Power to the People: How Electricity Came to Rochester

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...]

Paint Creek Tavern’s Past, Present and Future

The Paint Creek Tavern Has Been Known by Many Names and Has Ties to Interurban and Railroad Days of Downtown Rochester Paint Creek Tavern—known fondly by locals as the “Paint Creek Yacht Club” or “PCYC”— has been a fixture on the banks of its namesake waterway for decades. But despite its tongue-in-cheek nickname, the business got its start not because of its proximity to water, but because of its location near the interurban and railroad lines.  During the heyday of the Detroit United … [Read more...]

Rochester and the Detroit United Railway

New Book Will Tell Rochester’s DUR History Robert Michalka knows about railroads and local history. The lifelong Rochester area resident is combining his two interests in a forthcoming book entitled Rochester and the Detroit United Railway, scheduled for publication by the Rochester Historical Commission later in 2018. Michalka grew up working on Rochester’s Main Street, where his father, Al Michalka, ran a feed store from 1927 until 1982. The younger Michalka started out at the age of 10 … [Read more...]