1817 Alexander Graham and his wife built the first permanent, non-native settler's dwelling in Oakland County (a log cabin on the plot just east of today's East Alley on Third Street). Their son, James, was born in 1818 and was the first . . . — — Map (db m219596) HM
1827 The First Congregational Church was originally known as the First Congregational Society of Avon and was established in the summer of 1827. It was the first church in Rochester and the first Congregational Church in Michigan.
The . . . — — Map (db m219602) HM
1844 The first woolen mill in Rochester was built by Hosea B. Richardson. The mill was later purchased by J.S. Roberts and was destroyed by fire in 1867.
A new three-story factory was built by Samuel Richardson (son of Hosea) in 1867. This . . . — — Map (db m219610) HM
1849 The Old Stone Store was constructed in Greek Revival style by Dr. Rollin Sprague. It was a general store which sold groceries, pharmaceuticals and dry goods. Repairs and renovations began in 1899 and were done in an ornate Victorian style. . . . — — Map (db m219615) HM
1857 A flour mill (originally built by Colonel Stephen Mack in 1824) was converted to paper making. In 1864, William H. Barnes moved to Rochester from Connecticut, purchased the mill and operated it on behalf of the Barnes Brothers' firm. . . . — — Map (db m219621) HM
1872 The Detroit & Bay City Railroad Company laid its tracks through Rochester and brought the first train to town in October.
The railroad brought rapid transportation and communication to a sleepy village, and with it the economic . . . — — Map (db m219723) HM
1880 The lack of a public water supply made fire prevention an important consideration in early Rochester. The village was prompted to take action after a devastating fire destroyed the former Pavilion Hotel on Main Street in 1880. After the . . . — — Map (db m219724) HM
1890 Charles A. Burr erected a two-story brick building on the southeast corner of Main and Fourth Streets that housed two businesses on the street level and an opera house on the upper floor. The First National Bank of Rochester and the drug . . . — — Map (db m219726) HM
1899 The Detroit Sugar Company built a huge sugar beet processing mill on the northwest side of the village, along the Paint Creek. A street running westward from North Main to the plant (appropriately named Sugar Avenue) was laid, and . . . — — Map (db m219779) HM
1907 The Detroit pharmaceutical firm of Parke, Davis & Co. purchased property east of Rochester for its farms, where antitoxins, antiserums and vaccines were produced. The farms used many animals in the production of its antiserums, including . . . — — Map (db m219780) HM
1924 The village council created a police department. The chief of police and other policemen were appointed by the Village President with consent of the Council.
The police department, jail and village offices were housed at the Rochester . . . — — Map (db m219781) HM
1935 The Township of Avon established its first public park during the Great Depression, when federal funding was available through New Deal programs. A fourteen-acre portion of the old John C. Day farm, lying along Paint Creek in the northwest . . . — — Map (db m219782) HM
Image caption: Chapman Lake Dam
1946 Record rainfall during the months of May and June caused Rudd's Mill Dam (near Clarkston and Kern Roads) to fail, sending a torrent of water down Paint Creek valley. Several dams along the Paint Creek . . . — — Map (db m219866) HM
1952 As the population in the Rochester area grew, a change in the organization of local schools became necessary. A special election in December 1952 consolidated the rural school districts of Brooklands, Stony Creek, Mt. Vernon, Snell, . . . — — Map (db m219867) HM
1967 In February an important milestone was reached in the history of Rochester. Just a few weeks from the 150th anniversary of the settlement of Rochester by the Graham family in 1817, and 98 years after the community had incorporated itself . . . — — Map (db m219869) HM
1974 Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve was formed for the purpose of providing hands-on educational experiences to encourage knowledge of and appreciation for our natural environment. Its organization was a collaborative effort of the City of . . . — — Map (db m219870) HM
1983 Paint Creek Center for the Arts (PCCA) opened its doors to the public at its current location (407 Pine Street) in 1983. This white clapboard building was erected in 1880 as the Avon Township Hall and was initially constructed as a . . . — — Map (db m219940) HM
1992 The Rochester Hills Public Library at 500 Olde Town Road was dedicated November 1, 1992, and opened the next day for regular service. The exterior design of the new building, including bay windows and the use of stone and red brick, . . . — — Map (db m219941) HM
1992 In late November, the "Big Bright Light Show" made its debut for the holiday season. When all of the downtown buildings were completely blanketed in multi-colored lights, Main Street became a rainbow wonderland. This holiday spectacle . . . — — Map (db m219942) HM
2012 Main Street received its second major makeover. New storm sewers and twelve-inch water mains were constructed on both sides of the street. A new concrete roadbed, sidewalks and curbs were constructed and new traffic signals and lamp posts . . . — — Map (db m219945) HM
Near Olde Towne Road, 0.1 miles north of East University Drive, on the right when traveling north.
This picture shows the rear of the Detroit United Railway powerhouse, across Chapman Pond. It was taken southwest of this location, near the Michigan Central Railroad train depot. The pond covered an area of approximately 18.5 acres where the . . . — — Map (db m154225) HM
On North Main Street (State Highway 150) south of Romeo Road, on the right when traveling north.
This stone column is all that remains of the 27 acre estate of Charles Chapman. The home, designed in 1898 by world famous architect Albert Kahn was one of only a few designed by Mr. Kahn.
[Caption:]
Chapman's Residence, . . . — — Map (db m180257) HM
On East Third Street, on the right when traveling east.
On this site
1817-The first house built in Oakland County
1818-The first settler's child born in Oakland County
1823-The first school started in Rochester — — Map (db m118709) HM
On South Rochester Road (State Highway 150) 0.1 miles north of Olde Towne Road, on the left when traveling south.
An interurban railway was brought to town by the Detroit, Rochester, Romeo, and Lake Orion Railway (DRR&LO) in 1899.
Its powerhouse, located next to Paint Creek, used steam generators to produce electrical power for the entire Flint Division . . . — — Map (db m101924) HM
Near Diversion Street south of First Street/Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
In March 1879, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW)—Michigan Air Line Division made its way to Rochester. This rail line eventually extended from Jackson to Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester, and on to Richmond for a total distance of 106 . . . — — Map (db m160442) HM
On West Third Street at Oak Street, on the right when traveling west on West Third Street.
New York native George Vandeventer, who came to Avon Township as a child in 1834, became a successful businessman and civic leader in Rochester. When their home burned in 1875, George and his wife, Julia, built this Italianate-inspired house. The . . . — — Map (db m118769) HM
Main Street has always been the lifeblood of any town. Rochester's Main Street (also known as Rochester Road or M-150) has seen a number of different modes of transportation like horses and buggies, electric streetcars, automobiles, bicycles and . . . — — Map (db m179744) HM
On East 4th Street at South Main Street (Michigan Highway 150), on the left when traveling east on East 4th Street.
Built in 1899-1900, the Masonic Block was designed by Edward R. Prall. The Rochester Building Association raised funds for the project. Among its leaders were William Clark Chapman, general manager of Western Knitting Mills and twentieth village . . . — — Map (db m98418) HM
In 1826, Mount Avon became the first officially platted cemetery in Oakland County. The "Old Ground" or "Historic Acre" contains headstones dating from 1817, the year the earliest settlers arrived in the area. Members of the Graham family, . . . — — Map (db m118936) HM
The area known as Rochester was settled in 1817 by James Graham. It was the first permanent settlement in present-day Oakland County. The community was named in honor of Rochester, New York, where many of its pioneer settlers once lived. In 1819 . . . — — Map (db m137749) HM
On East 4th Street at South Main Street (Michigan Highway 150), on the right when traveling east on East 4th Street.
Built in 1890, the Opera House Block opened with the First National Bank and Norton Pharmacy on its ground floor. On November 7, 1890, a grand opening dance launched the upper-level opera house as Rochester's social and cultural center. Until 1933 . . . — — Map (db m98520) HM
On Elizabeth Street south of East 2nd Street, on the right when traveling south.
A flour mill was built on the other side of Paint Creek on Mill Street in 1823, and converted to a paper mill in 1857.
The mill was destroyed in 1875 by a fire started by a disgruntled employee. Owner William Barnes rebuilt the structure with a . . . — — Map (db m179655) HM
On East University Drive at Water Street, on the left when traveling east on East University Drive.
In 1872, Lysander Woodward, Rochester resident and president of the Detroit and Bay City Railroad, brought the railroad through Rochester. It was purchased in 1881 by the Michigan Central Railroad. Rochester flourished because of the railroad. . . . — — Map (db m179920) HM
On Third Street at Main Street, on the left when traveling east on Third Street.
The "Old Stone Store" is the oldest commercial building in Rochester. Dr. Rollin Sprague of New York had the structure built in 1849 of coursed cobblestone, using a construction method more commonly used in his home state. The Sprague Building is . . . — — Map (db m118678) HM
On Sixth Street at Oak Street, on the right when traveling west on Sixth Street.
The Castle emblem represents the City of Rochester located in Kent County, England. On March 17, 1817, James Graham and his sons arrived in this very area while their families settled here later. Many settlers including our founders came here from . . . — — Map (db m118827) HM
The community's first water-powered sawmill was erected in 1819, just one year after the first land sale. Rochester's favorable industrial climate fostered many other businesses in the years that followed, including the Western Knitting Mills, built . . . — — Map (db m118720) HM
On Ludlow Avenue at Ironwood Drive, on the right when traveling north on Ludlow Avenue.
The Oak leaf symbolizes our broader community, Oakland County, of which Rochester was the first settlement. The tall, strong and enduring trees the county was named after dominate the surrounding landscape and played a critical role in supporting . . . — — Map (db m118801) HM
On West University Drive at Wilcox Street, on the right when traveling east on West University Drive.
Built in 1889 to replace a school that had burned down the year before, the Avon School District No. 5 Schoolhouse sits on the site of the first private school in Avon Township, originally constructed in 1847. Since Rochester's founding, the . . . — — Map (db m118785) HM
On South Main Street (State Highway 150) at West 4th Street on South Main Street.
The three-faced clock installed April 8, 1993 was provided by NBD Bank, N.A. in cooperation with the Rochester Downtown Development Authority. Its purpose is to both honor the traditions of the past and to compliment Downtown Rochester in the . . . — — Map (db m98571) HM
On Pine Street at West Pine Street, on the right when traveling south on Pine Street.
Avon Township, the site of the first settlement in Oakland County, was organized in 1835. This white clapboard building was erected in 1880 as the township hall. Its alterations reflect the area's industrial and commercial growth. Initially . . . — — Map (db m118757) HM
Roy was born in a corner house on Woodward and Pine Street in Rochester to Frank and Martha Rewold. Raised on Ludlow Street, Avon Park became Roy's backyard; swimming in the creek in the summer and skating on the pond in the winter.
. . . — — Map (db m118610) HM
On Water Street at East Fourth Street, on the left when traveling south on Water Street.
Paint Creek and the Clinton River provided power for the first woolen mill on this site in 1844. Constructed in 1896, the Western Knitting Mills building was supported by a yarn mill, dormitories and two warehouses. One of the area's largest . . . — — Map (db m118730) HM
In 1844, the first knitting and carding mill was built on Paint Creek. After several fires, the current building on Water Street was built in 1896 by the Western Knitting Mills. Wool was supplied from sheep in the area. The Western Knitting Mills . . . — — Map (db m179872) HM
Near East University Drive west of Elizabeth Street.
Built ca. 1900, the dam was used to generate power for the Western Knitting Mills near Chapman Pond. Remnants of the dam are still visible near the Michigan Central Railroad bridge. In June 1946, torrential rains washed out the earthen . . . — — Map (db m179569) HM
On Orion Road at Gallagher Road, on the left when traveling north on Orion Road.
Needham Hemingway built the first mill at this site in 1835, harnessing water power from the Paint Creek millrace. William Goodison purchased the gristmill in 1866. The surrounding community took his name and became a railroad stop in 1872. The . . . — — Map (db m142167) HM
On Orion Road at Gallagher Road, on the left when traveling north on Orion Road.
Paint Creek begins in a Brandon Township wetland and flows southeast to Rochester where it empties into the Clinton River. Today a thriving trout stream, the creek was important for waterpower during the nineteenth century. Needham Hemingway dammed . . . — — Map (db m137897) HM
Near Orion Road at Gallagher Road, on the left when traveling north.
The History of Goodison - It All Started with the Mill
The Paint Creek Cider Mill's history shares a story of settlement, spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Always the economic and social hub of Goodison, the buildings on this . . . — — Map (db m145403) HM
On Orion Road at Gallagher Road, on the left when traveling north on Orion Road.
13' diameter x 4' wide
Operating head 10' to 12'
Capacity 12 h.p. Speed to 10 rpm
Sold
by
Fitz Water Wheel Company
Hanover, Pa.
Building water wheels since 1840
Water supplied to wheel is through
a 3' diameter . . . — — Map (db m145190) HM
