On Saturday, September 25, residents of the Grosse Pines subdivision, located on Walton Boulevard, welcomed guests and local dignitaries to cut a ribbon and unveil new historical markers commemorating the site and history of The Haven – a private estate built in the late 1920s that was converted to a mental health facility during the Great Depression. The hospital closed in 1968. The structure remained vacant and was destroyed by fire in 1973. Rochester Hills Mayor, Bryan Barnett, and Bo … [Read more...]
Grosse Pines Residents Celebrate Local History with Outdoor Tribute to The Haven
October 8, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Power to the People: How Electricity Came to Rochester
June 23, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Unless a power failure happens, modern Rochester residents tend to take their electric service for granted. However, at the end of the nineteenth century, electric lights were a novelty enjoyed by few and coveted by many—until an interurban line came to town with the power to change everything. Clerks at work in the Rochester Edison building, September 1923. Rochester in the 1890s was a bustling place during the day, but the setting of the sun had a natural dampening effect on the level of … [Read more...]
Old Maps Reveal Interesting Truths You Might Not Know About Rochester
April 24, 2021 by 4 Comments
How well do you know your Rochester trivia? Old maps can be a treasure trove of information about a community’s history, and vintage maps of Rochester are no exception. A close examination of these nineteenth-century documents reveals three interesting tidbits about our area’s past. The intersection of Main Street and University Drive could logically be considered the “birthplace” of the village of Rochester. This intersection is a key location in Rochester’s history for two reasons. … [Read more...]
The Haven Sanitarium, World-Renowned Mental Health Hospital of Avon Township
April 20, 2021 by 8 Comments
Rochester-Avon Historical Society will present “The Haven Sanitarium” with historian and society president Tiffany Dziurman on Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 p.m. on the society’s online Zoom platform. Dziurman will share her latest research about The Haven Sanitarium, a world-renowned mental health hospital that operated from 1932 to 1968 in Avon Township (now Rochester Hills), MI. The hospital was located on what is now the Grosse Pines Subdivision on Walton Boulevard. “The Haven has a unique … [Read more...]
The Man Who Went to School for 45 Years
September 25, 2020 by 5 Comments
The Rochester Community School District has named several of its buildings in honor of well-known educators, administrators, or civic leaders. However, the district’s oldest building is not named for a teacher or a public official—it is named after the building’s caretaker, who was a friend to all of the students he served during his 45-year tenure there. The 1889 school building as it appeared during William Harrison's tenure. The rise of Fourth Street as it approaches Wilcox Street was … [Read more...]
Dear Crabby, Why is the Rochester Hills Public Library Located in Downtown Rochester?
September 24, 2020 by 4 Comments
Dear Crabby, Why is the Rochester Hills Public Library Located in Downtown Rochester? Sincerely, Eva W. Hill Hello Eva, The library has a long history and someone should write a book about it. But not me. This question comes up a lot in conversation, especially from out of town visitors and from folks who just moved to the area. And to make things even harder to understand, the library serves Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township equally. So again. people ask, why does the … [Read more...]
Rochester Municipal Park Has Been the Place to Play for 85 Years
August 28, 2020 by 22 Comments
The Avon Park dam formed a popular swimming hole. The dam and bridge were dismantled in the 1980s. (From the Archives of the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm) Eighty-five years ago this summer, Rochester residents dedicated a new recreation spot on Paint Creek. Built on the site of a bankrupt dairy farm and a long-abandoned millrace, Avon Park—now Rochester Municipal Park—quickly became a favorite place for area residents to swim, picnic, and play. The property on which Rochester … [Read more...]
Ferry-Morse Garden Seeds Have Rochester Area Roots
May 30, 2020 by 15 Comments
If you started vegetables or flowers from seed this spring, you may have used seeds from the Ferry-Morse company currently headquartered in Norton, Massachusetts. If so, your seeds have long historical ties to Michigan and the greater Rochester community. In 1852, Dexter Mason Ferry came to Detroit with plans to attend college and began a night job as a bookkeeper for a small seed house. Four years later he became a partner in the firm, and in 1867, he and other investors took over the … [Read more...]
Yates is the “Granddaddy” of Rochester Area Cider Mills
August 30, 2019 by 15 Comments
The nation was in the throes of the Civil War when William Henry Yates and his wife, Caroline, bought 80 acres of land on the Clinton River in southeastern Avon Township. It was April 1863, and the Yateses, with their nine-year-old son, Frank, made the trip to their new home in Michigan from Madison County, New York. Settling on land at what we know today as the intersection of Avon and Dequindre roads, William Yates used an existing dam on the Clinton River to power a lumber and … [Read more...]
The History of Brooklands
June 25, 2019 by 30 Comments
The "Brooklands" have a Long History with Big Changes Coming The Brooklands area in southeastern Rochester Hills is undergoing a makeover project this summer. The Auburn Corridor Plan seeks to attract new investment in Brooklands by improving traffic flow, parking, pedestrian and bicycle paths, landscaping, neighborhood amenities and curb appeal of commercial structures. While much discussion time has recently been devoted to the future of Brooklands, far less attention has been given to its … [Read more...]
