Northville in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Roadside Refreshment

at Northville's Silver Spring Well

Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 4, 2019

1. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well Marker

Inscription.
It has been a Northville landmark for generations.
As far back as 1913, city residents enjoyed cold spring water from the artesian well here, and visitors traveled here to fill their bottles. On the other side of the nearby railroad tracks, the Silver Springs Water Company bottled water from the same source in the 1920s and sold it throughout the region and on trains passing through. When the water mysteriously stopped running in the 1960s, Northville's Rotary Club sunk a well to renew the sparkling flow. Rotary has supported the site ever since, even as the water has been switched to the Detroit water system.

You Auto Know
The hills and springs that give Northville its character are traces left by glaciers thousands of years ago.

Erected by MotorCities National Heritage Area, National Park Service.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. In addition, it is included in the MotorCities National Heritage Area series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.

Location. 42° 25.839′ N, 83° 28.548′ W. Marker is in Northville, Michigan, in Wayne County. Marker is on South Main Street north of Doheny Drive, on

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the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 195 South Main Street, Northville MI 48167, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Taking Flight (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Northville Valve Plant (about 500 feet away); Two Tracks in Town (approx. 0.2 miles away); Interurban Station (approx. ¼ mile away); Cady Inn (approx. ¼ mile away); J.M. Mead General Store (approx. ¼ mile away); Hirsch Blacksmith Shop (approx. ¼ mile away); First Presbyterian Church of Northville (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northville.

Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - upper left image image. Click for full size.

Photo courtesy of the Northville Historical Society.

2. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - upper left image

Visitors stop for water from the Silver Springs well along Main Street in 1943. In back, on the other side of the railroad tracks, is the Northville depot.

Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower extreme far left image image. Click for full size.

3. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower extreme far left image

Silver Springs Water Company was headquartered in Detroit in the 1920s, but its water came from the Northville spring and was bottled in a building near the train depot. This bottle is in the archives of the Northville Historical Society.

Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower far left image image. Click for full size.

Photo courtesy of the Northville Historical Society.

4. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower far left image

The Northville depot along the Pere Marquette Railroad where bottled spring water was loaded on trains for sale to passengers and throughout the region.

Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower near left image image. Click for full size.

Photo courtesy of the Northville Historical Society.

5. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower near left image

Filling water jugs in 1973, a common sight over the years at the Northville well.

Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower near right image image. Click for full size.

Photo courtesy of the Northville Historical Society.

6. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower near right image

Northville Rotary members Jan Reef (drinking) and Robert Webber enjoy the water in 1968 after their organization restored the flow.

Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower far right images image. Click for full size.

7. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well - lower far right images

This stone marker at the site notes the historical landmark and Northville Rotary's support for its maintenance and landscaping.

Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 4, 2019

8. Roadside Refreshment: at Northville's Silver Spring Well Marker

Marker is at the left of the image; Rotary International sign and stone markers are at the right.

Rotary International Sign and Stones image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 4, 2019

9. Rotary International Sign and Stones

Left Stone - Jan Reef image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 4, 2019

10. Left Stone - Jan Reef

Outstanding Rotarian
and friend of this community.
His generosity
keeps this well flowing.

Right Stone - Northville Silver Spring image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 4, 2019

11. Right Stone - Northville Silver Spring

Northville Silver
Spring
Historical landmark
of our community
Landscaping & Maintenance
A community service project
Northville Rotary
Club ?2201

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 746 times since then and 96 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on August 15, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.