A Piece of Novi's History
This park and the Civic Center Campus are a part of the original 160 acres purchased by the pioneering Simmons family in 1827. The first Novi Town Meeting was held on this site in 1830, seven years before Michigan . . . — — Map (db m155643) HM
On Novi Road at Grand River Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Novi Road.
The focus of the Novi community...
the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Novi Road. Various buildings have come and gone, within walking distance of this crossing — stores, churches, a school, a hotel, restaurants, village . . . — — Map (db m155616) HM
Near East Lake Drive, on the left when traveling north.
A wonderful tumble of attractions grew beside Walled Lake
in the early 20th Century. The lake had been known for fishing, swimming and boating, but the development of automobiles and highways brought great numbers of mobile city dwellers . . . — — Map (db m164432) HM
On Nine Mile Road, 0.3 miles west of Taft Road, on the right when traveling west.
Colonel Samuel White
The Samuel White family was one of the first to settle in Novi Township. White (1794-1870) and his wife, Amanda (1799-1869), immigrated to this area from Royalton, New York, in 1827. White had recently retired from the . . . — — Map (db m164871) HM
On Grand River Avenue at Town Center Drive, on the left when traveling west on Grand River Avenue.
Novi has grown with major transportation,
and Grand River Avenue has been the community's corridor of history. The route's first segment was cut through the landscape in the 1830s from Detroit to Brighton, and many of Novi's earliest . . . — — Map (db m178336) HM
On Grand River Avenue, 0.2 miles west of Novi Road, on the left when traveling west.
This sign marks the location of the original Grand River Avenue Bridge traversing what was formerly the Pere Marquette Railway line. The bridge, built by the Michigan State Highway Department (now the Michigan Department of Transportation), took . . . — — Map (db m164920) HM
Near West Ten Mile Road east of Taft Road, on the left when traveling west.
The crowds loved the high-pitched "shriek" of its engine
and drivers were barely able to control its power. The legendary Novi Special stood out with 450 horsepower at its first Indianapolis 500 race in 1941 and the supercharged engine . . . — — Map (db m155908) HM
Near Taft Road, 0.2 miles south of West Ten Mile Road. Reported permanently removed.
Side 1
In 1827 Gamaliel Simmons of New York purchased 160 acres of land from the federal government in what was then Farmington Township. In 1830 the first Novi town meeting was held in the Simmons residence, a Greek Revival structure that . . . — — Map (db m155628) HM
On Nine Mile Road, 0.2 miles east of Novi Road, on the right when traveling east.
In 1836, Benajah Aldrich set aside one half acre of his farm for burial purposes. His brother-in-law, Henry Knapp, was the first to be buried here. Most of the burials took place in the 19th century.
The Victorian symbol for grief, the . . . — — Map (db m165022) HM WM
On Eight Mile Road at Sports Park Drive, on the left when traveling east on Eight Mile Road.
Side 1
Surveyors exhibited courage, determination, integrity, and ingenuity in the heroic feat of measuring Michigan from 1815-1853. Their work resulted in global implementation of innovative methods of land measurement and ownership. The . . . — — Map (db m165314) HM
On Novi Road south of Flint Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Old Burial Ground donated by area pioneer Daniel Lee
provides a final resting place for many of Novi's earliest settlers.
In 1844, remains from graves on the Loren Flint farm, some
dating from the early 1830's, were transferred to . . . — — Map (db m155626) HM WM
The original township hall, built in 1876, was hit by lightning and destroyed on July 14, 1913.
In 1915 a second building, identical to the first, was built on the same site, the west side of Novi Road south of Grand River. It served as . . . — — Map (db m155646) HM
On Grand River Avenue, 0.2 miles west of Novi Road, on the left when traveling west.
An intersection of history...
where the Pere Marquette Railroad crossed Grand River Avenue. Built in the 1850s, Grand River Avenue was an important route between Detroit and Lansing, but transportation was limited to horseback, wagon or . . . — — Map (db m165134) HM
Near South Lake Drive, on the right when traveling west.
The now-serene shores of Walled Lake haven't always been this quiet. From the early 1920s to the late 1960s, Novi's southern shore of Walled Lake was home to the premiere entertainment venue for metro Detroit. The catalyst was the Walled Lake . . . — — Map (db m164483) HM
On Meadowbrook Road, 0.3 miles north of West Twelve Mile Road, on the left when traveling north.
The Michigan State University Tollgate Farm
is the latest in a line of stewards of this precious land. 160 acres were first settled by John and Ervilla Bassett in 1837 here at Twelve Mile and Meadowbrook Roads. The farm grew with access to . . . — — Map (db m164611) HM
On South Lake Drive, 0.2 miles north of West Thirteen Mile Road, on the right when traveling north.
The huge dance floor was the center of things
for the people who drove to Walled Lake Casino for forty years. The word "casino" originally meant a large building for civic or entertainment activities, and early automobiles allowed city . . . — — Map (db m164669) HM
Near East Lake Drive, on the left when traveling north.
It was a destination for all of southeast Michigan
"The Picnic Wonderland," made possible by the automobile and the creation of major highways like Grand River Avenue. Interurban trains didn't travel to Walled Lake, so visitors came in . . . — — Map (db m164752) HM
