From Sugar Beets to Baseball: How Halbach Field Got its Name

An abandoned dumping ground for the old Detroit Sugar Company mill took on new life in the 1920s when it became Rochester’s high school and community athletic park. After the Detroit Sugar Company demolished its factory at the west end of Woodward Street in 1906, the company deeded the property back to the village of Rochester. Around 1923, local residents started using the portion of the vacant land on the south side of Woodward and east of the railroad track (today’s Paint Creek Trail) as … [Read more...]

Rochester Municipal Park Has Been the Place to Play for 85 Years

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...]

Rochester Rotary Presents $15,000 in Scholarships to Local Students

The Rochester Rotary is pleased to present seven local students with a collective $15,000 in aid for college in the fall. Each year, the Rochester Rotary Club teams up with the Rochester Community Schools Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester, and the Rochester Kiwanis Club to award deserving high school seniors with financial aid to attend college. Each recipient, in order to be considered for the scholarships, had to submit an application, essay, Applicant Appraisal … [Read more...]