Tag Archives: 48170

1477 W. Ann Arbor Trail

30 Jul

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1477 W. Ann Arbor Trail was built in 1938 by Cass & Margaret Hough. Their first home was actually the first home built in the Hough Park neighborhood (located at 1395 Park Place). When this Georgian Colonial was built, it was constructed to the satisfaction of wife Margaret who loved many homes in New England and this home shares many attributes of some of her favorite houses. At the time of construction, Cass was the President of the Daisy Air Rifle factory and was a third generation Hough family member to serve as an executive for the company. An interesting note about the stone wall that sits at the perimeter of the property is the fact that Cass built the wall in 1920 well before the home was built.

In 1941 the Detroit News (newspaper) featured this home in an article touting its elegance and beauty. In 1955 Cass and Margaret had split up. Margaret continued to live here for another ten years. In 1965 a couple happen to be driving through town and came to a stop and got out of their vehicle to admire this home. A woman by the name of Janet Warrick insisted to her husband Chip that they get out and speak to the owner. The couple met with Margaret and stated that if she would consider selling her home to please contact them. Margaret contacted them not long after their meeting and agreed to sell her home to the eager couple. In 1965 this 3700 SQFT, 5 Bedroom, 4.5 bath home was sold to the Warricks. They loved everything about this home so much that it was virtually left “untouched” until 2010 when the home was sold to new owners.

Cass Hough not only served as the President of Daisy but was also a war hero that served as a pilot during WWII and is featured in the Aviation Hall of Fame. Cass passed away at his Florida home in 1990 and was laid to rest here in Plymouth at the Riverside Cemetery.

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Cass Hough 1949 presenting awards

 

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“It’s a Daisy!” is the most complete published book about the history of Daisy written by Cass Hough in 1976.

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1477 W. Ann Arbor Trail in the winter.

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44525 Gov. Bradford Rd

19 Mar

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44525 Gov. Bradford Rd. Built in 1956 was the home of Former Michigan Governor John Swainson (D).  This home was originally designed to easily accommodate a wheel chair. Read more and learn why…

John Burley Swainson was born in Windsor, Ontario Canada in 1925 and came to Michigan with his family when he was two years old. He fought with the 95th Infantry Division of the United States Army during World War II, losing both his legs to a land mine explosion in France in 1944. He was awarded France’s Croix de Guerre, the Presidential Unit Citation with two battle stars, and the Purple Heart, all before his twentieth birthday. After earning his law degree in 1951, Swainson was elected as a Democrat to the state senate and served there from 1954 to 1958, as Lieutenant Governor from 1958 and 1961, and as Governor from 1961 to 1963 after his election in 1960. As Governor, Swainson appointed the first African American to sit on the Michigan Supreme Court. He was defeated in the 1962 election by Republican candidate George Romney (father of future Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney).

He later served as a Wayne County circuit judge, was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1970 and came to be seen as a prospective candidate for the United States Senate. Unfortunately his political career ended in 1975 after he was convicted, in Federal District Court in Detroit, of lying to a Federal grand jury in connection with accusations that he had accepted a bribe in 1972 to help a convicted burglar gain a review of his case. He was acquitted of conspiracy and served 60 days in a halfway house in Detroit. Some say that he was framed.

Swainson later became the president of the Michigan Historical Commission, a title which he held until his death of a heart attack in 1994. John passed away at his Manchester, MI home. Two years later, the Commission established the Governor John B. Swainson Award to recognize “State, County, or Municipal employees who have contributed to the preservation of Michigan history even though such activities are not part of their primary job responsibility.”

In 2010 Author Lawrence Glazer wrote an award-winning book about Swainson titled: “Wounded Warrior: The Rise and Fall of Michigan Governor John Swainson”.

You can also find a display commemorating Swainson’s Army service at the Michigan Military & Space Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth, MI

Below see a photo of John Swainson, photo of Swainson with Martin Luther King Jr in June 1963 on the day that MLK first gave his “I have a dream” speech in Detroit. Photo of Swainson with John F. Kennedy. Last image is the book cover of the book written about John Swainson.

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Gov. John Swainson (D)

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615 N. Mill St

20 Feb

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615 N Mill St Built circa 1878. In 1873 John Christian Peterhans (Chris) purchased a plot of land from George Starkweather and built this home. This home was owned by his descendants until 1975. Below is the obituary from The Plymouth Mail (newspaper) that was published in November of 1915:

“The death of J.C. Peterhans, which occurred last Friday morning at the family home just northeast of the village, Plymouth, loses one of her well-known and most highly esteemed citizens, and another veteran of the Civil War has answered the last roll call. Mr. Peterhans was a man who was honest and upright in all his dealing and had a host of friends. The funeral was held from his late home, Monday afternoon at two o’clock, Rev Joseph Dutton conducting the services. There was a large attendance of neighbors and friends. The members of Eddy Post No. 231 attended the services in a body.

The floral offerings were many and beautiful. A large American flag was draped at the head of the casket, which was the regimental headquarters flag of the 16th Michigan Infantry, to which Mr Peterhans belonged. The flag was not a regimental flag that was carried on the march or on the field of battle, but a flag that floated over the commanding officer’s tent, when they were in camp. It is more than 50 years old and has been under fire on several occasions. At the close of the war the flag was presented to Lieutenant Charles Salter, who saved the flag from being captured at Gaines’ Mills, June 27, 1862. In 1892, Lieutenant Salter died and it was given to Major JW Jacklin for safe keeping. October 6, 1906, it was left with the late George C. Peterhans and since his death JC Peterhans has been its custodian.

The internment took place in Riverside Cemetery, G.A.R. taking part in the committal service at the grave.

John C. Peterhans was born in Plymouth, Michigan, February 9, 1840, and departed this life November 5, 1915. He was a twin brother of the late George C. Peterhans, who died March 17, 1911. Mr Peterhans had been in failing health for nearly two years, having been confined to his home for the past two months. He bore his suffering very patiently. He was a member of Eddy Post, No. 231, G.A.R. and during his sickness spoke very much of his comrades. At the age of nine years, Mr Peterhans moved with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, remaining there about one year. He then returned to Plymouth, where he lived most of his life, with the exceptions of a few years spent near Caro, Tuscola County. On September 8, 1861, he enlisted in Co. F, 16th Michigan Infantry for three years. On October 25, 1862, he was discharged on surgeon’s certificate disability, at Antietam, Maryland. On July 2, 1863, he married Hester A. Smith of Plymouth. To this union were born five children, two sons, George and William having died in infancy. He leaves to mourn their loss, besides his widow and three daughters, three brothers, Henry and Emanuel of Caro, and Charles E. of Mt Pleasant; two sisters Mrs. Christina Ingersoll of Caro, and Amelia Peterhans of Cleveland, Ohio, also several other relatives and a host of friends. “

~ Today we are happy to still be graced with the presence of his former home adding to the historic beauty of Plymouth’s Old Village. Although the home has a large, modern addition on the backside, the original structure is still very much intact and is also used for commercial purposes.

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John Christian Peterhans

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View of Mill Street (near Liberty St) looking South circa 1905

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994 Penniman Ave

18 Jan

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994 Penniman Ave. Built in 1925. This home was built by Elizabeth “Bessie” Rattenbury and was the childhood home of the well-known Plymouth business woman and beloved philanthropist Margaret Dunning (daughter of Bessie). This home was constructed by Gottschalk Home builders which built many homes in Plymouth. Margaret lived in this home for more than 90 years; she was nearly 105 years old when she died in May of 2015. Being a car enthusiast, this 2,337 square foot home also has a heated six-car garage that housed some of her most prized, award-winning vehicles, some of which can now be found at the Gilmore Car Museum.

Margaret was a graduate of Plymouth High School in 1929 she also attended the University of Michigan and Hamilton Business School. In the early 1930’s she worked at the Ford Phoenix Mill plant here in Plymouth located on Northville Rd. From 1935 to 1940 she was a bank teller and assistant cashier for the First National Bank of Plymouth after that she worked for the Plymouth United Savings Bank. During WWII Margaret volunteered driving a truck for the American Red Cross motor pool. After the war in 1947 Margaret and her mother purchased an apparel store on Main Street and renamed it Dunning’s. In 1950 she moved Dunning’s department store to Forest Ave in downtown Plymouth. Dunning served on the board of Community Federal Credit Union in Plymouth from 1962 to 1984 and was president of the board for 19 of those years. Through the years she served on different boards, volunteered and benefitted a number of causes.

As a philanthropist, Margaret helped many causes that benefited our community and beyond. Both the Plymouth Historical Museum and the Plymouth District Library bear the Dunning name. As benefactor of the Plymouth Historical Museum, Margaret was very active with the museum; in addition to being a financial contributor she was an advocate for preserving Plymouth history.

At the time of this post the home is property of the Margaret Dunning Foundation and is currently on the real estate market for sale. We can only hope that this uniquely historic home finds a new owner that will appreciate and preserve its elegance. Acquiring this home is about the closest a person could get to owning the home of “Plymouth Royalty.” This home has graced Plymouth’s Penniman Avenue for some 92 years and we look forward to having it continue to be a part of our community for years to come.

Below is a photo of Margaret Dunning during WWII as a Red Cross driver (left) photo of Margaret in 1965 as President of the Credit Union (center) photo of Margaret in 2014 with the author of this page Jim Salamay (right) and photo of Margaret with her prized 1930 Packard 740 (bottom) (from American Road Magazine)

 

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On a personal note: Margaret offered her support of our “Plymouth Discoveries” and encouraged us to continue to keep up our efforts and offered her personal memories and to help however she could. Her admiration of our page and her personal support had been one of the motivations for us to continue our research and to share the great history we have here in our wonderful town. Plymouth has been blessed to have such a wonderful member of our community. God bless Margaret and may she rest in peace.

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11808 Haggerty Road

3 Oct

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11808 Haggerty Rd. Built Circa 1855. This home sits at the corner of Haggerty and Gilbert Street. When the current owner purchased this home, the real estate agent told him that the house was built around 1910. After doing some research, we come to find that this house was built in the Mid 1800’s and was the farmstead of Gilbert M. Shattuck and his wife Mary. The farm used to extend from Ann Arbor Trail on the South Side to Plymouth Rd on the North Side and from Haggerty Rd on the West Side to Francis Ave on the East Side (where Miller Park is). This house blends into the row of homes on Haggerty and is hard to tell that it’s been sitting there longer than any other home in that area. We were also able to verify its approximate age based on dated materials discovered by a previous owner when remodelling. When you look closely at the photo, you can see the field stone foundation which is also visible in the basement where there are also signs of hewed timbers. Just another neat piece of Plymouth History!

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1274 Penniman Ave

19 Mar

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1274 Penniman Ave. Built in 1894. Once serving as the home of Floyd W. Hillman who was a local business owner.  At one time Hillman actually owned a “Graham-Paige” auto dealership that once stood at 505 S. Main Street. In 1938 this home was purchased by Perry Richwine who was an attorney that also served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Plymouth Federal Savings & Loan. Richwine also served a term as the Mayor of Plymouth. Today you can still see the plaque that bares Richwine’s name where he had his law practice at 863 Penniman. In 1948 this home was purchased by Arthur Jenkins who was the editor of the “Plymouth Mail” newspaper. Today this home is currently owned by an attorney that has put much work into preserving this wonderful Plymouth home that once housed some of Plymouth’s prominent people from days of long ago.

Prior to this post, we had not heard of Graham-Paige automobiles, let alone the fact that there was a dealership here in Plymouth. Learn more about Graham-Paige by clicking this Wikipedia link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham-Paige

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47420 Ann Arbor Trail

26 Feb

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47420 Ann Arbor Trail built in 1928 by Hal Wilson. This storybook looking house that stands at the North West corner of Ann Arbor Trail and Beck Rd is a Cotswold style home with an organic looking cedar shake roof. This home at a quick glance appears to be a humble home but in fact is a 2700 square foot, 5 bedroom residence.  After Mr. Wilson lost this home during the Great Depression, the next owner of this home was Norman Ruehr who used to own Heide’s flowers which at one time was the longest running business in Plymouth. Norman’s parents Reinhold & Louise Ruehr purchased Heide’s flowers in Old Village Plymouth from Carl Heide shortly after they immigrated from Germany. This home was given a couple of names by the locals, most popular were the “Casa Llama” and the “Peacock House”.  This property used to be inhabited by the Ruehr’s pet llamas and they also had peacocks. The front of the home is also decorated with a large peacock, thus the names it was known as. Inside you could find the presence of an Armor suit and a number of interesting items that were brought from places around the world that they had traveled to. One could overlook these items while standing from the second floor balcony inside. The current owner purchased this home from Emily Ruehr the widow of Norman who passed away in 1997. This is a very unique home that we hope to see will continue to be a part of Plymouth’s landscape for many years.

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1071 N. Holbrook

5 Sep

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1071 N Holbrook. Built in 1898. This home is one of just a handful of houses in Plymouth’s Old Village that was built of all brick. This home was built by one of the very first successful business owners in this part of town. Andrew Jackson Lapham owned a substantial portion of the block bordered by Holbrook, Wilcox, Pearl and N Mill Streets and at one time had two store structures and two homes on his land. This home had replaced the wooden house that Andrew built in 1873. Lapham’s General store was very popular in the late 1800’s because of its close proximity to the Plymouth Mill, the Phoenix Mill and Gunsolly Mill. Growers would trade in their raw materials at the mills and head to Lapham’s to purchase all types of needed goods. Lapham’s also had an Ice house on the property where they would store ice that formed in Wilcox Lake in the winter and sell it through the year. In 1929 this home was deeded to Andrew’s Daughter Helen Shackleton and was kept in the family for many years.  Although it’s showing signs of its age being well over a century old, this home still stands strong and maintains a great deal of history within the walls of this structure. Today the old stores no longer stand on this property but other homes built by the Lapham & Shackleton family still exist in this part of town and descendants of Andrew still live here in town and surrounding areas.

Historic photo of this home, Lapham’s General Store and of Andrew Lapham provided by the Andrew’s Great Grand Daughter: Janet Millross Renwick. Photo below is Lapham’s General Store that was located on Holbrook right next to Andrew’s home. Look closely at the historic photo of the house and you can see the brick wall of the store. LaphamGenStoreHolbrookSt

Holbrook brick house (Lapham)

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Mayflower Hotel Site

16 Jul

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This post is quite different from any of our previous posts because of the fact that that it highlights a building that is not very historic yet is a corner that is rich in Plymouth’s history. It has been our discovery that this page receives many searches for the Historic Mayflower Hotel and we were quite surprised to find that there are many people who are still unaware that the Mayflower no longer stands. 827 W. Ann Arbor Trail was home to the Mayflower Hotel from 1927 through 1999. The Hotel was razed in 2000 and is now the home of Mayflower Centre which consists of both retail spaces and condominiums. This was the location where Plymouth’s first home was built by Plymouth Pioneers William and Kezia Starkweather in 1825. Although Plymouth’s first home was more of a primitive shelter, it was still a home and this South West corner of Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail is where it all began. Today there are still “remains” of the Mayflower. Directly across Main Street, the former Mayflower Meeting House still stands and is now home to a Banquet Facility and office spaces. The Mayflower’s later addition (Mayflower II) still stands at 471 S. Main Street and operates as the Mayflower Motor Inn.

Here is verbiage from an old post card dated 1986 of the Mayflower:

100 room historic, family-operated hotel featuring Bed and Breakfast Full complimentary breakfast for overnight guests, at Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail, off I-275 and M-14, 25 minutes from Metro Airport, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Greenfield Village – Five minutes to Northville Downs Within walking distance of 150 unique shops, tree lined Kellogg Park and a movie theater – Banquet facilities up to 400 – Six meeting rooms – The Mayflower II rooms feature direct-dial phones, color TV, refrigerators, queen-size or double beds, individually controlled heating and cooling, Sprinkler system and smoke alarms – Deluxe rooms feature Kohler whirlpool bathtubs and king-sized beds

Below are some old images of the Hotel:

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860 Penniman Ave

2 Jan

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Construction of this Post Office began in 1935. On April 1st 1936 this branch known as the Pursell Station Post Office opened it’s doors to the public. This branch was closed in the Spring of 2014 and we are happy to announce this brief post about the future of this historic building. This Post Office was purchased by Plymouth Residents, Mark & Patty Malcolm who happen to also own other historic structures in Plymouth and are actively involved in the Plymouth Preservation Network … Meaning that we can only expect good things to happen with this piece of history. The Malcolms have signed a long-term lease with the Westborn Market to take residence here. There are also plans to restore the building and preserve much of it’s historical substance including a painted mural inside the building titled “Plymouth Trail” by Carlos Lopez who was commissioned to paint the mural by the U.S. Government in 1938.

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107 S. Main Street

2 Jan

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107 S. Main Street. Built in 1900. This property was purchased by William Hoyt in 1883, 7 years later he built this home (built in the eclectic prarie style) where his family lived until 1943. Today this home is used for commercial purposes.

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448 N. Sheldon Road

21 Dec

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Built in 1844. This historic farm house once belonged to the Durfee family as in the same Durfee kin that also owned the farm house that stands at the corner of Sheldon and Penniman (within a short walking distance) When looking at a late 1800’s map it appears that this house stood at the South West corner of a farm property that once extended North to Junction St and as far East as Harvey St. At one time this house even served as a Bed & Breakfast and the estate was even named Auburn.

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149 W. Liberty Street

5 Nov
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The structure on the left is 149 W. Liberty Street built Circa 1887. In 1885 this property belonged to William Markham who was famous in the Air Rifle Industry, that year he sold it to Peter Gayde who was a Plymouth business owner who happened to own a store just a few doors down. Peter Gayde purchased this property to build the structure you see today for his Son William. This building was originally the Butcher Shop of William Gayde which operated for several years. Peter passed away in 1901 and the deed was transferred into William’s name in 1909. This structure has seen a number of occupants through the years but today it’s now the home of Liberty Street Brewing and is well worth checking out. Even if you’re not a drinker, it’s a great piece of Plymouth History worth stopping in to see.Liberty Street Brewing Web Page: http://libertystreetbeer.com/about-us/

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585 N. Mill Street

4 Oct

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Built in 1856 as the First Baptist Church now serves as St Michael Melkite Catholic Church. The First Baptist Church moved it’s parish to 45000 North Territorial Rd. In September of 1908, Carrie Nation a radical member of the temperance movement lectured at this church.

Photo of Carrie Nation. Inscription reads:

“Carrey A Nation Home Defender”

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46645 W. Ann Arbor Trail

20 Jul

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46645 W. Ann Arbor Trail. Built by Moses Allen in 1842. The property where this home was originally built was purchased by Moses Allen in 1829. Today the property that Moses Allen purchased and built this house on is now the Plymouth Township Park. Moses originally built a smaller one story home but in 1847 he sold the property to his Son John Allen. John added onto this house and expanded it to a larger two story house. John Allen passed away in 1872 but his family continued to live in the house into the early 1900’s. By the early 1970’s this home had become a run-down condemned structure. The original plan was to tear this house down and make way for the park. Doug Cash, a local landscaper felt that this home had historical significance and couldn’t imagine seeing this house become a pile of rubble. Doug offered to purchase this house from the Township but officials refused to sell it to him and had hired a company to tear it down. Because the Township hired a company to demolish or remove this house, Mr. Cash offered the company money to not tear down the home and have it moved to property he purchased right across the street. Doug was met with several obstacles from the Township who wanted to see the home disappear. Mr. Cash went to Lansing and recruited the help of the State Historical Society to save the home. After fighting through several obstacles with local government, Doug finally prevailed and invested so much of his time and money to not only save this home but to also restore this house and make it into the wonderfully preserved house that it is today.

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44045 Five Mile Rd ~ St. John’s

3 May

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44045 Five Mile Rd. Built in 1948. St. Johns Provincial Catholic Seminary. This was built as the major seminary in Michigan by the bishops of the state under the leadership of Edward Cardinal Mooney. At the time, there were not enough seminaries in the Midwest and the bishops decided to establish a major seminary, a designation that reflects the institution conferring graduate degrees.

St. John’s provided graduate-level theological education and spiritual formation for diocesan priesthood candidates from the dioceses of Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Gaylord, Kalamazoo, and Marquette.

The Archdiocese of Detroit owns the buildings and land at St. John’s (approximately 200 acres) except for the hotel building, which is owned by a private investor.

Under a contract with the Archdiocese, the Troy, Michigan-based Hotel Investment Services Inc. (HIS) operates the hotel, conference center, and golf course. Carl’s Golfland has operated the driving range and golf store since 2000.

No archdiocesan funds were used to construct The Inn at St. John’s, which is connected to the northeast side of the St. John’s Conference Center and opened in January 2006 as part of the St. John’s Golf & Conference Center. The conference center is open to the public for events such as Weddings, Conferences, Banquets, etc.

Each year the Inn at St. John’s also attracts national and international visitors for the Concourse d’Elegance of America

http://www.stjohnsgolfconference.com/our-history/index.cfm

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1034 York Street

28 Mar

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1034 York Street. Built in 1829 by Benajah Holbrook. Benajah was an older Brother of Henry Holbrook whom is the namesake of Holbrook Street which is within walking distance of this house. Benajah and his wife Barbara owned this property until his death in 1882. In 1882 this home was purchased by Charles Gentz. The Gentz family resided here for 40 years. At age 10 Frankie Gentz drowned in the stretch of Rouge River which runs behind this home. During a previous renovation of the property by the Norgrove Family, a tombstone for Frankie was found. Herbert & Leora Norgrove purchased this home in in 1944 and was owned by the family for 65 years. Today this home has been significantly modified and added on to. At the time of this photo, this home was undergoing updates.

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838-846 Penniman Ave

28 Feb

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836-846 Penniman Ave. Built Circa 1893. Look closely, there’s a historic home hidden within these walls. This was actually the residence of Dr. Coleman who was a family practitioner. In the early 1920’s this home was moved up closer to the street from its original spot (farther back) by builder John Patterson. Patterson built the commercial brick façade that made Dr. Coleman’s old house virtually unrecognizable. When the initial makeover was completed, this location became home to Pettingale’s Grocery store which was well known in the community for several years. When you look behind this building you can still see significant parts of Dr. Coleman’s old home.

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845 N. Mill Street

29 Nov

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845 N. Mill St. Built in 1897 by George W. Springer. George had built an addition to the back of this Queen Anne style home and it was the workshop where he made cigars and supplied them to local hotels. George manufactured cigars with names like “Hotel Victor”, Hotel Plymouth”, and “The Mail”. George also served as the Plymouth Village Sheriff. George passed away in 1941 and wife Helen continued to live here well into the 1950s. When Helen passed in 1957 she joined George at Plymouth’s Riverside cemetery.

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941 Starkweather Street

29 Nov

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941 Starkweather St. Built circa 1873. This Italianate Style Brick house was originally the home of Henry Hudson. This home later became a hotel that serviced the patrons using the Plymouth Rail Road Station which was in close walking distance. This home once served as the Purdy House Hotel and today serves as the Marquette Apartments.

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