Evangelical Association / Ferndale Fun Fact #3 / Ferndale History

Evangelical Association, also, Ferndale Fun Fact #3, also, Ferndale History. . , (Side 1) , Evangelical Association , Historical Site , 165 E. Nine Mile , , The Evangelical Association was the first church founded in Ferndale and the congregation began meeting in 1916 in a storefront on Woodward Avenue as the "North Woodward Mission" of the Evangelical Association. In 1917, the state affiliation "Church Extension Society" of the Michigan Conference of the Evangelical Association of Bay City, Michigan", purchased lots at the corner of East Nine Mile Road and Bermuda and constructed a wood frame church called "The Tabernacle". , , In 1920, the present brick building was constructed and the wood frame building was moved west to what are now parking lots and was used until 1927 by the City of Ferndale Police and Fire Departments. Following several mergers on the national level, the church was renamed St. Paul's United Methodist Church. , , In 2003, the congregation was dissolved and the United Methodist Church sold the building to the Jeffries Baptist Church, a Detroit congregation. They subsequently sold the church in 2008 to a private owner. , , Ferndale wayfinding signage is being supported in part by a Preserve America grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior , , , (Side 2) , Ferndale Fun Fact #3 , The first settlers in the early 1800's migrated inland from Detroit, New York and Canada for the quest of homesteads using the Saginaw Indian trail that traversed the swamps and marshlands of Ferndale, along the routes that are now Woodward Avenue and Pinecrest Road. The first permanent resident, Jabez White, a shoemaker, settled in 1821 in a log cabin he built on the site near current day Ferndale High School on Pinecrest Road. , , Ferndale History , Like most of the communities surrounding Woodward Avenue north of Detroit, Ferndale began as a rural area with the earliest non-native American settler arriving in 1821. Originally part of Royal Oak Township, the community had farms and provided a resting point and services for those traveling on Woodward Avenue from Detroit to Pontiac in the first half of the 1800s. In 1890, the Campbell farm near Hilton Road was platted for summer cottages and Ferndale's population began to increase as a rural resort community outside of Detroit. Transportation to the area improved with the arrival of the Detroit Suburban Railway in 1890 and the paving of Woodward Avenue in 1912. The area was platted into subdivisions from 1910 through 1924. , , With 1,600 people, Ferndale became a village in 1918. There were two churches, three schools (including the school at Woodward and Nine Mile Road) and six stores. During the next seven years the population increased dramatically. This growth was primarily influenced by the construction of Ford Motor Company's Highland Park Plant located two miles south on Woodward. By 1924, the village's population reached 24,000 and in 1927 Ferndale became a city. The years following World War II brought additional growth to Ferndale in the number of residents and businesses, including new industries. The last 20 years of major efforts to bring new businesses and improvements to the downtown commercial area has created new vitality in the city and its residential neighborhoods. , , Ferndale wayfinding signage is being supported in part by a Preserve America grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior