This living history museum complex is anchored by the Van Hoosen Farmhouse which dates back to 1840. The museum includes a small home occupied by tenant farmers from the 1850s, an authentic one-room schoolhouse built in 1848, and a permanent exhibit that tells the history of the Rochester community through the 19th century and beyond. There is even a model train and a miniature replica of downtown Rochester within the complex's Dairy Barn, which was built in 1927. The museum also includes a small research library full of historic photographs and documents related to the history of community leaders, residents, and institutions.
The Griggs Brothers/Rochester Elevator Company Grain Elevator is a two- and three-story wood frame grain elevator situated at the intersection of East University Drive and Water Street, one block east of Main Street in downtown Rochester, Michigan. At the time of the elevator's original construction on this site in 1880, it was situated alongside an eighteen-acre millpond on the right-of-way of the Michigan Central Railroad, and directly across the street from the railroad's passenger and freight station. In this pivotal location, it served as the center of agricultural commerce for the community and surrounding townships. The structure was enlarged in 1909 and now comprises three sections combined as one standing on mortared fieldstone and concrete foundations, with vertical rough sawn siding exterior and an asphalt shingle roof. The structure has been in continuous use since its 1880 construction, having converted to a retail feed/home and garden store after the abandonment of the railroad line in 1976. It is in good condition and retains excellent integrity. Except for the partial enclosure of an aluminum awning overhanging the scales which was added in the 1980s, the exterior retains its 1909 appearance. The first-floor interior has undergone minimal modification to accommodate the storage and display requirements of the current business, and most of the grain elevating apparatus, though non-functioning and not maintained, remains in place. Listed on National Register of Historic Places, 13 December 2010 Historic Use: Agriculture/subsistence: Storage Current Use: Commerce/Trade: Specialty store Owner Type: Private Foundation: Stone and concrete Wall: Wood Roof: Asphalt and steel Period of Significance: 1880-1962 Area of Significance: Agriculture and Commerce Arch/Builder: Ross, John Date Built: 1880
Western Knitting Mills, organized in Detroit by Charles Sherwin Chapman, William Clark Chapman, and William C. Yawkey, built this factory in Rochester in 1896. At one time, the factory was deemed to be the second-largest knitting mill in the country, and it was one of Rochester's largest employers for a generation. After the knitting mill closed, it was purchased by McAleer Manufacturing Company of Detroit, which used the facility during World War II to produce photoflash bombs for the war effort. The building was restored and repurposed in 1997-98 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Architectural style: Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival The Rollin Sprague Building/Old Stone Store is a two-story gable-front building with walls of coursed cobblestone construction, which is located on the northeast corner of Main and Third Streets in Rochester's central business district. A number of businesses have occupied the building since its construction around 1849. The building's current facade, its fourth, replicates a Late Victorian pressed metal facade constructed in 1899. Although the structure has undergone a number of changes, it still retains most of its original coursed cobblestone construction and some Greek Revival trim. Historic Use: Commerce/Trade: Business Current Use: Commerce/Trade: Specialty store Owner Type: Private Main Building Foundation: Stone Wall: Stone Period of Significance: 1849-1948 Area of Significance: Commerce and Architecture Arch/Builder: Thomas Anscomb Date Built: 1849
The Milo Prentice Newberry House is a one-and-a-half story, Italianate style dwelling built in 1863. Milo Newberry was a pioneer resident of Avon Township who worked as a cabinetmaker, sawmill operator, and farmer. His house has an unusual Y-plan footprint of his own design and was built with timber harvested from the surrounding land. The house is significant as a unique local example of a mid-19th century farmhouse with Italianate details. It is also the last remaining intact example of a Victorian-era farmhouse in the City of Rochester. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
Meadow Brook Hall is the historic home of Matilda Dodge Wilson and her family. Matilda was the widow of auto pioneer John Dodge and a great philanthropist. The Tudor-Revival mansion was completed in 1929 for $4 million and features 110 rooms filled with fine decorative arts and architecture on a 1,500-acre estate.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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This tour visits the diverse properties in Rochester and Rochester Hills that have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They include a grain elevator, a former woolen mill, a cobblestone store, a Victorian-era farmhouse, a pioneer-era historic village, and a 100-room mansion that has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
