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Esek Pray Trail Driving Tour of 19Th and 20Th Century Settlements and Farms Washtenaw County, Michigan

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Esek Pray Trail Driving Tour of 19Th and 20Th Century Settlements and Farms Washtenaw County, Michigan Esek pray trail Driving Tour of 19th and 20th Century Settlements and Farms Washtenaw County, Michigan THE ESEK PRAY TRAIL Esek Pray was one of thousands of settlers who immigrated west from New York and New Eng- land when the Erie Canal was opened in the early- to-mid nineteenth century. Settlers would take the canal to Buffalo, catch a steamer to Detroit, and continue west over land by wagon. The story of Esek Pray and his family provides a glimpse into the early settlement period of south- east Michigan. Pioneers came to Washtenaw County by following a trail that cut through Supe- rior and Ann Arbor townships, known today as Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road. Esek Pray House, 8755 W. Ann Arbor Road (Site 6) EARLY SETTLERS ON THE TRAIL Pray was an integral member of the local commu- nity as a public tavern keeper, farmer and justice of the peace. He was also a member of the first State Legislature and participated in the “Frostbite Convention” of 1836 in Ann Arbor, where it was decided that Michigan would become a state by trading claim to the port of Toledo to Ohio and ac- cepting the Upper Peninsula in exchange. The landscape along this trail is filled with his- toric resources associated with early settlers, in- cluding the Pray family. Houses, farms, cemeter- ies, three schoolhouses, a store, a church, and Esek Pray (1790-1856) the nearby village of Dixboro all served as a focal point for a community tied to Plymouth-Ann Arbor Esek Pray married Sally Ann Hammond in 1811. Road. Between 1814-1833, they had eight children. In 1825, while their family was still growing, the Prays traveled from New England to settle a farm- Respect, Please! stead in Superior Township. All but one of the The historic resources depicted herein are Pray children married members of neighboring private property and are not open to the public. families, becoming part of an established farming Please respect the owners’ privacy community in the newly formed state of Michigan. and do not trespass. Many of these families’ prosperous farms are The tour is intended to be enjoyed highlighted on this tour. from the public right-of-way only. Esek pray trail Driving Tour of 19th and 20th Century Settlements and Farms ×Ö House Washtenaw County, Michigan Site No. Address 10 7734 Plymouth Road LEGEND 11 7500 Plymouth Road 1 5683 Napier Road 12 6820 Plymouth Road 2 10165 West Ann Arbor Road Cemetery 13 6595 Plymouth Road õ"³ Farm æ 3 9981 West Ann Arbor Road 14 6170 Plymouth Road 4 9350 West Ann Arbor Road 15 5500 Plymouth Road School 7 Site Number 5 9105 West Ann Arbor Road 16 5206 Plymouth Road º¹ 6 8755 West Ann Arbor Road 17 5221 Plymouth Road House 7 8605 West Ann Arbor Road Church ×Ö 18 5221 Plymouth Road î 8 8525 West Ann Arbor Road 19 2211 Plymouth Road 9 7996 Plymouth Road d R d m R e l r a e i S p a N okville Rd Bro W rritorial Rd e North Te e d R d E N T e d rritor rth Territorial Rd ia No C l R R d u E o r r ar t i o s T h b o R a x N i w r d a t R D e p r i R e d 1 r d R d rl T d ac ti R n Po s e i h r o V Joy Rd d R r o rb A n Joy Rd n E Joy Rd A W d R 2 s e i h 5 r o 3 G V 6 o 7 t f r e d d s R 8 o t n r Warren Rd a R h 4 d r a arren Rd E W Warren Rd 9 d R o r 10 o 11 b x i D N 13 ord Rd d 14 12 F R Ford Rd o B r 17 o e b r N r x y i a 18 F p D ra R i e d i N n r s R L d a k 15 e R d d h R out 16 lym P O Cherry Hill Rd l d E a r ha r 19 t R d S to mm N N P H G e r o a l o s G R r s s r a p i R d s l d e e R c R t d R d d Vreeland Rd d R Vreeland Rd eeland Rd 00.50.25 idge Vr R er Way Glazi page no. 4 Miles 2 Superior Township 19th Century Architecture and Agriculture Greek Revival Style Superior Township has been an agricul- After the initial settlement period, many early residents of the area were able to tural community since its establishment in devote time and resources towards building in the popular style of the era. During the first half of the 19th century (c.1820 to c.1860), the Greek Revival architectural 1831. The first generation of settlers, style was most popular. It is commonly recognized by its rectangular box-shape including Esek Pray and his contemporar- capped by a shallow-pitch gable roof. The home was decorated with architectural ies, grew only what they need to survive detailing inspired by ancient Greece. These features include a triangular pedi- by practicing subsistence farming while ment supported by columns and a wide frieze board wrapping around the building they cleared land, constructed log cabins, at the eaves. Some builders also incorporated detailing on their structures, such as dentil molding, decorative patterns, and trim around window and door open- and established the political structure. ings. Greek Revival style homes generally had double-hung windows with six During the course of the next 150 years, panes in each sash. The windows were frequently flanked by green shutters. three farm types would emerge in the • Site 1: Conant House (1833) area: the 19th century general farm that • Site 6: Esek Pray House (1839) became the early 20th-century dairy farm, • Site 13: The Nanry House (c.1864) the 20th-century industrial farm illustrated • Site 16: Dixboro United Methodist Church (1858) by Henry Ford’s “Cherry Hill Farm” (2734 Gotfredson Road), and the modern 20th- Greek Revival Style Sites century specialty farm (Site No. 9). Open to the Public See also page 7 of this brochure By 1835, the average log cabin complex evolved into a more substantial subsis- Kellogg-Warden House (1830s) Washtenaw County Historical Society’s “Museum on Main Street” tence farm, including more elegant houses 500 N. Main Street, Ann Arbor (Site Nos. 6, 12, and 13), timber frame 734.662.9092 or www.washtenawhistory.org barns (Site Nos. 5, 14), and multiple out- Kempf House Museum (1853) buildings. The barns were built in the style 312 South Division Street, Ann Arbor characteristic of those in New England: 734.994.4898 or www.kempfhousemuseum.org simple, rectangular boxes with a gable roof, and a main entry in the middle of the Italianate Style side elevation. Barns served a places for grain processing and storage, as well as The Italianate style became increasingly common between 1840 and the 1880s, animal shelter. Types of crops grown on during a time when popular taste shifted from formal residences to a more roman- tic view of the home. Italianate style homes featured carved brackets in the the subsistence farm between 1850 and eaves, rounded or segmental arched windows, and softened woodwork details. 1880 included wheat, rye, corn, buck- The frieze board shrank in width and was soon eliminated altogether. Later, the wheat, barley, potatoes, hay, flax, and ma- gable roof was replaced by the hip roof with deeper eaves, and rectangular win- ple sugar. These early farmers also kept dow openings became narrower and taller. The use of brick was also desirable, chickens, milk cows, cattle, horses, sheep, as were more complex floor plans. This style was adopted by many one-room school houses built during the second half of the 20th century. swine, bees, and silk cocoons. The dairy farm became common during • Site 7: Geer House (1884) the first part of the 20th century. The switch • Site 12: Galpin House (1830s) For additional information: from general subsistence farming to one of dairy and some subsistence farming had a A Field Guide to One-room Schools American Houses profound impact on the landscape. Nearly In the Italianate Style: by Virginia and Lee McAlester every farmstead upgraded their facilities to (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985) accommodate the new technology and to • Site 3: Geer School (1880) • Site 11: Frains Lake meet government regulations. A typical Washtenaw County School (1872) Heritage Tour No. 2: dairying farmstead was changed to include • Site 18: Dixboro School (1888) “Greek Revival Architecture Tours” a gambrel roof barn, silo, and milk house. • Site 19: Popkins School http://preservation.ewashtenaw.org (Site No. 10). With time, many farmers and (1870/193) their descendants elected to not operate a full-scale farm operation. 3 SITE 1. Conant Farm ◙ SITE 5. McCormick-Williams Farm ● 5683 Napier Road, Salem Township 9105 W. Ann Arbor Road, Superior Township Listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Places The site is an excellent example of a late 19th and early 20th (1989), the John Wesley Conant Farmhouse was built in century farmstead. The farmhouse was constructed by Wil- Denton Township shortly after 1833. It was moved in 1942 liam McCormick, one of the origi- after Henry Ford purchased the original farmland for the Wil- nal settlers in the township, in low Run Bomber Plant.
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