The Rochester-Avon Historical Society (RAHS) is hosting its 32nd Antique Appraisal Day on Sunday, April 12, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Road, Rochester Hills, MI. Local jeweler, Paul Haig This community event is the society’s largest fundraiser. Experts and professional appraisers will be on hand to provide verbal appraisals on a number of items, including books, vinyl records, cast iron toys, dolls and teddy bears, coins, … [Read more...]
Rochester-Avon Historical Society presents “RAHS Salon: Rochester’s Winters Past” on Thursday, Feb. 5
February 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Introducing a new program format from the Rochester-Avon Historical Society (RAHS)! Based on the salons of the past, the new program features a hosted group of people who meet and discuss a theme in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. It’s a night of conversation and sharing with the aim of building community. Crowds gathered along Newberry Hill ski jump, once located at the northwest corner of Bloomer Road and John R Road. The original ski jump was built in 1926 by Henry Hall and was … [Read more...]
Rochester-Avon Historical Society to Host 31st Antique Appraisal Day
March 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester-Avon Historical Society (RAHS) is hosting its 31st Antique Appraisal Day on Sunday, April 6, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Road, Rochester Hills, MI. This is RAHS’s biggest annual fundraiser. Several local appraisers will be available to provide appraisals on antiques, including coins, toys, art, jewelry, furniture, musical instruments, and more! Admission to the event is free. Attendees may bring up to five (5) items … [Read more...]
Rochester-Avon Historical Society Presents: “That Old-Time Religion: Early Faith Communities of Rochester and Avon”
January 30, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Join Rochester-Avon Historical Society (RAHS)and local historian and society member Deborah Larsen for the presentation titled "Early Faith Communities of Rochester and Avon," Thursday, February 6 at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Rd., Rochester Hills. Former St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church, Larsen will host a lively and in-depth discussion of the history of religion and faith within the community of Rochester and its surrounding … [Read more...]
Rochester-Avon Historical Society presents “Four Fabulous Foremothers” for Women’s History Month
February 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Join the Rochester-Avon Historical Society (RAHS) on Tuesday, March 5 at noon at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm for a lunchtime program titled, “Four Fabulous Foremothers” with Ginger Ketelsen and Michele Dunham. Spend an afternoon listening to stories brought to life by Ketelsen and Dunham as they present Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Mother Jones, and Lucretia Mott from the foremothers collection of the late Dr. Gladys McKinney, a Rochester Community Schools educator for many … [Read more...]
Our Good News Story, by Mayor Barnett
December 27, 2021 by Leave a Comment
“People still love a good story, and I don't think that will change.” Those are the words of Robert Iger, Executive Chairman of Disney, who retires at the end of 2021. Everyone who knows me knows my love for Disney and my admiration for Mr. Iger as a leader. He’s had a great run. We share a love for good stories: Telling them, hearing them and experiencing them. And now, as another year closes, we have an opportunity to add to our own story – to reflect on our immediate … [Read more...]
Old-Fashioned Christmas
December 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Saturday, December 18, 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. $8 Museum Members-Advance; $10 Non-Members-Advance; $15 Day of. Guests can visit all Museum exhibits, including the All Aboard! Model Railroad display that fills the Calf Barn during the holiday season. Farm wagons transport guests to all Museum buildings for musical entertainment, crafts, snacks, theatre groups, live music, and even chestnuts roasting over an open fire. Register at … [Read more...]
Drop-in for the Holidays at the Rochester Hills Museum
November 28, 2021 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm is open for drop-in hours on select dates this winter from 12 noon - 3:00 p.m., with a Guided Tour of the Van Hoosen Farmhouse at 1:00 p.m. They’ll have the 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse beautifully decorated with boughs of holly, old Christmas cards, family gifts, community cookbooks, and a 10-foot Christmas tree in the library. Visitors will find seasonal interactive All Aboard: Model Railroad Exhibit! on display in the Calf Barn. Remaining … [Read more...]
Dial OLive for Rochester History: When the Telephone Came to Town
November 26, 2021 by 6 Comments
The Pew Research Center estimates that 97 percent of U.S. adults now own a cell phone, and the number of cell phones in this country will soon surpass 300 million. But in late nineteenth century Rochester, it was easy to count the precise number of telephones in use. There was exactly one. The Michigan Bell telephone exchange office on Walnut Street, ca. 1940 (Courtesy of Ray Russell Postcard Collection, Rochester Hills Public Library) Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone … [Read more...]
Rochester-Avon Historical Society presents ‘Visiting Michigan Cider Mills’
August 16, 2021 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester-Avon Historical Society will present “Michigan Cider Mills” as part of its popular lunchtime Brown Bag program series on Tuesday, September 7, at 12 noon at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. Did you know Michigan is home to more than a hundred cider mills? Spread across the state, these independently owned, local businesses celebrate the best the fall harvest provides. Farm fresh produce, honey, baked goods, and old-fashioned candies are just some of the local … [Read more...]
