Rochester Has Two Streets Named In Honor of Pioneer Settler Lysander Woodward The Connecticut native came to Oakland County in 1838, married in 1843, and bought property for his family home just north of the village of Rochester. Starting out with an 80-acre parcel, Woodward built a house that still stands today on the west side of North Main, and developed a farm that won an award from the state agricultural society. Lysander Woodward was successful in farming and business, and his … [Read more...]
How Wilcox Street Was Named
Do you know the story behind the name of Rochester’s Wilcox Street? Early Avon Township settler Lyman J. Willcox and his son Elliot R. Willcox owned part of the land through which Wilcox Street now runs. According to an 1883 account in the Pontiac Gazette, Lyman Willcox left New York City with nothing but a rifle and a pack on his back and walked westward, traversing Ontario, and finally coming to Michigan. He stopped first in Troy Township and then settled in Avon Township in 1824, where … [Read more...]
New Bed and Breakfast in Rochester with VIDEO
New and One of a Kind The Rochester Carriage House Bed & Breakfast is not only the city’s newest choice for overnight accommodations; it is also Rochester’s only B&B. The caretaker’s house, or carriage house, was built in 1849 and sits just off Main Street behind the white Greek Revival main house once owned by Lysander Woodward and a small apartment building. Both the Woodward home and Carriage House were part of the Lysander Woodard estate and farm covering more than 300 acres. … [Read more...]