Oh, the stories this building could tell.
Built in 1831 in the style of a New England tavern, its long service included many years as a stagecoach stop and as an apartment house. Since its move to Mill Race in 1987, it has housed the office . . . — — Map (db m174192) HM
Structures like this were originally built in the 1800s to shelter horses, carriages and related equipment. Many were later converted to use as garages, workshops or even guesthouses. This building was at the original site of the Yerkes House, . . . — — Map (db m174274) HM
The Detroit Edison Company's Northville regional office was located here from 1929 to 1971. The company had a reputation for offices that were "a credit to the community." Upon completion this building, which housed the overhead lines department . . . — — Map (db m112417) HM
In 1829 former members of the Farmington Church organized this church, originally named the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth. In 1835-1836 a frame church was built here on land donated by D. L. Cady. A New England-inspired brick church opened . . . — — Map (db m51906) HM
This inviting gazebo offers quiet moments and breezes overlooking the flowing waters of the mill race. Inspired by Victorian-era gazebos, this wood-framed structure was built here in 1979 by students from the woodshop class at John Glenn High School . . . — — Map (db m170658) HM
John Hirsch shaped metal in his shop in downtown Northville. His tools and hot forge were vital to the community - crafting nails, repairing farm equipment, making horseshoes. His shop operated from the mid-1800's until the 1920s, and it was . . . — — Map (db m172124) HM
Stephen and Mary Hunter built this Greek Revival house in 1851. This style was popular in mid-1800s small towns just emerging from the frontier. In 1972, this home on Main Street was threatened by plans to cut an extension of Griswold Street . . . — — Map (db m171861) HM
Starting in 1899, interurban rail lines ran into Northville from Detroit.
One line traveled on track along 8 Mile Road and into town on Griswold. On that line, this shelter was a waiting room for passengers at Newburgh Road. It had been kept . . . — — Map (db m174550) HM
This was the last timber-framed building in downtown Northville.It was built between 1830 and 1850 on the south side of Main Street, west of Hutton. For more than 150 years this storefront housed a variety of retail businesses before being moved . . . — — Map (db m174304) HM
Maybury Sanatorium (1921-1969) At the beginning of the 20th century, tuberculosis was referred to as the "White Plague” because it infected such a large percentage of the population. To help combat the spread of this disease, the City of . . . — — Map (db m177720) HM
This was a home with a view.
From this residence, built here in 1875, the manager of the Northville Mills Company could look out to the mill building, located where the parking lot is now. Rouge River water from the nearby millpond flowed . . . — — Map (db m174545) HM
In 1827, John Miller built a grist mill on this site. The structure was replaced by the Northville Mills in 1847. In 1919 mill owner Donald P. Yerkes sold the site to Henry Ford who razed the structure and built a valve factory across Griswold . . . — — Map (db m68219) HM
In addition to administrative offices, portions of this building were
devoted to clinical purposes. X-ray, surgical and dental offices were here,
as well as the medical library, schoolteacher's office and staff convalescence rooms.
The . . . — — Map (db m177714) HM
Constructed on a ridge with a southern exposure, this long building had five sections or wards with a capacity of 446 patients. The structure contained hundreds of windows to obtain maximum sunlight in the rooms, which was an important component . . . — — Map (db m177717) HM
Built to look like a castle and decorated with Mother Goose murals created by the architect's wife, this summer camp served as a preventorium for underprivileged children who had been exposed to tuberculosis and were in very early stages of the . . . — — Map (db m177660) HM
The Children's Unit was built on a hill which provided a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. There were four wards for children aged 4-15 and a nursery for babies and toddlers. The brick schoolhouse, connected to the main building by a . . . — — Map (db m177661) HM
In the 1940s, nearly half of the sanatorium's 480 employees lived on the grounds. The Doctors' Home contained 14 apartments of varying sizes for some of the resident physicians. Medical conferences to determine the course of treatment for each . . . — — Map (db m177701) HM
At the peak of its operation, Maybury Sanatorium employed about 480 people.
Nearly half made their home in various buildings on the grounds. Two buildings in this area, the Inn and the Women's Dormitory, provided accommodations for female staff. . . . — — Map (db m177704) HM
This three-story building housed 144 male patients. Maybury's monthly magazine, The Fluoroscope, had its offices here. Radio programs originated in this building, and were transmitted by earphones to patients throughout Maybury Sanatorium. . . . — — Map (db m177702) HM
Located west of the Annex Building, the Nurses' Home was built in 1928. It contained rooms for 70 resident nurses, and a suite of rooms for the superintendent of nurses. Sanatorium care for tuberculosis was unique because the period of . . . — — Map (db m177715) HM
The power house provided services for the entire Sanatorium. This complex of facilities, all under one roof, contained a water pumping station for water needs and fire protection, an ice plant, pasteurization plant, laundry facilities, machine . . . — — Map (db m177705) HM
This gate was the main entry used by most visitors to Maybury Sanatorium. The stone turrets on either side of the entrance reflected the castle theme of the Children's Camp located just up this roadway.
The park's paved roads, which are . . . — — Map (db m177719) HM
The most critically ill patients were treated at the infirmary. The building contained a central corridor and two large wings with private rooms for most of the 125 patients. A courtyard, shaded by large trees, was located between the wings and . . . — — Map (db m177716) HM
Now covered with years of forest growth, the four corners and center footings of the water tower are still visible down this path. The tower provided water pressure to meet the needs of the entire sanatorium: 60 million gallons per year. The water . . . — — Map (db m177718) HM
It served Northville's public life for over 115 years.
Built in 1845, this structure was a church for only four years. It then was a school and a township hall before serving as Northville's library for over 70 years. Land for Mill Race . . . — — Map (db m174557) HM
In Northville, Henry Ford tried something new.
His first "village industry" was established here in 1920, to make valves for Model-Ts and tractors, using the Rouge River for power. He hired local workers, and even selected local children . . . — — Map (db m137792) HM
Outhouses with pit toilets were common in early Northville. If properly constructed, normal bacterial action would eventually make waste harmless. If properly vented, odors would be controlled. Outhouses, also called privies, were often used to . . . — — Map (db m174305) HM
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, . . . — — Map (db m137902) HM
Bob Leighton graduated from Michigan State University with a landscape architecture degree. Three years later he received his master's degree from the University of Michigan. His career spanned 32 years working throughout the US. He started his . . . — — Map (db m259624) HM
Detroit was abuzz with aviation fever in the 1920s.
Eddie Stinson, a successful aviator and stunt pilot, gained financing from Detroiters to build and test-fly the prototype Stinson Detroiter airplane — the first airplane with an . . . — — Map (db m137695) HM
There were two electric streetcar lines into Northville
from Detroit, both built in 1899. One traveled on track through Farmington, along Eight Mile Road and down Griswold Street. The other came through Plymouth, up Northville Road and . . . — — Map (db m137517) HM
Few one-room schoolhouses have survived in Michigan.
This one was built in 1873 at a site several miles to the west of Northville, on Currie Road south of 8 Mile in Salem Township. It takes its name from serving students from both Washtenaw . . . — — Map (db m174554) HM
Over the years, 430 North Center Street held the memories of many families.
It was built in 1889 in the Victorian Cottage style. In 1976, to make way for a parking lot and small office plaza on the site, the house was moved to Mill Race . . . — — Map (db m174354) HM
This was the home of the family of William Yerkes, an attorney, judge, and village president. It was built in 1873 on Cady Street, and it reflects the prosperity of the Yerkes household. It also reflects its industrial era, as its detailed trim . . . — — Map (db m174306) HM
