Walking Tour of Historic Mill Race Village, Northville

Self-Guided virtual Tour of Northville's Historic Mill Race Village

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Walking Tour of Historic Mill Race Village, Northville

Northville, Michigan 48167, United States

Created By: Northville Historical Society

Tour Information

The Mill Race Historical Village was established in 1972 as a site for relocating buildings faced with demolition. That year the City of Northville donated the New School Church to the Northville Historical Society and it was the first structure moved to this site. The society's focus has been the preservation and display of architectural styles and furnishings of the nineteenth century. The Gazebo and Hirsch Blacksmith Shop are reproduction buildings.

The purpose of the Northville Historical Society is to bring together those people interested in history, and especially in the history of Northville, Michigan. The Society’s major function is to discover, collect, observe, advance, and disseminate knowledge of the history of the Northville region.

For more information on the Northville Historican Society and Mill Race Village, please visit our website at Mill Race Village

This tour was developed as part of a Girl Scout Gold Award Project by Jennifer Chalom, Northville Girl Scout Troop 40059.


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

Designed in 1992 by renowned local sculptor David Barr, this sculpture representing a Victorian era boy at play welcomes visitors to the Village.
Built in the late 1800s at Haggerty and Baseline (Eight Mile) roads, the Interurban was moved to the Village in 1990. This small building served as the waiting room for the Farmington Line’s high-speed electric transit system that ran thr... Read more
Built between 1830 and 1850, the original structure was the last timber-framed building standing in downtown Northville. Taken apart board by board and reconstructed using some of the original materials, the reconstructed store was complete... Read more
The Cady Inn was built around 1831. It was moved to the village from Cady Street in Northville in 1987. Cady Street was named for Daniel L. Cady, one of the earliest residents of Northville. According to local lore, this building was used... Read more
The blacksmith shop was built on Main and Hutton St in Northville by Mr. Hirsch, a Northville resident who moved from New York in the 1860s. Unfortunately, the shop was demolished in 1930. Mill Race decided to rebuild this replica of the sh... Read more
Moved to the Village in 1975, this building served Washtenaw and Oakland counties as a one-room school from 1873 to 1966. It was originally located on the west side of Currie Road, between Seven and Eight Mile roads. Unfortunately, only 30... Read more
Built in 1845 in Salem Township by a splinter group of the Presbyterian Church of Northville, it served as a church for only four years. Later, it was used as a school, a township hall, a Salvation Army barracks and as Northville’s librar... Read more
This classic greek revival house with half-gabled wings was built on Main Street and Griswold in 1851 by Stephen Hunter. The style of home is often called “hen and chicks” because of the shape of the house. The home is a perfect represe... Read more
This gothic style home was built by Sarah (Cady) Yerkes and William Purdy Yerkes, children of early Northville settlers. William Yerkes was an extremely influential man in Northville’s history, eventually serving as Northville’s first m... Read more
Modeled after late Victorian Era style gazebos, it was added to the Village in 1979 and is available to rent as part of our wedding package.
This Greek Revival Victorian Cottage was built in 1889 on the east side of Center Street between Lake and Rayson. The cottage was home to the Sessions family in the 1920s and later housed Morse Dairy hired hands, until it was threatened wit... Read more
Added to the Village in 1975, the bridge was modeled after the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA, the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War in 1775.
Built in 2008, the pier supports a 24” bell manufactured by the American Bell Foundry of Northville in operation from the 1890s through the 1930s, a company known world-wide for its dinner bells and bells for churches, schools, farms, and... Read more
The Ford Valve Plant was built in 1919 as a part of Henry Ford’s “Village Industries” initiative. Village Industries was meant to integrate manufacturing into rural communities, this was the first, and longest lasting, factory to impl... Read more

 

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