were but few Indians in the neighborhood, and they were mostly of the seedy vagabond variety who never dreamed of taking a scalp, and cared for nothing but enough to eat and plenty of fire water."
Fairfax Downey declared that the Potawatomi "were as savage as they were filthy, a tribe so lice-ridden that the French called them Les Poux-The Fleas."
But our Henry Holbrook wrote "It has been my observation that the Indians in the vicinity of Plymouth were friendly, kindly, neighborly, and helpful so far as it was possible for them to be with the little means they had."
In 1837 the Village of Plymouth was recorded by Henry Holbrook, and included in this list was a church, five stores, a bank, and three taverns.
Near the middle of the Lower Peninsula we find the City of Owosso. Elias Comstock, one of the earliest of settlers here, built the first permanent home in the settlement in 1836 for he and his wife, Lucy, 23 years before the city was incorporated.
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| This one room log cabin, built in 1836, was the first permanent residence in the settlement that became Owosso. Over his long life, Elias Comstock was a merchant, school teacher, justice of the peace, township supervisor, judge, and county clerk. |
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| In 1920, the Standard Oil Company purchased the Comstock property and began to tear down the house and discovered the primitive log cabin preserved within its walls. |
Elias died in 1886 and Lucy followed in 1890.
We have another road which lay westward from Detroit known as the Grand River Road. It generally followed the route of the present I-96 freeway, leading through what would become the Capital of Michigan, Lansing. Now known as "Grand River Avenue," it originally followed an old Indian trail.
Clarenceville encompassed parts of not only Farmington Hills, but Livonia and Redford as well.
The first white settler in what became Farmington Township was a Quaker from Farmington, New York, named Arthur Power. He purchased land in 1823 and returned in 1824 with a group of families and associates to clear the land. The settlement became known as Quakertown.
A post office was established in February 1826 with the name of Farmington. The township of Farmington was organized in 1827.
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| Farmington Hills’ historic Botsford Inn was built as a home in 1836 by Orrin Westin. It wasn't until 1841 that Stephen Jennings converted the Westin home into a tavern and general store, and it still stands at Grand River Avenue and Eight Mile Road. |
The Botsford family owned the inn until the 1920s. At that time, Grand River Avenue was being widened, and the inn was in danger of being razed. However, in 1924 (before his Greenfield Village idea), Henry Ford purchased the Inn from the Botsford family and moved it a ways back from its original site out of the way of the road widening project. Ford had attended gatherings at the inn when he was younger, and had courted his wife Clara there. Ford rehabilitated the structure, enlarging the ell and installing period woodwork.
In the mid-1960s, a medical group purchased much of the property associated with the Inn, constructing Botsford Hospital. However, by the 1990s, economic pressures made it difficult to keep the inn open. In 1993, the the inn was sold, and by 2000, the Botsford Inn had closed its doors. In 2007, Botsford Hospital restored the historic portions of the building, and the Inn is now part of the Botsford Hospital complex.
The founding father of Atlas, Michigan was Judge Norman Davison, who arrived here in 1831 from Livingston County, New York. He cleared the land and built a house for his family near the river on the site where the Atlas Country Club now stands.
Soon after Davison settled in this location, many more settlers came to the town, and it was here that he erected a gristmill in 1836, for these necessities of rural life were flourishing with the influx of new immigrants from the east.
The Atlas Gristmill remained in operation until 1943, when, due in part to WWII, replacement parts for repairs were no longer available.
It is now restored and functioning inside Crossroads Village in Flint, Michigan.
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| 1836 - originally from Atlas, Michigan, now at historic Crossroads Village. At Crossroads Village you can step inside this mill and still see how the process of grinding grain into flour was done in the early 19th century, for it is a working mill, and one can then purchase Atlas Mill flour, made right there on the spot. |
The sluice is like a water trough on the side of the building, which holds the water taken from the mill pond until the lever inside the building is pulled to open the sluice gates, allowing the water to push through to turn the grindstones, which begins the milling procedure.
The turning wheels could grind one barrel of flour (whole wheat or buckwheat) or corn meal an hour.
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| Each granite stone used at Atlas, which were carved around 1835 in North Carolina, weighs 1800 pounds. |
The grain is poured into the hopper - - - - - -
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| The Atlas hopper, from which the grain slides down into from the chute and then to the grindstones. |
Once ground into flour, it is shaken down into the waiting box:
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| Now, after all of these steps (including growing, caring for, and harvesting the wheat), you have flour and are ready to prepare to make and bake bread. |
Now you know why.
To visit the Atlas Mill is an early portrayal of early Michigan living history, with the specks of ground flour whirling through the air almost as a fine dry mist, turning the brown wood white. So real does it feel while inside the mill as it is running that one can just imagine local farmers back in 1836, with their pack horse, ox cart, or on foot, waiting outside after coming traveling from miles around, with their grain ready to be ground into flour.
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After what was thankfully a nonviolent dispute, President Andrew Jackson and Congress gave Toledo to Ohio and, as consolation, awarded 9,000 square miles of land in the Upper Peninsula to Michigan during what was called the “Frostbitten Convention.”
Methinks Michigan got the better end of the deal.
So, on January 26, 1837, President Andrew Jackson signed a bill that would officially give Michigan territory its statehood.
So what you have just seen here was what lead up to us becoming the 26th state in the union. One can only wonder how different it would have been without the opening of the Erie Canal. It has been really a lot of fun finding and researching these places, and then putting it all together for this posting - a sort of time-travel experience, for I truly did immerse myself in this project.
Perhaps I will do a posting on mid-19th century Michigan, which can include Civil War-era houses, the Grant House, the house once belonging to General Custer, and numerous other structures that were here as the state grew.
Now, I did do a few other Michigan History postings:
Thomas Edison grew up in our state and worked for the railroads. HERE is a bit on his adventures in this occupation.
To learn more about Michigan in the 18th century, click HERE
To read about Detroit in the 18th and 19th centuries, click HERE
For a (mostly) 19th century look at Michigan buildings, please click HERE
For further reading on 19th century mills, click HERE
For further reading on 19th century Taverns and Inns, please click HERE
To read, in story form, of life in early 19th century "Bush Country" located where I now live, click HERE
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Many thanks to Dave Tennies, Jackie Schubert, and Mike Ackerman for showing me a number of homes included in this posting. And to Jackie Alto for telling me about the Comstock cabin.
And a very special THANK YOU to my wife for coming along with me on these historical jaunts!
Yes, she, too, really enjoyed herself - - - - -
Some of the Monroe information came from The History of Monroe County Michigan
and
Monroe---The Early Years by Craig and Kimberly Hutchinson
The Atwood House information came from Mike Ackerman and THIS site
Travel and road information was taken directly from THIS page.
The sharpshooter information came directly from THIS page
City name information came from the book Michigan Place Names by Walter Romig
Some Plymouth information came from THIS site
The following books were a great help for their respective cities and histories:
Livonia Preserved: Greenmead and Beyond by Suzanne Daniel & Kathleen Glynn
Old Chicago Road: US 12 From Detroit to Chicago by Jon Milan
Plymouth's First Century: Innovations & Industry by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens
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Nice article, well done.
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