Tag Archives: Home

252 E Ann Arbor Trail

15 Apr

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252 E Ann Arbor Trail was built in 1926. This was the home of very well respected teacher here in Plymouth that had a school name after her. This was once the home of Helen L. Farrand. Helen was born here in Plymouth on November 20, 1892 to William and Anna (Rocker) Farrand. Her father William ordered this “Kit Home” from Montgomery Ward. This Wardway home was built by William Farrand, he built this and other adjacent homes on E Ann Arbor Trail.

Helen was a graduate of Plymouth High School in 1911 and received her teaching certification from the Ypsilanti Normal School (now Eastern Michigan University).  Helen was a teacher in local communities. During WWI she actually worked in the Detroit Post office and returned to teaching in 1923. In 1927 Farrand came to work for Plymouth Canton Community Schools (PCCS). She taught at Central Grade School, Starweather, & Edna Allen School. Helen retired from teaching in 1958, that same year the PCCS School Board voted to name a “new elementary school” after her. 1958 the new school built at 41400 Greenbriar Lane in Plymouth was dedicated and named after Helen L. Farrard. Go Farrand Foxes!

Helen Farrand passed away in April of 1977 and was laid to rest in Plymouth’s Riverside cemetery. Helen was well respected by the community and loved by many students. Her legacy continues to live on today as hundreds of students are educated each year in the Elementary school named in her honor.

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Helen Farrand

 

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217 Ann Street

15 Apr

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217 Ann Street was built in 1912 and was home to a very well-known Teacher and School Principal of Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (PCCS). Nellie E. Bird (Smith) was born on a farm in Salem Township on March 4th, 1882. After graduating from Ypsilanti High School, she received her teaching degree from Ypsilanti Normal School (now known as Eastern Michigan University) while she was employed by PCCS, she earned her Masters Degree from the University of Michigan. Mrs. Bird was married to Frederick Bird and they moved into this Plymouth home in 1917 with their 2 daughters. When the Birds moved to Plymouth, Mrs Bird became a 5th grade teacher at Central Grade School. Mr Bird passed away in 1922. In 1923 Mrs Bird became the Principal of Central Grade School which was located in the same building as Plymouth High School (today known as PARC) until 1950. Mrs. Bird also served as Principal of Starkweather School.  In 1950 the Plymouth-Canton School Board voted unanimously to name the “new Elementary school” being built on Sheldon Rd after Mrs. Bird. In 1951 the Nellie E. Bird Elementary School located at 220 Sheldon Road in Plymouth was dedicated. (Go Thunderbirds!)

Mrs. Bird loved to plant a large garden and her specialty was raspberries. Many of her students stated that visiting her home on Halloween was always a delight especially since she would know most kids’ names even while wearing costumes. “She could see right though those disguises no matter what the costume” said a former student. It was said that Mrs Bird was very efficient, the child always came first and she was very fair with children and teachers. ” Working with her was really a delight, she was very strong on the fundamentals of education” stated by Mrs Tanger who taught under her. Nellie Bird passed away in 1980 and was laid to rest in the Riverside Cemetery. Mrs Nellie Bird was definitely an asset to the Plymouth-Canton Community and her legacy will continue to live on as hundreds of students are educated at the school named in her honor year after year.

Below is a photo of Nellie Bird at the dedication of Bird Elementary School.

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Bird Elementary at 220 Sheldon Rd

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1090 N Holbrook

22 Jul

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1090 N Holbrook Street, built circa 1850 on a stone foundation. This was once part of the Henry Holbrook estate which once was home to one of Plymouth’s earliest mills. The Greek Revival home next door (1142 Holbrook) was the main house on the property and this home was built to house other family members. It’s been said that this was once the home of one of Henry’s 3 daughters. In 1850 it was recorded that Henry’s estate was worth $16,500 which by today’s standard would be just over a half-million dollars. This home was remodeled in 1922 to the current appearance that you see today. After nearly 170 years, it’s awesome to see this home is still standing strong. The current owners are proud of it’s rich Plymouth history and have done a great job keeping this home preserved.

Note: If you look closely to the left of the photo, you can see the yellow exterior walls of the well-known “Holbrook House”.

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689 N. Mill Street

4 Mar

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689 N. Mill Street at the South West corner of Mill & Liberty was built by Carl Heide in 1911. Carl Heide was born in 1868 and immigrated from Germany in 1883. Carl quickly became a significant thread of Plymouth’s History as a Floral entrepreneur.  Carl became personal friends with the well-known and prominent George Starkweather. The South East corner of Liberty and N Mill have been most known for being Heide’s Greenhouses but they were originally built and owned by George Starkweather  and were leased by Carl Heide. Having a successful floral business, Mr. Heide decided to build his home directly across the street from the greenhouses which he later purchased from Starkweather. At one time Heide’s Flowers was known for being Plymouth’s oldest continuously running business.  Carl Heide passed away in 1941 and was laid to rest in Plymouth’s Riverside Cemetery. In 1944 this home, the Greenhouses and Floral business were purchased by Reinhold Ruehr who continued running Heide’s Flowers.

Below is a photo of the Heide (Starkweather) Greenhouse built circa 1889. This Greenhouse was located across the street from where the house stands today. Carl Heide and George Starkweather are featured in the photo. Photo courtesy of Dan Sabo:

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Photo of Carl Heide courtesy of the Plymouth Historical Museum:

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1107 W. Ann Arbor Trail

27 Jul

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1107 W. Ann Arbor Trail. Built 1861. Originally the home of Cassius Kellogg, Son of Plymouth Pioneer John Kellogg. Much of the land that now makes up the City of Plymouth was once owned by the Kellogg Family. The “Village Green” which we know as Kellogg Park in Downtown Plymouth was actually donated to the City by the Kellogg Family. The site which this home sits on was also said to have been a ceremonial site for local Native Americans.

UPDATE: As of 10/14/2016 We are sad to report that this home was lost to “progress”. Although this home was in great shape and well cared for, it was sold to a contractor and razed in order to built 2 new homes in its place.

If you would like to help prevent additional lose of historic homes in Plymouth, we encourage you to follow the Plymouth Preservation Network on facebook and be informed about other homes which may be threatened or things you may be able to do to help.

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865 Penniman Ave

27 Jan

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865 Penniman. Built circa 1879, This was once home to the Harry Robinson Family. Mr Robinson once served as a past President of the Village of Plymouth. Harry was a local business man and an auctioneer. The home now serves as commercial property.

Historic photo taken circa 1900

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11685 Haggerty Rd

16 Jan

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11685 Haggerty Rd. Built in 1911 was originally located on Main Street. This home served as the Manse (Parsonage) for the historic First Presbyterian Church located appropriately on Church Street. In 1937 this home was relocated to Church Street (on the Church’s property). By 1982 this home was no longer occupied, was in disrepair and was nearly considered for demolition until it was saved by Greg and Mary Ash who purchased it for $1.00 and had it moved to its current location. Of course Mr. & Mrs. Ash did a complete renovation of this home and it still stands as an attractive part of the Plymouth community. Special thanks to Bryce Ford who read about this one in Sam Hudson’s book “150th Anniversary History First Presbyterian Church” and brought it to our attention.

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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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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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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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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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761 Starkweather Street

8 Nov

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Built Circa 1875 by Peter Gayde. Mr Gayde was a well known business owner who was also an elected official of Plymouth. When Peter immigrated to Plymouth he was instrumental in forming the German Lutheran Church in Old Village. Peter’s store was located in the Starkweather Building located on Liberty Street. When Peter passed away in 1902 his Sons continued to operated his store under the name of Gayde Brothers Groceries.

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391 Maple Street

11 Oct

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Built circa 1879 by John Hood. This home is located at the corner of Maple and Hamilton. When it was first built it was right next to the Plymouth Fairground. John had visited Italy in the late 1870’s and returned to Plymouth wanting to build a home that was inspired by the homes he saw over there. This Italian Villa style home had an addition in 1887. Mr. Hood’s daughter Marion was born in this home and she lived here with her Husband Mr. Curtis until 1926.

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472 Starkweather

11 Oct

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472 Starkweather was Built in 1892 by George Clinton Peterhans who served in Michigan’s 16th Infantry Company F along side his twin brother Christian Peterhans and who also built a home in this same area of Lower Town (Old Village) Plymouth at 615 N. Mill Street. When you read about the battles the Michigan 16th were involved in during the Civil War and the extreme hardship these soldiers encountered, it’s amazing that George and his twin brother made it back home to Plymouth in one piece and were able to enjoy their lives and their homes here in our community.

Life seemed to become much less complicated in those days and it’s interesting to read an old newspaper from the turn of the century. It was published in an old paper published on September 30, 1901 that while George was picking apples out in the orchard, he fell from an 18 foot ladder and had dislocated his elbow and sprained his wrist. George was a tough man and was able to go about his business not log after this incident.

George passed away on March 17th, 1911. Both George and his brother (John) Christian Peterhans are at rest near each other in Plymouth’s Riverside Cemetery.

This home is an example of the architect style called “Second Empire” and is distinctly different from other homes in the area. Today this home is being used for commercial purposes.

Below is a photo of George Peterhans and a photo of the home as it appeared in 2013:

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47566 Joy Road

8 Sep

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47566 Joy Road. Built Circa 1828. This home is one of the earliest built homes in all of Plymouth. The property was originally deeded to James Taft in 1825 and was sold to Zenas Burd in 1828. It is unclear if the home existed prior to the purchase by Mr. Burd. Although the home has seen some significant changes through its several 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 by Eric Frobergs. Frobergs dug out the original Michigan basement so one could actually stand up down there and he also added the two large bay windows that are seen today. Another significant change Frobergs did was to remove the stucco that was put on the home in the twenties. This is a beautifully well-kept home that  is truly another Plymouth Treasure.

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48121 North Territorial Rd

20 Jul

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Built Circa 1850 by Samuel Dunn. This farm was purchased by Clinton Gottschalk in 1934 who not only farmed this land but was also a contractor that was responsible for building several homes in Plymouth. This was the last fully operational agricultural and turkey farm in Plymouth. Although the farmland was sold in the mid 1980’s to make room for development, this home is still in the same family and still has one of the only barns left in Plymouth.

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Historic photo of Gottschalk farm circa 1936. This barn still sits on the property

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235 Adams Street

19 Jul

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235 Adams Street. Built in 1881 and was originally located on Main Street. This was the home of William (W.O.) Allen who was a business owner and had a store on Penniman Ave. Mr. Allen was married to Kate Penniman (Daughter of Senator Ebenezer J. Penniman). In 1925 this home was sold to the Essick Family and then in 1949 the property was sold to the Public School system to allow for expansion of Plymouth High School (aka Central Middle School, now PARC). This home used to sit where the Gymnasium is now located. The home was rescued by Robert Joliffe and was moved to this location in 1950.

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1103 Penniman Ave

1 Jul

1103 Penniman. Built in 1895 by Michael Conner who was the owner of Conner Hardware. Michael also served as the Plymouth Village President. The Conner hardware building is located on the NW corner of Main & Penniman. Unfortunately Mr. Conner passed away in 1896 but his family continued to lived here for many years.

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