I believe that the entire Old Village neighborhood should be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. I have always believed – going back to when I was a kid growing up in Old Village in the 1960’s and 1970’s, that it should be so. Last night, I received a Facebook message from Carol Hay Sawyer, a person whom I just came to know on Facebook less than 24 hours ago, on New Year’s Eve, 2014. Thanks to her, as I was waking up from a night of enjoying some celebratory Champagne (methinks a bit too much) I got an idea, so I will tell you a little bit about her, with her permission. Carol lives in Georgia. She posted last night an absolutely WONDERFUL group photograph of her mother and her mother’s Plymouth friends at a Tobogganing party with Girl Scouts around the years 1949 or 1950. In it, was my mom’s first Cousin Saxie standing right next to Carol’s mom. Saxie grew up on Rose Street in Plymouth, in my G Aunt Rose’s home. I replied to the thread….”hey that’s my cousin”. After that, she dropped me a message and said that she (Carol), was the GG Niece of Carl Heide, of the former Heide’s Greenhouse on Mill Street. She said that she has been looking for information on Carl for a long time, and thought there was a connection to George Starkweather. I told her….yes. I promised to send her a scan of a photo of Carl Heide and my GG Grandfather George Starkweather, standing in front of the then Starkweather’s Greenhouse (and later Heide’s), at the South East corner of Mill and Liberty Streets. I am keeping that promise now, and am sharing that same photo with everyone who is reading this. Now there are those in and around Old Village who believe it should not be declared a Historic District. I have also spoken with many folks who live in, have lived in, grew up in or have connections to Old Village in some way – folks who believe that it should be declared such. For those who respectfully dis agree with me, at least take a read here, give me a chance to explain why I think it is a good idea, and maybe I can change your mind. If not, we can agree to dis agree, and I promise you, some will come away with a bit more knowledge than they had about the history of the neighborhood. For those who do agree that Old Village should be declared a Historic District, but have had trouble verbalizing a justification for it, I am going to give you a brief historical rationale with a shortened list of justifications that would help to make it so. Everyone who lives in Old Village, and for that matter, everyone who lives in the City of Plymouth, or cares about Old Village and Plymouth, should read this essay in its entirety, and then decide. After looking at the photo while visiting this location, you can clearly see, that the original structure on the corner – the green house office, is still standing today. The writing on the card stock is written, in Karl Starkweather’s hand: ”Greenhouses of George A. Starkweather. Left to right – George A. (Ox Yoke on shoulder); his long time employee, Carl Heide, Frank Bremis, son of Charles the Blacksmith, and shoemaker Ike Gleason. Photo made about 1900. ”I zoomed into the group because I wanted to see their faces, and as you can see in the zoomed in photo, ole George there has a big ole smile on his face. So Carol, there you go, and thanks so much for giving me this idea. I hope you and your family enjoy your photo of your GG Uncle for many years to come. Incidentally, I worked in Heidi’s Greenhouse, in the summer of 1976, for Bill Ruher, the last owner; it was the first hourly paying job I had, and a thrill to work in the same location, that my GG Grandfather had built over 100 years before. As far as that old ox yoke is concerned, it remains in our family with George Starkweathers name on the front! Whether you currently live or have lived in or near Old Village – many know there are those whom have ties or connections to it. Carol is a perfect example, and this is why I wanted to mention her. She never grew up in old village, but her mom did, as did her G Grandparents who owned Dan’s Café, next to the old rail passenger station. It does not require a home, or a building or a group of buildings, to make a historic district, as the first sentence of this read implies. Plymouth would not be the town that it is today, as far as the present affluence and historical significance is concerned, were it not for Old Village, and for the people who lived there, who worked there, and contributed to making Plymouth what it is today well over 100 years ago, and most importantly, the people who live and work there presently. Furthermore, Old Village could be officially be called (at least) 141 years old, given the fact that the Liberty Street block was constructed in 1871. A primary reason why the Liberty Street Block was put in by George Starkweather, was because he wanted to spur on industry in the entire city, not just on his farm, which made up largely the entirety of Old Village when the Liberty block was put in. He also wanted a better way to ship his agricultural products to Detroit and west, and make it easy for the entire area to ship Plymouth goods to all parts of Michigan and beyond. The vital importance that the rail line which goes through Old Village had to companies like the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company, Daisy Air Rifle, Markham Air Rifle and many other firms in Plymouth back then, cannot be denied. The rail head in Old Village made industry and growth possible in town. The history of Old Village could be said to have been born on February 3, 1867, when the first rail tie of the Detroit and Howell Railroad Company was laid in the woods owned by Johnathan Shearer, to bring the east-west rail line through Plymouth. If one wanted to go even further back and consider the vital importance that the Rouge River had to Plymouth, one could go to 1825 – 1826. The location of the J. Gonsoli Cider Mill, according to the 1893 Official Wayne County Atlas, was at the intersection of the Rouge River and Plymouth Road, on both sides of Plymouth Road and spanning the property where the old Hillside Inn was located. The “Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory of 1860”, lists J. Gonsolly as a carding mill and a saw mill. Whether you believe Gonsolly or Gonsoli, the author believes that the Wayne County Park System has the name mis spelled on their signage which shows “Gunsolly”. It is possible, and further research is needed, that a sawmill at this location could be taken back to the 1825 – 1826 date range, when the first saw mill that provided wood for the construction of homes for the earliest of settlers in Plymouth, was built by Luther Lincoln, on the banks of the Rouge River. The exact location of the Lincoln mill remains to be identified, but what cannot be denied, was the vital importance of the mills on the east edge of Plymouth. One of the earliest if not the first hub of regular commercial activity in the Plymouth area, was on the banks of the Rouge River, at the edge of what is now Old Village, and not, in downtown Plymouth. Another justification for placing the Old Village neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places, is the cemetery in Old Village. It is a published fact, that Mrs. Mary Davis, and her husband, Jehial, were abolitionists, in Plymouth, and were conductors on the Underground Railroad, on the Davis Farm. This can be confirmed by material from the Nankin Mills Center in Westland Michigan, which is part of the National Park Service, as well as many other local museums in Western Wayne County and various publications, all of which the author has patronized from time to time. Mary Davis, and her husband, and her son Edwin, are buried in that Cemetery. The Davis family, as well as many other early settlers and citizens of both Old Village and greater Plymouth proper are also buried there. Not only is Mrs. Mary Davis and family buried there, her home later in life, was the old Davis House, on the east side of Starkweather Avenue, just north of Main Street and is still today, located within Old Village. Mary Davis, was also George Starkweathers mother in law, and the adoptive mother of Ameila Lydia Heywood-Davis, whom later married George Starkweather. Another tidbit - Carry Nation once visited Old Village and came through the Plymouth Passenger Station, and herself visited the Starkweather home, in 1908. There have been businesses on and near Liberty Street, since 1871. Many since that time have contributed greatly to both Old Village and the entire city, and contributed to the charm and character of neighborhood. There are so many. One that comes to mind – one that was the oldest at the time I was a young boy, was Bob Shingleton. He operated a Taylor shop in the Liberty Street block. When I was a young boy, I remember well going into his store with my grandfather Karl. I still to this day have an advertising brochure of his with a needle stuck into it from the 1930’s. He had Parkinson’s and died when I was very young. As far back as 1926, two home businesses such as Miss Melissa Roe’s piano studio at 494 Starkweather, and a home builder, S. J. Winters, listed his business address at 685 Starkweather. According to my G uncle Davis B Hillmer, there was a Livery stable on Starkweather Ave, in the location of the old “Bills Market” in the 1800’s – I have him on audio tape stating this, while I was arguing with him as a young boy in my little interview with him, after telling him that Mel, the then present owner, thought it was a blacksmith shop. The building still stands today; Davis was quite irritated by that little chat. The list goes on and on. The George Starkweather Dry Goods Store, is now a thriving hub of activity called Hermann’s Old Town Grille, my favorite pub in town! All of these businesses have and are servicing the entire City of Plymouth, not just Old Village. There are many homes in Old Village that are well over 50 years old, and many over 100 years old, including the Starkweather home at the corner of Starkweather and Liberty. Also including the old Pere Marquette ticket office and freight depot on Starkweather Avenue. In the interest of brevity, there are far too numerous homes and buildings and historic sites within Old Village to cite. A trip to the Plymouth Museum can provide much additional information for anyone who chooses to explore. G. A. Starkweather School is another reason to protect the entirety of Old Village. It was the first elementary school in the City of Plymouth. Starkweather School was and is truly not just an elementary school, but also a symbol and monument to the entirety of Old Village, to ALL the people of Old Village, all of whom worked very hard in the fight to get it built, and to Plymouth as a whole, for reasons discussed above. It was a hard fought battle, to get it built. I attended there, between 1965 and 1971. And my mother also attended between 1927 and 1934, as well as her older sister. In the author’s opinion, the entire Old Village area, is a living and active and fully functional and thriving outdoor museum. The entire neighborhood should be preserved. Most all Plymouth residents, as well as friends and family members of residents, and out of town folks visit Old Village. The reason they visit, is in large part to enjoy the historic nature and charm of the village while patronizing the businesses there. As you can see, the tradition of having home businesses in Old Village continues due to the many hard working folks who started the trend in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The city of Plymouth can no longer depend solely on the old Wilcox property and a handful of homes and buildings sprinkled in between, to legitimately call Old Village a historic area. If the area is to be preserved and protected, for all time, and for all future generations, it must be placed, on the National Register of Historic Places. And in the author’s opinion, the time of walking on egg shells, out of fear of offending anyone who might have a counter opinion, is past. My suggested border – open for public debate and discussion – for the Old Village District - National Register of Historic Places - is the eastern border of the City of Plymouth, the northern border of the city of Plymouth, the North-South property edge of the rail line, and Main Street – Plymouth Road, and addended to this, the area within the triangle created by Ameila Street, Lilley Road, and Main Street, and exempting, of course, all rail property that lies within these borders and any property considered industrial – for example the structures on the west side of Ameila Street. I also believe that an additional sliver of land should be added in two places. One is the sliver of land along the Rouge River on both sides of Plymouth Road, the site of the afore mentioned mills. The second, is the site of the old Alter Motor Car Company building on Farmer Street. The site is historically significant to Plymouth, given the early days of the automotive industry in Michigan and given the fact that it is now over 100 years old. Most importantly and for me personally, growing up there I consider the best time of my life, and many of my childhood friends feel the same way. And it would be a shame if kids in the near future did not have that same kind of experience that living in a quaint and charming neighborhood like Old Village provides children. Lastly, I would like to ask folks to consider the likely scenario, that if the entirety of Old Village is not protected under this status, and soon, the bulldozers and wrecking balls will not stop coming. The people of Plymouth should ask themselves today - now, whether they want to see more of these quaint old and beautiful homes torn down, and modern multi story units in their place, and next door to a 100 year old home, whilst increasing the population density which the village cannot possibly absorb without further destruction of history. Instead of knocking down history, in the author’s opinion, the homes and buildings should be treasured for all time, just as those who built them did. If this does not happen, 50 years from now, future residents and visitors will remember this new year’s day, and ask…..”why did they do that”. Thank you for your time in reading this, and I wish you all, a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Daniel B Sabo, Great Great Gransdon of George A Starkweather, and Old Village resident from 1962, to 1977.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:54:54 +0000
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