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Mill Race Village
Photos
 Barr
Sculpture
The Barr Sculpture at the entrance to Mill Race was designed
by renowned local sculptor, David Barr, in 1992. It represents a
Victorian-era boy at play with a stick and hoop. Kevin Stuart
served as the model for the sculpture.
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 Cady Inn
The Cady Inn stood for many years on the north
side of Cady Street, two blocks east of Center, having been
relocated there in the last half of the 19th Century. Moved to
the Village in 1987, the salt-box style building is believed to
have been a tavern and early stage coach stop, when the main
southern entrance to town was by way of the Cady Street bridge.
According to local legend, the building served as a stopping
point for the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War. The
Cady Inn now houses the Business Office and the Archives.
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 Hirsch
Blacksmith Shop
The Hirsch Blacksmith Shop is an exact replica
of one of Northville’s early shops, based on a photograph of the
building that stood on the corner of Main and Hutton streets
from the mid-nineteenth century until its demolition in 1930. It
has a working smithy where blacksmiths demonstrate their trade
during most open Sundays and special events.
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 Wash Oak School
Wash Oak School, one of the few surviving one
room schoolhouses in Michigan, was moved to the Village in 1975.
Located on the west side of Currie Road between Seven and Eight
Mile Roads, it was built in 1873 and remained in operation until
1966, serving Washtenaw and Oakland Counties. The one room
schoolhouse is still used as a classroom for hundreds of
elementary children who visit each year as part of a special
history curriculum sponsored by the Northville Historical
Society.
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 New
School Church
The New School Church was built in 1845 by a
splinter group of the Presbyterian Church of Northville, who
used it as their church for only four years before reuniting
with the original group. The church exhibits a Greek Revival
architectural style with a columned entrance portico. Through
the years it has served as a school, a township hall, and a
Salvation Army barracks. For over seventy years it housed
Northville's library. The Northville Historical Society was
formed in 1964 to save this building from demolition. Moved to
the village in 1972 from its location on Wing Street, it is
currently used for weddings, workshops, church services, and
meetings.
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 Hunter House
The Hunter House, a classic Greek revival home
with half gabled wings, was built by Stephen and Mary Hunter in
1851. It was moved to the village in 1972 from its original
location on the south side of Main Street at Griswold. This
house serves as a Museum furnished with items typical of the
period in which it was built.
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 Yerkes House
The Yerkes House was built in 1873 by William
Purdy Yerkes, son of one of the earliest settlers of this area,
and his wife, Sarah (Cady) Yerkes, daughter of one of
Northville's founders. W.P. Yerkes was an attorney, probate
judge, and served as the first village president of Northville.
The house originally stood on the south side of Cady Street
between Church and Center. Moved to Mill Race in 1975, the nine
room house features traditional Gothic style carpentry and is
furnished in the elaborate style of the mid-Victorian era. 
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 Gazebo
The Gazebo overlooks the Rouge River which
flows through the village. Modeled after a turn-of-the-century
version, the Gazebo was built in 1979 by John Glenn High School
shop students, who constructed the components at their school in
Westland and then assembled them on site at Mill Race. Many
couples seek out the pleasant shelter of the gazebo to exchange
vows on their wedding day.
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 Cottage
House
The Cottage House was built in the 1890s on the
east side of Center Street between Lake and Rayson. Moved to the
village in 1976, its exterior is typical of the era, but the
interior was set up for workshops and classes. It is used as a
studio by the Mill Race Weavers' Guild.
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 J.
M. Mead General Store
The general store was the last standing timber
frame-constructed commercial building in downtown Northville.
Built between 1830 and 1850 on E. Main Street, many businesses
have occupied this building during its history. It was rescued
from demolition by Society volunteers and rebuilt in the
Village. The main floor houses the Museum Store, and the second
floor is sued as an assembly room.
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 Interurban
Station
The Interurban Station was built in the late
19th Century as the waiting room at Haggerty and Baseline (Eight
Mile) for the Farmington Line's high speed electric transit
system which ran into Northville from 1898 until the late 1920s.
It was moved to Mill Race in the fall of 1990.
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 Bridge
The Bridge was constructed in 1975 to provide a
pedestrian entrance to the Village. It was designed by Don Fee
and fashioned after "The Old North Bridge" in Concord,
Massachusetts. It was built by Historical Society volunteers.
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 Bell Pier
The Bell Pier was
built in 2008 with donated funds to showcase a large piece of
Northville's past industry. Bells were made in 1896 by the
American Bell Foundry who built all sizes for churches, schools,
farms and factories. Its most popular bell was the dinner bell.
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Mill Race Signature
All Content copyright 2003-2012 Northville Historical Society,
Mill Race Village,
215 Griswold Ave., Northville, Michigan 48167-1664
Office Hours (Cady Inn): Monday - Friday, 9:00am to
1:00pm
Archives: Thursday and Friday, 9:00am to 1:00pm
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About Us
How
to Drive a Roundabout