Tag Archives: Plymouth

1411 W. Ann Arbor Trail

29 Jul

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1411 W. Ann Arbor Trail was built in 1918 by Edward C. Hough. This was the home of Ed & Louise (Sheffield) Hough from 1918-1959. They had given their estate the name of “The Elms”. Edward Hough was the son of Lewis C. Hough who was an original founder of the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company which eventually became the Daisy Air Rifle Company. Ed joined the business in 1893 as the Treasurer for the company.  In later years, Ed’s Son Cass Hough would go on to become the President of Daisy. Both Edward & Louise Hough have been laid to rest at the Riverside Cemetery.  The Hough family played a significant role in the history of Plymouth and their legacy will continue to live on for many years to come.

This home still retains all of its original elements including the original carriage port on the West side of the home and the 2-story carriage house located behind the home. This home still has an unpaved driveway which makes it easy to look at the home and picture yourself stepping back into time and looking at the grandeur of this home as if it were still the early 1900s.

Below is a photo of the executive team that operated the Daisy Air Rifle Company in 1895. The Team included Lewis C. Hough, Edward Hough, Charles H. Bennett, George W. Hunter, and Alfred W. Chaffee

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View of Ann Arbor Trail in 1930. The Hough home sits on the right of the photo:

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584 Starkweather St

5 Feb

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584 Starkweather Street was built circa 1882 and has been serving Lower Town Plymouth as a marketplace for over 125 years. This 2 story commercial flat was originally designed to serve as a market on the first level while the 2nd level was designed to house the shop keeper/owner. From 1909-1981 records show that this building was owned by Henry Fisher (Fisher Estate).  This location was most known as Bill’s market for several years and most recently Old Village Market and Plymouth Fish Seafood Market. Today this building has been renovated and now serves as the Honey Hole Diner. Whether dining in or ordering from the carry-out menu, this place offers some great food and a great selection of beverages and fresh baked items on the “coffee shop” side. Restaurant web site: www.HoneyHoleDiner.com

When this building was renovated in 2017, the owners of the diner decided to have the North & South exterior walls painted with some very distinctive Art work (murals) which some people love and some don’t. We are simply pleased with seeing that this part of Plymouth history is being preserved and well cared for.

 

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876 N. Mill Street

18 Oct

 

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876 N. Mill Street. Built Circa 1887 by George and Eva Streng who were German Immigrants. The Streng family were involved in the hospitality business here in Plymouth and owned the Hotel which used to be right next door (North side). In 1924 this home and the hotel next door were purchased by Frank Sambrone and stayed in the Sambrone family for several years. The Hotel Victor was later known as the Anderine Hotel, The Nelson Hotel and the Old village Inn. The hotel burned down in the 1980’s. This historic home is still standing strong and adds to the charm of old village. This home has most recently served as a multi-family home (3 apartments). We look forward to see this home continue to be a great part of our community.

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650 Church Street

11 May

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650 Church Street. Built in 1917 on property that was donated by Senator E.J. Penniman (who lived down the street).  The original High School built on this property in 1884 burned down in 1916. This served as Plymouth High School until 1970, this building then served as Central Middle School until 2015. This Plymouth treasure has served thousands of students and generations of families. Within these walls the education of so many occurred, many who went on to be Business owners, Authors, Attorneys, Doctors, Mayors, Teachers, War Heroes and so many more who have served our community and beyond. Today this beloved building now serves the community as PARC (Plymouth Arts & Recreation Complex).  Today we are able to enjoy the benefits of this historic structure due to the efforts of countless volunteers and people like Don Soenen and Mark & Patricia Malcolm. We highly encourage checking out all the new renovations and all the activities, programs, and organizations that are available to serve a number of interests. Be sure to check their web site at www.plymouthparc.com

Below is a photo of Plymouth High School as it appeared in the 1950s

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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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710 N. Mill St

17 Mar

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710 N. Mill Street. Built circa 1843 by William Bradner.  Standing at the corner of Mill and Liberty Streets in Old Village, this historic 2-Story Greek revival home sits on a Field stone foundation and retains much of its original dimensions and appears much like it did over 170 years ago. This home has seen a number of owners through the years including once being owned (in 1856)by Peter Gayde who was responsible for establishing the German Lutheran Church on Spring Street and also was a long time business owner whose original store structure still stands on Liberty. Peter went on to build a larger home at 761 Starkweather Street in 1875 which also still stands today. This home was recently remodeled and is being used for commercial purposes. Prior to being an attorney’s office it actually served as an Italian bistro. This is another great piece of Plymouth history that has survived for many years and will hopefully contribute to Plymouth’s historic ambience for several more years to come.

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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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1087 N Mill Street

21 Oct

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1087 N Mill Street. Built in 1852 as a Toll House for the Plymouth Plank Road. In 1850 a group came together and commissioned the construction of the Plymouth Plank road to connect this area directly to Detroit. The location here in Plymouth was Toll Gate #4. The Toll gate keeper actually lived in this home with his family. The original structure was a square and the addition to the left was added years later. In 1872 it was voted to “close down” the Plank Road and it simply became what we know today as Plymouth Road. This toll house originally stood at the corner of Plymouth Rd and Mill Street. In 1951 this home was purchased by the Clinansmith family who relocated it just North to 1087 N Mill Street near Wilcox Rd. Today this home is still inhabited by a member of the Clinansmith family who is proud of its unique history.

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Plymouth’s Historic Roundhouse Remains

15 Oct

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Plymouth’s historic Roundhouse Remains. Built in 1921 by the Pere Marquette Railroad. Plymouth is one of the few communities that actually has both a North/South and East/West set of Railroad lines running through it. In the late 1800s and early 1900s Plymouth was a very busy Railroad community not only with the Train traffic but also many local residents worked for the Railroad. There have been 2 prior roundhouses built before 1921 that were razed several years ago. The location where the tracks intersect with each other is referred to by many as a Diamond. In 1921 the Pere Marquette Railroad built a 15 stall roundhouse at the North East quadrant of the diamond (where Pearl Street in Old Village comes to an end). The prior roundhouse once sat at the South West quadrant of the diamond (where Junction Street comes to an end). In 1990 it was reported that the 15 stall roundhouse had been demolished and many people in our community have thought it was completely gone forever. We have discovered that a piece of that 15 stall roundhouse still stands. Please keep in mind that this structure is NOT on public property therefore is punishable with a fine up to $5000 by CSX Railroad if you are caught on the property where this building stands.

Below (left) is a photo of the Pere Marquette 15 stall roundhouse. The smaller photo on the right is of the older Roundhouse that once stood at the South West quadrant of the RR intersection.

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412 Starkweather St

8 Aug

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412 Starkweather St. Built Circa 1880. This home was built by George Starkweather and was then deeded to his Mother-In-Law Mary Davis. In earlier years, Mary was active in the underground railroad and was one of the founding members of the Plymouth WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union). Mary was the Foster Mother of Amelia Heywood who married George Starkweather in 1865. After the passing of Mary Davis, the home was deeded to Amelia Starkweather. In 1973 this home was purchased by Robert (Bob) Puckett who kept this home well preserved and was used as the home of Puckett Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. Bob Puckett sadly passed in November of 2015. As of May of 2017 the home is being renovated by its new owners and will be used for both commercial and residential purposes. We are glad to see that this home will continue to be a great part of our Plymouth history for years to come.

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Historic Photo of Mary Davis from the Daniel Sabo Collection

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905 Penniman Ave

2 Aug

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905 Penniman. Built Circa 1886. This home stands at the South West corner of Penniman and Harvey Street. This place once served as the home of Nettie Dibble who lived here for several years from the 1920s up until her passing in 1944. Nettie was quite active in the community and also Authored “History of the Presbyterian Church in Plymouth” and “Historical Data of Plymouth Twp”. At one time this home was completely covered in siding which covered the brick work. In 1991 this home was remodeled and the siding was removed to reveal the hidden bricks by the current owners Dubois-Cooper Associates who now use this as a commercial office.

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498 Farmer Street

1 Aug

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498 Farmer St. Built in 1914. Originally the Alter Motor Car Company.Built right along train tracks, this factory sits right across the street from the Plymouth Cultural Center. Alter Motors built over 1000 cars from 1914-1916. At one time the factory employed 100 workers and produced 25 cars per day. This building was wonderfully restored inside and out by the current owners: the C.D. Sparling Company. To see the last known Alter Car, be sure to stop by the Plymouth Historical Museum where they have one of these great cars on display. For additional historical information about the Alter Motor Car Company, be sure to check out www.AlterMotorCar.com

Click the photos below to view a larger image: AlterCar2MenAlterCardAd

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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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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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1338 Penniman Ave

6 Mar

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1338 Penniman Ave at the intersection of Evergreen Street. Built in 1860 by Isaac M. Hoag. Isaac purchased the property that this home sits on from E.J. Penniman in 1858 and built this home for his family 2 years later. Mr. Hoag farmed this land and was a nurseryman. He actually operated a nursery from this home. If you look closely at the back of this residence, it appears to have a small house attached to the back side. It is believed that a small home was moved and added to the overall residence although it is unclear as to when this occurred or where the smaller structure was moved from. In the early 1900s more of the home’s property was slowly subdivided and additional homes were built around it. It was recorded that at one time this home had a number of large apple trees on the property.  In 1936 this home had been significantly remodeled by architect Thomas Moss. Although this Civil War era home has seen a number of occupants through the years, today it’s hard to miss this place when taking a cruise down Penniman and it’s easy to appreciate how well it’s survived.

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9101 McClumpha Road

27 Feb

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9101 McClumpha Road. Built circa 1851 by Ashley Harlow. This home has a unique history compared to most other Plymouth homes because of the fact that it was owned by descendants of the original builder for about 160 years and the property for even longer. In 1834 the property this house sits on was purchased by Ebenezer Harlow who farmed this land. Ebenezer’s Son Ashley purchased additional property and built this home circa 1851. Ashley’s Daughter married into the Tyler family and continued living here. The Tyler’s also had a Daughter (Mrs. Leon Scharmen) was born, raised and even got married in this house. The cycle continued up until 2012 when members of the Tyler family sold this home to the current owners. Although this home has been renovated through the years and has seen some current updates, this home still retains much of its original appearance from the outside as it did in the 1800s with the exception of the bay window. Old records state that the original posts and beams used to build this home are made of solid oak, so we hope to see this house still stand for another 160 plus years.

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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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340-380 South Main Street

18 Jan

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340-380 South Main Street. Built in 1951. Out of all the homes and structures we’ve posted, this building is the “youngest” of our Plymouth Discoveries but considering the historic significance of this piece of prime real estate in the heart of downtown Plymouth, we felt it only appropriate to do this post. Located directly across the street from Kellogg Park, this piece of property has seen its share of structures standing on this parcel of land. Throughout the 1800’s and into the early 1900’s there had been a number of businesses that stood here and were a big part of the Plymouth community. At one time there was even a Kroger that stood here. In 1951 the S.S. Kresge Company purchased the 4 buildings that had been standing in this spot and leveled them to build their department store. Kresge (the precursor to K-Mart) served post-war Plymouth for a number of years and left a number of memories for several members of this community. Today this building now serves as 3 restaurants owned by the Yaquinto family. Fiamma Grille, Comparis, and the Sardine Room. These restaurants have earned accolades from local food critics and were also featured on the show “Under the Radar Michigan”. When visiting Plymouth, check out these eateries for a distinctive dining experience.

Below we’ve included 2 photos of this same parcel of land on Main Street between Ann Arbor Trail & Penniman Ave

Below: Left – Photo of Kresge on S. Main Street circa 1953  Right– Photo of S. Main Street circa 1950

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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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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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