ConantPreliminaryReport1 ihg2 mmp - Washtenaw

Conant Farm 5683 and 5671 Napier Road

Salem Township Washtenaw County, Michigan

Historic District Study Committee Report Final Report

June 18, 2008

Conant Farm: Historic District Study Committee Final Report, 06/18/2008

Conant Farm Historic District Study Committee

Final Report

Table of Contents

I. Introduction………………………………………………………... 5

II. Description of Farmstead………………………………………….. 7

III. Summary of Resources on Property.................................................. 19

IV. History of Property

• Early Years of Bowers-Walker Farm (1826 to 1942)..………… 20

• Conant Years (1942 to present)…………………..……………. 26

V. Significance of Property…………………………………………… 30

VI. Boundary Justification……………………………….……………. 30

VII. Conclusions and Recommendations………………………………. 32

VIII. Selected Bibliography…..…………………………………………. 34

Attachments

Attachment A Letter Petitioning Designation………………………. 38 Attachment B Letter from Salem Township Supervisor and Township Resolution………………...…….. 39 Attachment C Washtenaw County Historic Preservation Ordinance, Section 3…………………..……..…. 40 Attachment D Resolution Appointing Study Committee…………… 43 Attachment E Legal Description of Property……………………….. 44 Attachment F Maps…………………………………………………… 46


Figures Front Cover. Views of the Conant Farm and John Wesley Conant House

Figure 1. Conant Farmstead Site Plan……………………………….. 7 Figure 2. Conant Farmhouse, east (front) elevation…………………. 8 Figure 3. Conant Farmhouse, south (saltbox) elevation…………….. 8 Figure 4. Conant Farmhouse, west (rear) elevation…………………. 8 Figure 5. Conant Farmhouse, north wing, east (front) elevation……. 9 Figure 6. Bowers-Walker Farmhouse, façade and south elevations…. 10 Figure 7. Bowers-Walker Farmhouse, rear (west) and north elevations 10 Figure 8. Gazebo, looking towards the SW………………………….. 10 Figure 9. Milk house 9a: front (south) elevation…………………... 11 9b: rear (north) and west elevations…………. 11 Figure 10. Garage, front (east) and south elevations………………….. 11 Figure 11. Potting shed, south elevation………………………………. 12 Figure 12. Chicken coop, front [east] and north elevations…………… 12 Figure 13. Chicken coop, south and west elevations………………….. 13 Figure 14: Corn crib, front [east] and south elevations………………… 13 Figure 15: Main Barn, east and north elevations………………………. 13 Figure 16: Silo at west end of barn…………………………………….. 14 Figure 17: Inscription on blocks of silo……………………………….. 14 Figure 18: Carriage barn ruins, looking ENE…………………………. 14 Figure 19: Chicken House ruins, looking west………………………… 15 Figure 20: Brooder House, front (east) and south elevations…………. 15 Figure 21: Log Cabin, front (south) and west elevations……………… 15 Figure 22: Outhouse, front (east) and south elevations……………….. 16 Figure 23: View looking southwest from farmstead toward fields……. 16 Figure 24: Farm lane looking west from southeastern corner of property 17 Figure 25: Ventilator over well 33 feet north of milk house………….. 17 Figure 26: Water pump in front of log cabin………………………….. 17 Figure 27: Maple Tree behind Bowers-Walker farmhouse ………….. 17 Figure 28: Farm equipment in field……………………………………. 17 Figure 29: Farm equipment by barn…………………………………… 17 Figure 30: Map of Patent Purchases, 1820s-1830s, Section 36……….. 19


Tables Table 1. Comparison of sales prices of 80 acre parcels during the 1830s

Table 2. Farmstead Data from Washtenaw County Directories

Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment Patricia Denig, Director of Planning Services Melissa Milton-Pung, Preservation Planner

705 North Zeeb Road, PO Box 8645 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107

734-222-6878 [email protected]

http://preservation.ewashtenaw.org


Final Report

June 18, 2008

I. Introduction In a letter dated April 15, 2004 (Attachment A), Mrs. Olive Conant representing the Conant Family Limited Partnership, the current owner of the Conant Farmstead at 5683 and 5671 Napier Road, Salem Township, Washtenaw County, petitioned Salem Township to have the farmstead along with approximately 70 acres designated a historic district under the jurisdiction of the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission. Salem Township Supervisor Fred Roperti notified Ms. Conant and Ms. Marnie Paulus of Washtenaw County on July 14, 2007 that the township board had passed a motion granting this request on July 13, 2004 (Attachment B). Following the provisions of Section 3 of the County’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (Attachment C), the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners appointed a Historic District Study Committee by resolution on March 16, 2005 (Attachment D). The resolution charged the Study Committee to evaluate the property and determine if the farmstead meets criteria for historic district designation, as outlined in Section 3 of the County Preservation Ordinance. The members of the Conant Farm Historic District Study Committee are: Ina Hanel-Gerdenich (Chair and Principal Report Author) – Ina Hanel-Gerdenich is a graduate of the Historic Preservation Program at Eastern Michigan University. She currently works as an independent consultant in historic preservation, specializing in the agricultural history of Michigan. She was formerly employed as the Preservation Planner for Washtenaw County, serving the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission, and has completed several grant-funded projects for the County. Kathy Holtz – Kathy Holtz graduated with an M.S. in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University in 2004. She worked for Washtenaw County in Historic Preservation on the award-winning HistWeb project and was part of the team that surveyed Bridgewater Township farmsteads for HistWeb in 2004. Other experience includes work in Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Franklin, Saline, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor Township, Superior Township, and Manchester, Michigan. Wilhelmina Lawson – Wilhelmina Lawson is a resident and owner of a farmhouse in Salem Township. She is interested in the history of the local area. Shelley Griffith – Shelley Griffith received a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Reed College in 1980. She is currently a graduate student at Eastern Michigan University in the History Department, and in that capacity, served as an intern with the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission during the Fall 2004 semester. She is presently a member of the Historical Society of Michigan.


Olive Conant (Ex Officio) – Mrs. Conant is a partner in the Conant Family Limited Partnership, which owns the Conant Farm property. Donald Riddering (Ex Officio) – Mr. Riddering is a former member of the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission. Nancy Snyder (Ex Officio) – Nancy Snyder has served on the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission for over twenty years, and is currently its Chair. Melissa Milton-Pung (Staff) – Melissa Milton-Pung is the Preservation Planner for Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment. She serves as liaison between the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission and the Department of Planning and Environment. She has a Master of Historic Preservation degree from The University of Kentucky. Melissa is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Michigan Historic Preservation Network and the Arts Alliance of the Ann Arbor Area.


II. Description of Farmstead

The Conant Farm is located at 5683 and 5671 Napier Road in Salem Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan. The property is situated in the North ½ of the Northeast ¼ of Section 36, Salem Township and is located approximately five miles west of the town of Plymouth in neighboring Wayne County. The property consists of 94.5 acres of gently rolling fields and forested land. It is bisected near its western end by a meandering creek that then flows eastward along the southern property boundary towards Napier Road. The fields are no longer tilled because the land is now kept as open space under PA 116. As of December 28, 2007, the entire Conant property of 94.5 acres is included in a conservation easement granted to the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy. The historic farmstead is situated along the eastern end of the property, adjacent to the public road. The buildings are grouped as an elongated cluster on a small rise that runs parallel to the road (Figure 1). The buildings at the northern end of the cluster include the Conant farmhouse, a log cabin, and an older outhouse. Near the center of the cluster are those buildings associated with the original farmstead. The Bowers-Walker farmhouse stands closest to the road. Scattered behind it are the brooder house, gazebo, milk house, garage, and potting shed. South of the garage stand the remaining farm buildings, including a chicken coop, corn crib, silo, and the large gambrel-roofed barn. Ruins of an older and smaller barn to the south of the main barn, and a chicken coop well to the west of the farmstead, are evident. The landscape surrounding the farmstead is characterized by scattered groupings of diverse mature trees and flower beds. Landmark trees include a sugar maple adjacent to the milk house, and a black walnut behind the wing of the Bowers-Walker house at 5671. The main gravel drive passes the southern side of this house and the trees, and ends near the geographic center of the farm buildings by the outbuildings. A short, secondary gravel drive is located below the Conant house at 5683. A State historical marker commemorating the John Wesley Conant farmhouse stands between the latter driveway and house. A walkway consisting of stepping blocks leads from the Conant house south to the Bowers-Walker house and its driveway.


Figure 1. Conant Farm Site Plan


1. Conant Farmhouse (Contributing Resource)

The Conant house is a Greek Revival-style, one-and-one-half-story, side-gable structure that faces east toward the public road (Figure 2). It consists of two masses: the core block, which resembles a New England-style saltbox in profile, and a one-story side-gable wing attached to the north elevation of the core block. The core block is three bays wide and 1½ rooms deep, and measures approximately 21.5 feet wide and 24 feet deep. It is capped by a medium to shallow-pitched asymmetric gable roof whose ridge runs parallel to the front elevation. The front of the house is defined by the 1.5 story building height and a roof with a short slope. It has a single front door in the center, flanked by 6/6 double hung windows. The rear of the Conant house exhibits a roof with a longer slope and a one-story height (Figures 3 and 4). A large window on the rear elevation consists of a

single pane of glass. A second door, with plain trim, located in the south elevation leads into the rear of the house. Routine access to the house is now through this door, as it faces the rest of the farmstead and the main driveway. The side elevations have a full-size 6/6 double hung window in each gable end. The south elevation also has three 6/6 windows and the side door on the main level. The remainder of the north elevation is covered by the wing. The timber frame house rests on a brick foundation. Its walls are covered with

wood clapboard siding, and trimmed with a water table above the foundation, narrow (four inch wide) corner boards with small rounded molding serving as a capital, and simple narrow boards with drip cap around the window openings. The walls are capped at the top by a wide frieze

Figure 2. Conant Farmhouse, east (front) elevation

Figure 3. Conant Farmhouse, south (saltbox) elevation

Figure 4. Conant Farmhouse, west (rear) elevation


board decorated with a strip of molding covering the intersection of the frieze board with the enclosed eaves. The gable ends of the 1.5-story portion (but not the saltbox extension) exhibit boxed-in cornice returns. The roof is covered by asphalt shingles. A simple brick chimney is located on the rear elevation.

The one-story wing is set back from the front elevation of the core block and is also capped by a gable roof with side-gable orientation. It is three bays wide and one room deep, and measures approximately 24 feet long and 14 feet deep. It has a small shed-roofed enclosed porch tucked into the front ell, and a shed-roofed enclosure attached to its west (rear) elevation. Like the core block, the wing rests on a matching brick foundation and is covered with matching clapboard siding, narrow trim and corner boards. It does not exhibit a water table, however, and its frieze is not as wide as that on the main

block of the house. The eaves are plain and exhibit no extra trim. It also has an asphalt roof (Figure 5). The wing’s 1/1 double hung windows are surrounded by simple board trim and capped by a thin projecting drip cap. An exterior chimney of fieldstone and cobblestone has been built at its northern end. The shed-roofed enclosure on the rear elevation projects eight feet out from the wing and is about eight feet wide (Figure 4, previous page). In comparison to the wing, it has a narrower frieze, sloping plain eaves, and no extra trim. The main portion of the house exhibits elements of the Greek Revival architectural style. Its simple saltbox massing, 1.5 story height, wide frieze board, and cornice returns are characteristic features of the style. In addition, the house has small, 6/6 double hung windows with matching wood shutters on the two front windows. The Greek Revival style is also expressed in the trim around the front door situated in the center bay of the façade. The trim is defined by relatively wide plain boards resembling pilasters which visually support an entablature consisting of a wide horizontal board and raised boards above each pilaster. A small, rounded trim piece above the pilasters is similar to the rounded trim above the corner boards at the outside corners of the front of the house. The door with its surrounding trim is visually sheltered under the projecting cornice above the entablature. The massing and detailing of the cornice above the door resembles those of the cornice returns at the gable ends on the side elevations. A set of low steps are centered beneath the front door. The house’s interior is comprised of small rooms typical of this vernacular architectural form. Private areas such as bedrooms are located near the front of the main portion of the house, behind which is located the kitchen at the rear. The main living room is contained in the side wing.

Figure 5. North Wing of Conant Farmhouse, east (front) elevation


2. Bowers-Walker Farmhouse (Contributing Resource) The Bowers-Walker Farmhouse is a one-and-one-half-story, side gable structure that is four bays wide and appears to be two rooms deep (Figure 6). The structure has a full-width, one-and-one-half-story, rear addition, which is capped by a gable roof with a ridge perpendicular to the main portion of the house. The second

floor of the addition is lit by a shed-roofed wall dormer on each side elevation and two windows on the gable end at the rear of the house (Figure 7). The original portion of the house rests on a fieldstone foundation, while the addition rests on a poured concrete foundation. The house is covered with vinyl siding, and capped by an asphalt roof. The windows in the house consist of 1/1 double hung sashes with no visible trim. A few are paired in the rear addition. No detailing remains on the house except for a small projecting hood over the front door and relatively wide trim surrounding the eight-panel door. The rear entry has an open, projecting gable-roofed porch on the south side facing the drive. It features aluminum covered, slightly flared posts reminiscent of the Craftsman style. A brick chimney is located on the south end of the house, and a small one-story lean-to with a door stands at the rear of the house.

3. Gazebo (Non-contributing Resource) The Gazebo is an eight-sided open structure consisting of a wooden platform supporting vertical posts capped by an 8-sided wooden pyramid roof (Figure 8). Course wood lattice is used for a half-height wall around the base and for

decoration under the eaves. The peak of the roof is further capped by a projecting, octagon-shaped element. The entire structure is screened, and has a door on the east elevation.

Figure 6. Bowers-Walker Farmhouse, façade and south elevation

Figure 7. Bowers-Walker Farmhouse, rear (west) and north elevations

Figure 8.

Gazebo, looking

towards the southwest


4. Milk house (Contributing Resource) The milk house is a small, rectangular structure with a gable roof and side-gable orientation (Figures 9a and 9b). It is a little over 9 feet wide and 9 ½ feet deep, including a full-width rear addition with a separate gable roof oriented perpendicular to the front roof. The frame structure rests on a poured concrete elevation, is covered with wood drop-siding and an asphalt roof. Detailing on the structure includes slightly projecting eaves on the front and side elevations, but none on the rear elevation. The eaves on the front are boxed-in with a sloping fascia. The eaves on the side elevations of the addition are open, exposing the ends of the roof rafters. The entire structure is trimmed with corner boards placed over the siding, including on the side elevations where the addition meets the original portion of the building. Openings are found only in the front portion of the building: the front elevation has a 5-panel wood door, and there is one small, rectangular window, consisting of a 4-lite window sash surrounded by simple boards and drip molding as trim, at each gable end. The interior of the milk house has a concrete trough. Double sinks and plumbing are attached to the exterior on the east side. A wide concrete pad with a round well-head opening is under the south sink on the east side.

5. Garage (Contributing Resource) The one-story garage has a rectangular footprint that measures approximately 33 feet wide (three bays wide) and 18 feet deep (Figure 10). The ridge of the hip roof runs parallel to the front elevation of the building. The frame building possibly rests on a poured concrete foundation. The concrete is visible in the southern and central bays, but the northern bay has a dirt floor. The structure is covered with clapboard siding on the walls and asphalt over wood shingles on the roof. The shingles are supported by nailer boards placed over the rafters. The siding consists of approximately 5 inch-wide

Figure 9a: Milk house, front (south) elevation

Figure 9b: Milk house, rear (north) and west elevations

Figure 10: Garage, front (east) and south elevations


boards, which are cut to resemble two rows of narrow (approx. 2 ½ inch exposure) clapboards on which the outer edges have been rounded. The siding has been nailed directly onto 2x4 inch studs which are placed approximately 24 inches on center. There is no sheathing. Each stud supports the plate (consisting of two 2x4s lying on their sides) and has been placed directly underneath each rafter. On the exterior, the building has been trimmed with narrow corner boards placed over the siding. The eaves are open revealing the 2x4 inch rafter extensions. The garage has three wide doors on the front elevation. One is a newer, overhead door, one is hung on a track to slide sideways, and one is hinged. The latter two doors are constructed of V-notch tongue-and-grove boards oriented vertically. Single sash windows, consisting of nine lights in each sash, have been placed on the side and rear elevations.

6. Potting Shed (Non-contributing Resource) The greenhouse/potting shed is a rectangular structure with an asymmetric gable roof (Figure 11). A Dutch door is located in the west gable end and a small window is situated in the east gable end. The foundation of the structure is not visible, but may be timber. The siding is T-111 painted red and corner boards are painted white. The roof consists of asphalt on the north elevation and the top portion of the south elevation. The remaining part of the south-facing roof consists of glass.

7. Chicken Coop (Contributing Resource) The chicken coop (or chicken house) is a one-story, vernacular structure with a rectangular footprint and a gable roof (Figure 12). The ridge of the roof runs parallel to the side elevation of the structure. The frame building rests on a poured concrete foundation, and is covered by wood siding and a composite roof. The siding consists of approximately 5 inch tongue-and-groove

boards mounted vertically with round-headed nails. The south side of the roof is of metal, and the north side is asphalt. Exposed rafter ends are visible in the eaves. The rafters are 2x4s on the south elevation and 2x6s on the north elevation. The house has a red hinged door on the east end composed of 5 inch-wide V-notch and bead tongue-and-groove boards. Four-light, single sash windows are placed along the south elevation, surrounded by trim consisting of simple, narrow boards.

Figure 11. Potting shed, south elevation

Figure 12. Chicken coop, front (east) and north elevations


The former chicken yard is now a garden along the south side of the chicken coop (Figure 13). One small chicken door has been cut into the siding of the south elevation, near the southwest corner of the structure. Similarly sized openings have been covered on the north elevation. 8. Corn crib (Contributing Resource) The frame, keystone-shaped corn crib measures approximately five feet wide and 16 ½ feet long. It rests on poured concrete posts in front and what appear to be upside-down baskets or barrels at the rear. The crib has sides made of vertical strips of 3 5/8” wide boards installed with gaps between each board (Figure 14). The roof is made of asphalt shingles over decking. The roof has trimmed gable ends but open eaves along the side elevations. Rafter ends capped by a narrow fascia board are visible. A door at the east end is made of vertical boards strapped to the crib with wide hinges. The west end has two cut-out hatches. 9. Barn (Contributing Resource) The barn is the largest structure on the property (Figure 15). It is approximately 70 feet long by 33 feet wide. It is a timber frame structure with a gambrel roof, resting on a poured concrete foundation. The walls consist of approximately 7-inch wide tongue-and-groove boards mounted vertically with round nails to the sawn timber framework. A wide frieze board is located at the gable ends. The barn has no corner boards, although they are mimicked by the white stripe of paint superimposed on the red color of the

Figure 13. Chicken coop, south and west elevations

Figure 14. Corn crib, front (east) and south elevations

Figure 15. Main barn, east and north elevations


barn. The roof of the barn is covered with asphalt shingles supported by nailer boards and 2 x 6 inch rafters. The gable ends are boxed in, but the eaves are open along the side elevations. The rafter ends are capped by a sloping fascia board. The barn has sliding doors on each side elevation. The doors are made of tongue-and-groove bead boards, each 5 ¼ inches wide, that have been painted red with white vertical edges. The doors feature metal handles affixed with screws. Windows are placed on all four elevations of the barn. They consist of one sash with four panes, and each opening is trimmed with simple boards without hoods or drip caps. On the interior, the north and south elevations of the walls are held together by laminate beams. The framework also supports the roofing structure, which is attached to the framework by braces and metal tie rods. The barn includes a room with wood floor for storing wheat, and panels pulled out from a wall to catch the hay for horses.

10. Silo (Contributing Resource) The cap-less silo consists of vertically placed blocks of concrete held together with metal tie bands (Figure 16). One of the blocks is marked “The Smith Silo Co., Oxford, Michigan” (Figure 17). The silo is attached to the west end of the barn by a small hyphen with a gable roof. The connecting structure is made of horizontal tongue-and-groove boards attached to 2x4 inch framing with round-headed nails. It has a rolled asphalt roof and a poured concrete foundation. A single, 4-light window with surrounding boards of simple trim is situated on the north elevation. The connecting structure is in poor condition.

11. Carriage Barn ruins (Non-contributing Resource) The carriage barn was a timber frame structure placed on a poured concrete foundation with a footprint of approximately 25 by 30 feet. It is now a pile of timbers (Figure 18). According to a photo in the possession of the Conant family, the structure had a gable roof and vertical board siding, but no corner boards. The eaves were approximately six inches deep and the interior the floor joists were rounded.

Figure 16. (above) Silo at west end of barn Figure 17. (left) Detail of inscription Figure 18. (below) Carriage barn ruins, looking ENE


12. Chicken House ruins (Non-contributing Resource) The collapsed chicken house situated well to the rear of the farmstead was a frame structure that had a shed roof with windows on the south elevation (Figure 19). 13. Brooder House (Contributing Resource) The Brooder House, or shed, is a smaller A-frame structure measuring 9 ½ feet wide by 10 ½ feet long. It is made of vertical tongue-and-groove boards, except in the gable peaks, where the boards have been placed horizontally (Figure 20). The corrugated metal roof extends almost to the ground on both sides. The foundation of the structure is not visible. 14. Log Cabin (Contributing Resource) This mid-twentieth century log cabin has a rectangular footprint and is one story in height (Figure 21). The building rests on a poured concrete slab and is constructed of log walls covered by a shallow-pitched gable roof. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles and has a side-gable orientation. The logs extend beyond the corners of the building and are roughly chopped at their ends. The chinking is concrete. Exposed log rafters are approximately 24 inches apart. The structure has three single-sash, 6-light windows on the front (south) and rear (north) elevations. The sashes are recycled kitchen windows from the Conant house. The cabin has a stove pipe for chimney.

Figure 19. Chicken House ruins, looking west

Figure 20: Brooder House, front (east) and south elevations

Figure 21. Log Cabin, front (south) and west elevations


15. Outhouse (Contributing Resource) The “three-holer” outhouse is a relatively tall, narrow structure with a square (5 x 5 feet) footprint and a side-gable roof (Figure 22). The frame building is one bay wide and one story high. It currently rests on cinder blocks, and consists of walls of clapboard siding and an asphalt roof. The siding is trimmed with narrow boards at the corners, and is capped by a narrow to medium-width frieze board. The structure has thin, narrow eaves. The front and back eaves reveal exposed false rafter ends, 2x2 inches in dimensions. The gable ends of the roof are boxed in. A small window on the north gable end has ventilation slats. The outhouse includes two holes for adults and one for a child. Landscape Features Although the Conant Farm property has not been farmed recently, much of the layout of the Conant-era remains. The property boundary resembles that of an elongated rectangle with three of its four corners modified. The northwest corner is clipped by the M-14 right-of-way that passes just to the north of the property; and the southeast and southwest corners have rectangular lots that belong to others. Large-scale landscape features that are contributing consist of fields along the southern and central portions of the property (Figure 23). Woodlands are situated at the western end and separate the farmstead

from the central fields. An unimproved farm lane leads south out of the farmstead area and then turns west leading to the rear of the property (Figure 24). Contributing small-scale features in the landscape surrounding the farmstead include a large black walnut behind the wing of the Conant house, a sugar maple adjacent to the milk house, and a large blue ash. Other small-scale features include a ventilator on top of a metal frame marking the location of the well, and a hand pump is situated in front of the log cabin (Figures 25-26). Finally, many pieces of older farm equipment, include a horse-led plow, a corn drill, a 1950s milking machine, an oxen harness, and the old delivery van are distributed in the area surrounding the barn and along the farm lane behind the barn (Figures 27-29).

Figure 22. Outhouse, front (east) and south elevations

Figure 23. View looking southwest from farmstead toward fields


Figure 28. Farm equipment in field

Figure 24. (left) Farm Lane, looking west from southeastern corner of property

Figure 25. (right)

Ventilator, situated over well

approximately 33 feet north of the milk house

Figure 26. (left) Water pump in front of log cabin

Figure 27. (right)

Maple Tree

behind Bowers-Walker Farmhouse

Figure 29. Farm equipment near barn


III. Summary of Resources on Conant Farm Note: Resource number (“No.”) correlates to number on site plan (Figure 1)

RESOURCES

Date of Date of No. Resource Construction Major Change Comments

1. Conant House*….. c. 1833................... addition, 1870s…... moved on site 1942 built by John Wesley Conant family

2. Bowers-Walker c. 1835…………… addition, c. 1928…. remodeled, c. 1928 & again House* in 1990s; unknown builder

3. Gazebo…………. 1996……………… …………………… built by ?

4. Milk house*……. before 1942………. addition ………….. moved on site 1942 & sinks added 1980s

5. Garage*………… early twentieth century

6. Potting shed…….. c. 1985 ………………………………... purchased

7. Chicken Coop*…. early twentieth century………………… enlarged, late 1940s

8. Corn Crib*……… c. 1945………………………………… built by Eugene Conant

9. Barn*……………. 1910s or 1920s

10. Silo*……………. before 1942

13. Brooder House*… after 1942…………………………….. built by Herbert Conant (?)

14. Log Cabin*……… c. 1963-65…………………………… built by Bruce Conant

15. Outhouse*………. nineteenth century…………………… moved from original location

*Resources considered historically significant.

RESOURCES NO LONGER EXTANT Date of Date of No. Resource Construction Removal Comments

11. Carriage House….. nineteenth century…collapsed 1990s..... moved from across the road before 1940, now ruins;

NA Old Milk House……………………… 1950s…………… burned by Bruce Conant

12. Chicken Coop (“out back”)………… collapsed 1990s… moved on site 1942

NA Greenhouse shed…. mid-twentieth cent. between 1990 &… attached to Conant house 2005


IV. History of the Property The history of the Conant Farm can be divided into two phases: the Bowers-Walker years, covering the time period when the property was owned by the nineteenth century Bowers family and the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Walker families; and the Conant years, covering the time period during which the property has been in possession of the current owners. Much of the information obtained for this history is derived from oral history, census records, county history and atlases and some secondary references. In addition, genealogical information was provided by members of the Conant family. The Bowers-Walker Years (1826-1942) The Settlement Period (1826-1836) The land that was to become the Conant Farm was purchased in three parts between 1826 and 1837. The first purchase was made by Sarah Teeple in October 1826, when she obtained eighty acres described as the E ½ of the NE ¼ of Section 36 from the United States government (Figure 30).1 The land was bordered on the east by Napier Road. The north half of the Teeple property included the eastern 30 acres of the current property and the site of the farmstead. Sarah Teeple came from Seneca County, New York, probably with two men named William and Peter Teeple. William and Peter were also from Seneca County, New York, and they purchased their respective lands on the same day as Sarah. Their parcels were located a little farther north and on the east side of Napier Road, placing them in Plymouth Township, Wayne County. In 1837 Peter Teeple purchased 320 acres of land in Ionia County. There is no indication as to whether William or Sarah joined him there. The transaction documenting when and to whom Sarah Teeple sold her land is not recorded in the Abstract in the possession of the current owner or in the deed records. What is known is that in August of 1832, Lewis Cook of Covert, Seneca County, New York sold the same 80 acres formerly purchased by Sarah Teeple to William Smith of Ovid, Seneca County, New York for $400.2 Unlike Sarah, Lewis Cook is listed in the 1830 Michigan census, between the names of 1 Washtenaw County Record of Deeds, Liber 319, p. 217. 2 Ibid, Liber C, p. 489.


his neighbors, Aaron Blood to the south and Reuben Davis to the north, suggesting that he purchased or at least occupied the land in discussion as early as 1830. Cook again took possession of the land when William Smith sold it back to him in 1836.3 However, Cook immediately sold all but the southeast ten acres of the northern half of the original 80 acre parcel to neighbor Henry Bowers for $800.4 The ten acres were sold at the same time to a James Teeple of unknown origin.5 The land that was to become the center part of the Conant farm is described as the West half of the Northeast quarter. This land was purchased by James Walworth of Seneca County, New York from the United States government in January 1831. Walworth sold the 80 acre parcel to Henry Bowers in April of 1834 for $140.6 Finally, the western portion of the current property, which is a part of the NE ¼ of the NW ¼ of Section 36, was originally purchased from the United States government by Joshua Chase of Washtenaw County in October 1835.7 Mr. Chase, in turn, sold his land to Abel Parkhurst in June 1836 for $250, and Parkhurst sold the land to Henry Bowers in September of 1837 for $300.8 Thus, by 1837 Bowers had accumulated 230 acres, all in the N ½ of Section 36. The Bowers Farm maintained this configuration for the next fifty years. It is not known what buildings might have been on the property during this time. Given the relatively high sale value of the Teeple portion of the land when compared to the other parcels, it seems quite possible that there was some improvement on the land by the time Henry Bowers purchased it in 1836 (Table 1; Figure 30). The side-gabled Greek Revival-style house known as the Bower-Walker House could have been constructed by either Cook as early as 1830 or by Smith. Its date of construction has been estimated by the Conant family as c. 1835. Its architectural style, featuring Greek Revival detailing and its side-gable, 1.5-story massing support an 1830s construction date. Table 1. Comparison of sales prices of 80 acre parcels during the 1830s.

Year Acreage Amount Comments 1832 80 $400 Teeple property (E ½ of NE ¼) 1834 80 $140 Walworth property (W ½ of NE ¼) 1836 70 $800 Teeple property 1836 80 $250 Chase property (E ½ of NW ¼) 1837 80 $300 Chase property

3 Ibid, Liber I, p. 9. 4 Ibid, Liber H., p. 298. 5 Ibid, Liber 99, p. 202. The relationship between Sarah and James Teeple remains unclear. 6 Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, and Washtenaw County Record of Deeds, Liber G, p. 72. 7 Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Chase purchased the SE ¼ of the NW ¼ in April 1837. 8 Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records, Accession No. M10180_.089 (document No. 8566), and Washtenaw County Record of Deeds, Liber K, p. 507, and Liber 39, p. 420.


The Henry Bowers Period (1836-1882) Regardless of exact construction date of the house, the farm was first fully developed under the ownership of Henry Bowers. Henry was a native of New York, arriving in Salem Township in 1830. He lived on the farm from the time he purchased the farmstead in 1836 until his death in Salem Township on April 16, 1878 at the age of 80.9 The 1850 agricultural census records indicate that Bowers managed a prosperous 240-acre farm. In that year he grew corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, and hay. He produced butter, cheese, maple sugar, honey, and wool. He also raised horses, milk cows, oxen, cattle, sheep and swine. He owned an additional ten acres on the east side of Napier Road.10 Henry Bowers was still actively farming when the 1870 agricultural census was taken. He was assisted by his wife, Jane, and Viola, age 28 (a daughter?), and a 19-year-old farm laborer. A possible son, John Bowers, 26, worked as a farm laborer for Harvey Andrews, a farmer residing in Section 33 of the township. Henry grew oats, wheat, corn, potatoes, and orchard products. He produced butter, wool, hay, and forest products. As earlier, he raised horses, milk cows, cattle, sheep, and swine. At this time, Henry’s real estate was 220 acres in size. It was valued as $12,000 and his personal estate was at $8000. These numbers were two to three times higher than those of the surrounding neighbors.11 The Walker/Truesdell Period (1882-1942) Several years after Henry Bower’s death, the 230 acre estate (along with the land to the east of Napier Road) was sold to Henry Walker for $8000.12 Henry Walker was a son of George W. Walker, a farmer who purchased the 80 acre Blood Farm to the immediate west of the Bower Farm in 1864. George is listed in the 1870 census records along with his family, which included nine children. The oldest of the children listed was Henry, then age 26 and working as a farm laborer. It is not known whether George W. Walker was related to the Walker family that arrived in Salem Township in 1834 and initially settled in Section 16, approximately two miles west of the hamlet of Salem.13 George himself settled in Washtenaw County in 1859.14 Between 1882 and 1895, the former Bowers land was divided among Henry and his siblings. The 1895 plat map depicts Henry’s portion as a 110 acre farm including Henry Bowers’ farmstead and house.15 He also kept the small parcel of land on the east side of Napier Road.16

9 Chapman 1881: 593, 600. 10 Belden and Co., Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wayne County, Michigan (Belden and Co., Chicago, 1876): 43. 11 U.S. Census, Schedule 3: Agricultural Census, Salem Township, Washtenaw County (1870): 1-2. 12 Washtenaw County Record of Deeds, Liber 99, p. 202. 13 Eliakim and Nancy Wheeler Walker were married in 1823, and their sons E.T. (born 1829), George W. (born 1834), and A.L. (doctor, born 1839) settled in and around Section 16 (Chapman 1881: 631-632). The referenced George W. Walker (born 1834) is not the same as the one listed in the 1870 census as a neighbor to Henry Bowers, as the census information suggests that the latter’s birth year is about 1816. 14 Ogle, George A. and Co., Standard Atlas of Washtenaw County, Michigan (Chicago: George A. Ogle and Co., 1895): 97. 15 Ogle, George A. and Co., Standard Atlas of Washtenaw County, Michigan (Chicago: George A. Ogle and Co., 1895): 9. 16 Saver, W.C., General Official Atlas of Wayne County, Michigan (Detroit: W.C. Saver, CE, 1893): Plate 19.


The southern portion of the former Bowers farm was sold to E. (Esek) Walker, who established a new home facing Napier Road on his 100 acre farm. Acreage at the rear of the Bowers farm was combined with the former George Walker farm to carve out an 80 acre farm for A. (Arthur) Walker and Mrs. P. (Perry?) Walker, and 20 acre parcels to Ira (who had two such parcels), Emeline, George W. (Jr.), L.J. Nelson (possibly husband of daughter Mary), and C. (Charles?) Walker (Attachment F).17 Henry Walker’s tenure on the land was relatively short-lived. He passed away in January of 1898, leaving the farm to his widow, Kate. Kate lived on the farm until her death in April 1928. Her estate was inherited by her son Fred O. Truesdell and his wife, Jessie. At this time, the acreage of the farm had been reduced to 101 acres.18 The Truesdells maintained the property until they sold it to the Conant family in 1942.19 It is not clear how the farm was operated during the Walker Family tenure. There is no information on the family in bibliographic sources of the time: History of Washtenaw County, Michigan by Charles C. Chapman & Co. (1881), Portrait and Biographical Album (1891), and Past and Present by Samuel Beakes (1906). According to the Conant family, the large barn was built during the 1910s or the mid-1920s. It is pictured in the aerial photos of the farmstead dated September 1940.20 A comparison of farmstead values published in the Washtenaw County section of Polk’s Ann Arbor City Directory from 1910 to 1926 suggest that the barn might have been built between 1916 and 1918, as the property value per acre more than doubled during that time period (Table 2). However, this observation alone is not conclusive. Other farms in the county experienced a similar spike with little or no documented activity,21 and some of the neighboring farms experienced a spike in value between 1918 and 1920, suggesting that there may be a number of reasons to explain the sudden increase. The barn has a large silo of vertical concrete block attached. While its age is also unknown, its composition suggests that it may date from the 1920s. According to the Conants, it was present by the time the family arrived in 1942. It is visible in the 1940 photograph without a cap.22 Other buildings present on the property when the Conants arrived include a chicken coop and milk house.23 In the aerial photograph, it appears that one smaller structure is standing to the

17 Ogle, George A. and Co., Standard Atlas of Washtenaw County, Michigan (Chicago: George A. Ogle and Co., 1895): 9. 18 Washtenaw County Record of Deeds, Liber 217, p. 548. 19 Washtenaw County Record of Deeds, Liber 363, p. 492. 20 Aerial Photos of Washtenaw County, Photos No. XU-2A-22 and -23 (XT). USDA – Soil Conservation Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the possession of Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment. 21 Merriman Farm: Historic District Study Committee Final Report, Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment, September 15, 2004. 22 Aerial Photos of Washtenaw County. Photo No. XU-2A-22 (XT). USDA – Soil Conservation Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the possession of Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment. 23 Bruce and Jim Conant recall the old milk house as a small building with an approximate square footprint, gable roof, and a ridge that was probably oriented east-west. A door and gable window were situated on its east elevation, and a second window was built in the south elevation. The building had deteriorated significantly by the early 1950s, and was eventually burned by Bruce. Its location was about 20 feet north of the current milk house, near where the original well was installed. Bruce and Jim Conant, Interview by I. Hanel, Salem Township, October 18, 2005.


northwest of the house (probably the old milk house) and another (unknown) is situated on the south side of the garage. The collection of these resources on the farm suggests that it was used to raise dairy cattle and chickens, along with the grains and silage to feed them. It is not clear who did the work. Table 2. Farmstead Data from Washtenaw County Directories.24 VALUE/ YEAR OWNER ACRES VALUE ACRE COMMENTS 1910 Kate Walker 101 acres $2500 $24.75 George Walker 79 acres $1500 $18.99 Section 35 Ira Walker 65 acres $1700 $28.33 farm to west Arthur Walker 60 acres $1900 $31.67 farm to SW Chas. Stacey 100 acres $3200 $32.00 farm to south Chas. Brems 120 acres $3100 $25.83 farm to north 1916 Kate Walker 101 acres $3000 $29.70 George Walker 79 acres $1900 $24.05 Section 35 Ira Walker 65 acres $2000 $30.77 farm to west Arthur Walker 60 acres $2100 $35.00 farm to SW Chas. Stacey 100 acres $3600 $36.00 farm to south Chas. Brems 120 acres $3300 $27.50 farm to north 1918 Kate Walker 101 acres $6800 $67.33 George Walker 79 acres $2000 $25.32 Section 35 Ira Walker 65 acres $2200 $33.85 farm to west Arthur Walker 60 acres $2200 $36.67 farm to SW Chas. Stacey 100 acres $4100 $41.00 farm to south Chas. Brems ND ND ND farm to north 1920, Kate Walker 101 acres $6300 $62.38 1924, George Walker ND ND ND Section 35 1926 Ira Walker 65 acres $3350 $51.54 farm to west Arthur Walker 60 acres $4000 $66.67 farm to SW Chas. Stacey ND ND ND farm to south Chas. Brems ND ND ND farm to north

24 Data from Polk, Ann Arbor City Directories, 1910, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1924, 1926.


Aerial photographs from 1940 reveal how the Walker property appeared just prior to the arrival of the Conant family.25 The photos show the Walker property divided into numerous parcels varying in size from approximately five to twenty acres in size. Some of the parcels are fields defined by hedges or small trees growing around their perimeter. The boundaries of one is defined by a lane going around its perimeter, and others are clear because they have different crops growing on them, giving them a different color. From the photographs, it appears that in 1940, at least five of 13 parcels are tilled fields. Four additional parcels appear to be pasture, and three parcels are covered with mature trees. The latter and one of the tilled fields are situated at the western end of the property. The pasture land is in the middle of the property, and most of the tilled fields are toward the eastern end of the property. The thirteenth parcel is at the eastern end of the property, and includes the farmstead, which is situated near the center of the eastern boundary—adjacent to the public road. The farmstead parcel itself has been functionally divided into several parts. Its western half appears to be open field. The eastern portion consists of a garden (including possibly a row of smaller fruit trees) that was situated to the northwest of the Walker farmhouse (west of the present day Conant house site), the farmstead complex in the middle, and an open field to the south of the barn. The parcels were accessed by a small lane leading from the barn area southwest to the property boundary and then west between the fields to the pastures at the rear; and a second lane running west along the northern property boundary past some fields to the pasture and woodlots at the rear. The photos indicate the layout of the buildings is generally similar to present conditions. The complex of buildings is clustered around a “U”-shaped driveway that opens to the north. The farmhouse is situated at the top (north end) of the “U.” The garage is near the southwest, and it is around this building that the driveway appears the most worn. The large barn is located to the south of the garage, making it well south and west of the “U.” It has a barn yard on its south side, which is defined by a linear feature (probable fence) along its southern and eastern perimeters. The old carriage barn served as an anchor to the southwest corner of the barnyard. Other features on the farmstead in 1940 include a large tree evident between the house and garage, and another set of mature trees located at the bottom (south) end of the “U” and to the east of the barn. The intersection of the driveway with the main road in 1940 suggests that most of the traffic went north on Napier Road. The orientation of the driveways of the farms to the north and south of the Walker Farm also suggest that much of the traffic went from Napier Road to Powell Road, heading east to the town of Plymouth. Finally, the Bowers-Walker farmhouse received modifications in 1928, coinciding with the time that Fred and Jessie Truesdell gained ownership of the farm. A photo in the possession of the Conant family shows the one-story gable-roofed rear wing that was four bays long and had a woodshed attached at its rear (western end). The wing was removed and replaced with the current shorter, two-story addition to the house. 25 Aerial Photos of Washtenaw County. Photos No. XU-2A-22 and -23 (XT). USDA – Soil Conservation Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the possession of Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment.


The Conant Years (1942-present) The Conant Farmstead as it stands today is actually a melding of two farms—the Bowers-Walker Farm as described above, and the former Conant Farm that stood on the east side of Denton Road, in Van Buren Township, Wayne County. The farm was located approximately eight miles to the SSE of the current farm, and was condemned in the early 1940s when the land and surrounding farms were purchased for the development of the Willow Run Bomber Plant. The owners of the Conant Farm at the time, Herb and Olive Conant, moved several buildings and plantings from Denton to the current site in 1942. The buildings include the John Wesley Conant farmhouse, the milk house, and a chicken coop that is now in ruins. The John Wesley Conant Family Farm (1833-1942) John Wesley Conant was born the third of ten children in Lebanon, New York in 1801. His parents, Timothy (1775-1829) and Mary Herrick Conant (1780-1866) raised their family in Eaton, Madison County, New York. The father was a farmer and blacksmith, and served as a deacon of the Baptist Church. In 1818, son John moved to Orleans County, New York and sometime thereafter married Alice Van Pelt, a native of New Jersey. In 1833, the family, including three daughters and infant son, immigrated to Van Buren Township, Wayne County, Michigan. Two additional sons were born after the move. The Conants purchased a farm on Denton Road, section 16 of the township on May 24, 1833. The land was sold by Marvin S. Barber, and was situated south of the hamlet of Denton, on the east side of the road. Today the location would be described as approximately ¾ mile south of Ecorse Road. While little information of the farm has been obtained, it is known that the Conants built a simple, one-and-one-half story frame house with Greek Revival-style detailing at the cornice. That house is the Conant farmhouse of today, and is listed on the State Register of Historic Places (1989). It is recognized for its integrity as a structure associated with the nineteenth century settlement period of Michigan. Ownership of the farm passed to John Stoughton Conant, the oldest surviving son of John Wesley and Alice Conant. John Stoughton was born near Denton in 1837. He married Cynthia Anne Lamkin (1845-1918) in 1864 in Ypsilanti. She was a native of Monroe County. John and Cynthia had three children: daughters Mary and Ellen were born 1865 and 1868, respectively in Denton, and son Eugene Wesley Conant, was born 1880 in Denton. During the 1870s, while their family was still growing, the family added a one-story wing to their home. The wing received a shallow-medium pitched gable roof that matched that of the existing home. The vernacular structure included three rooms, including two small bedrooms at its outer end, and also featured a front porch. The addition of the wing may have coincided with the transfer of the farm ownership to John Stoughton. According to the 1870 census, John Wesley’s real estate was valued at $3600, whereas son John is only listed as a farmer with no real estate value, suggesting that John Wesley still maintained ownership at this time. John Wesley passed away in 1877, his wife having preceded him in death in 1874, leaving the farm in the hands of John Stoughton and Cynthia Anne Conant. John’s younger brother Webster had his own farm, valued at $1000 by 1870.


John Stoughton and Cynthia’s son Eugene was the next owner of the farm. Eugene married Ella May Glass of Denton in 1902. She was a granddaughter of Samuel Y. Denton (born 1816, married 1841 to Mariah Gould), who arrived in the area from northeastern Pennsylvania. Eugene and Ella purchased two acres and built their own house on the south side of the Conant farm. It is here that they raised their family of two children: Herbert Eugene (1905-1999) and Edith Belle (1907-1930). Eugene’s sisters continued to live in the original house on the farm. Herbert Eugene married neighbor Olive Neubert in June of 1940. The Neubert family was originally from Mankato, Minnesota, and had moved to the Denton area in the 1930s to live with an aunt while looking for work. Olive’s father was a carpenter and she herself eventually worked as a salesperson. The family settled on the farm immediately to the north of the Conant farm, and like the Conants, lived in a house built during the 1830s. After they were married, Herbert and Olive moved into the old Conant house with his aunts. Ellen passed away soon thereafter. At the time of their marriage, Herbert and Olive planned to work the Conant family farm. However, during the period of 1941-1942, they received numerous offers from automotive magnate Henry Ford to purchase their farm. The family declined the offers for a long time, as they were very happy to live in their community. However, eventually their land, along with the land of their neighbors (including that of Olive’s family to the north), was officially condemned in order to build the Willow Run Bomber Plant. The family had no choice but to move. They chose to take some of the old farmstead with them, including the 1833 farmhouse and several outbuildings. They moved the buildings in 1942 to the Bowers-Walker farm which Eugene and Ella May had purchased earlier for $12,000. The home built by Eugene and Ella May on the south side of the Conant farm and the remaining outbuildings on the farm were demolished. The move of the buildings took place during war time when available labor was limited. The movers separated the wing of the house, allowing them to move the house in two parts. However, once accomplished, the movers left, leaving it up to Herbert to pull the parts together again with a tractor. According to Olive Conant, it took the better part of a year to rebuild the house on its new foundation.26 Changes made to the house during this time include removing the two small bedrooms in the wing to make one large space with a new fieldstone fireplace, and rebuilding the front porch in the ell of the house at half its original length to maximize light on the interior. During the 1940s the porch was also enclosed with screens recycled from a neighbor’s home. Later (1971), the old back porch was enclosed to serve as a bedroom, and the wall between two smaller bedrooms in front of the original house was removed to make one larger room. The Conant Farm (1942-present) The Conant Farm period began in 1942 with the arrival of the Conants and their buildings. The period of active farming ended in 1996 with the death of Jim Shake, son-in-law to Herb and 26 “Nostalgia reflected in 50 years in historic home.” South Lyon Herald, June 19, 1990. Newspaper clipping in “Conant House file,” Salem Township Historical Society.


Olive Conant. Shake had been farming the land on a small scale with his wife, Cindi Conant Shake. The Conant Farm developed into its current configuration during the period 1942 to 1996. It is a gentle modification of the previously existing Walker Farm recently purchased from Fred Truesdell. The Conants simply added their own buildings to the existing farmstead, and slowly, over the years added a few more of their own and removed a few of the Walker buildings. In 1942, the Conant farmhouse was placed to the north of the Walker home and the milk house was placed to the immediate west of the Walker home near the center of the farming activities. The chicken coop was located west of the entire farmstead. During this time, Herbert and Olive Conant raised four children: John (b. 1942), Bruce (b. 1945), James (b. 1946) and Cynthia Anne (b. 1947). Eugene passed away in 1971, and Ella May passed in 1973. Herbert’s Aunt Mary had passed in 1956. The Conant family operated their new farm as a dairy and truck farm. Historic resources affiliated with the dairy part of the operation include the barn, silo, and milk house. The latter was used to cool cans of milk. The milk was picked up daily by Wilson’s of Detroit. The family raised corn and hay for the cows, and small amounts of wheat to sell. They also sold calves. The dairy operation was relatively short lived, however, ceasing in 1957 when regulations required the purchase of a bulk milk storage tank. Eugene retired at this time, and the family focused their efforts on truck farming under the direction of Herbert and Olive. The peak of the truck farming years was from the 1950s to the 1980s. Truck farming was common in the rural areas of Michigan surrounding urban markets during the twentieth century. Farmers commonly had multiple sources of income. The largest source was in the sale of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other agricultural products which were transported to local markets in the family truck. The Conant family grew tomatoes and other vegetables, and raised strawberries and flowers. They raised chickens and maintained an egg route in Plymouth. The produce, flowers and additional eggs were trucked in the family’s van to Detroit’s Western Market, the Ypsilanti Farmer’s Market and, beginning in 1954, to the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. Olive was a flower vendor there from 1956 to 1989. To supplement their income, the family baked bread, rice crispy treats, and cookies to sell. Daughter Cindi made paper flowers and Grandpa Eugene sold maple syrup produced on the farm. During the 1950s, walnut lumber was sold to produce boards and veneer. The family augmented their income during the 1960s when Herbert worked as a substitute teacher in the Plymouth Schools. Herbert and Olive also served as Market Masters for the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market from 1966-1973.27 As Masters, they were in charge of organizing the vendors and assigning the stalls. Herbert did this by himself beginning in 1966, and Olive joined him in 1970 as co-master. The garden growing much of the produce was situated west of the main barn. It remains an open field today. Strawberries and asparagus were grown in the “South Field,” which was situated in the open area behind the neighbor property to the south. Three additional pastures were kept on the north side of the property. Approximately 40 acres of woodland stood behind the fields. A farm lane originally shared with neighbors once ran along the northern boundary of the property. 27 Herbert also worked as a substitute teacher at Plymouth High School during the early 1960s. He had a degree in Botany from MSU and taught science classes.


A newer lane was installed down the middle of the property, probably by Eugene Conant during the middle twentieth century.28 To lengthen the growing season, the Conants constructed a lean-to greenhouse, consisting of panes of glass held together in a frame supported on a poured concrete foundation, located on the south side of the Conant house. A doorway similar to a steep bulkhead door was situated at the west end, underneath the western-most window on the south elevation of the house. The greenhouse is no longer extant. Other buildings on the property used to support the truck farm operation included the chicken coops, a brooder house, the barn, and a potting shed. A metal rain shelter for the chickens was located to the northwest of the coop and no longer stands. The farming operation began to reduce in scale during the 1980s. Herbert and Olive were reaching retirement age, and their children had moved on to their own lives. In 1988 the Conants entered into an Open Space Agreement with the State of Michigan, enabling much of the land to remain as open space but not as tilled fields. Daughter Cindi and her husband Jim Shake worked the farm on a smaller scale, raising and selling vegetables and flowers at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market from about 1980 to about 1996. They added exterior sinks to the milk house and a potting shed during the second half of the 1980s. In addition, Jim was in charge of advertising for the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market Association. The active farming period ended with the death of Jim Shake in 1996. During these years, the Conants made some modifications to their property boundaries which were not a function of the farming operation. Two and one quarter acres in the northwest corner were sold by Eugene to the State for the construction of Highway M-14 in the early 1970s. Easements for electrical and gas services were also sold to Detroit Edison, which obtained four acres in 1960 at the rear of the property. After these changes, the farm was reduced to its current 94.5 acres. Near the farmstead, the outhouse was moved twice—first from behind the Walker home to between the chicken house and barn to serve as a fence between the buildings; and then to its current location sometime in or after 1979. It now stands behind the Conant House, near where son Bruce Conant built a log cabin in the early 1960s. The cabin incorporates six-light window sashes brought to the Michigan Territory by ancestor John Wesley Conant in the early 1830s. The Walker milk house, situated to the northwest of the farmhouse was burned during the 1950s. As of December 28, 2007, the entire Conant property of 94.5 acres is included in a conservation easement granted to the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy.

28 As suggested by Bruce Conant, Interview by I. Hanel, Salem Township, October 18. 2005.


V. Historic Significance of the Conant Farm Areas of Significance: Agriculture, (Settlement, Social History) Period of Significance: 1942-1996 Criteria for historic significance are referenced in Section 3 of the Washtenaw County Historic Preservation Ordinance, and are based on the criteria established by the National Register of Historic Places.29 The Conant farmstead meets criteria A for historic significance as defined by the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with mid-twentieth century agriculture in northeastern Washtenaw County. In addition, it includes several resources affiliated with the early architectural history of the surrounding region, as well as three resources indirectly associated with the construction of the Willow Run Bomber Plant in the early 1940s. The period of significance begins in 1942, when Herbert and Olive Conant with his parents Eugene and Ella May Conant consolidated two 1830s farmsteads associated with the early settlement of Michigan into a single farmstead located in Salem Township, Washtenaw County. It was under the direction of Herbert and Olive Conant that salvaged historic resources and plantings of the c. 1833 John Wesley Conant farm displaced by the construction of the Willow Run Bomber Plant in Wayne County were moved to the c. 1836 Bowers-Walker farm in Salem Township, Washtenaw County. The resources included the John Wesley Conant farmhouse, a building placed on the Michigan State Historic Register because of its association with early settlement in Michigan. The combination of the two farmsteads in 1942 was done in a very complementary way, because the Conant buildings were of similar scale, style and age to those buildings existing on the Bowers-Walker farmstead, and because the general layout of the Bowers-Walker farm was left intact. The Conant farmhouse is a 1.5-story side gable Greek Revival-style house, just like its immediate neighbor, the Bowers-Walker house, as well as several other neighboring houses located on the west side of Napier Road to the south of the farm. Similarly, the outbuildings brought from the Conant farmstead in Denton also had sister buildings on the Bowers-Walker farm. Once consolidated, the farmstead still represented an early to mid-twentieth century farm that had evolved over the course of the nineteenth century—with most buildings serving a function, and a few of the duplicate buildings left unused. The Conants were thus able to begin their farming operation as if they had always lived on the property. With few small additions, the farmstead has remained relatively static over time. After the move, the Conants developed their new farm into a twentieth century truck farm, using the nineteenth and early twentieth century historic resources from both older farms. Assisted by

29 National Register Bulletin #15. Criteria A, National Register of Historic Places: “The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association; and that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.”


all family members, the Conants raised vegetables, strawberries, flowers, chickens, and cows. The barn with silo was used to house cows for a small dairy operation and to store grain and hay. Several chicken coops and a brooder hen house supported the chicken and egg route business. A green house constructed along the south elevation of the Conant farmhouse increased the growing season of the plants. Fields and the wood lot on the property were used to grow produce or were mined to produce other products such as maple syrup, grains, and lumber. This collection of smaller enterprises combined to produce an income that supported three generations of the Conant family. The Conants were able to take advantage of their farm’s location to maintain an egg route in Plymouth, and to sell much of their produce at several local farmers’ markets. These included those in West Detroit, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. It was at the latter market that they eventually became Market Masters, in charge of organizing the vendors into their respective stalls. The area around their farm, centered in Canton Township to the immediate southeast, was filled with prosperous truck farms supporting the surrounding urban region of greater Detroit and Ann Arbor. The Conant Farm was one of many such farms that were able to bring produce and goods to the non-farming population. The period of significance ends in 1996 by which time the family ceased all farming operations due to retirement of the Conants and the death of son-in-law Jim Shake, who had been continuing the truck farming operation on a smaller scale. By this time, the farm included a few newer outbuildings, including a tiny garden shed with greenhouse windows on the south sloping roof, and a gazebo and log cabin for leisure. These features all remain today, contributing to the integrity of the pastoral setting and eclectic nature of the farm.


VI. Boundary Justification The farm’s acreage has been minimally altered over the years since the beginning of the period of significance in 1942. A few parcels near the rear of the property were sold to easements for municipal improvements during the early 1960s. The current property, in particular that part around the buildings, has been maintained as part of the farm since its purchase in 1942 by the Conant Family. This parcel consists of 94.5 acres. The present southern boundary was established by 1895 under Henry Walker’s ownership when the former Henry Bowers farm was subdivided into parcels for the Walker family members. The boundary runs east-west, dividing the NE quarter section in half and continues west into the east half of the NW quarter section. The western boundary was modified from the original during Henry Walker’s ownership, and then modified again on a small scale over the next decades. During Henry’s time, when the Bowers farm was divided in half along an east-west line, the property was extended at its northwestern corner to Gottfredson Road to the west. By 1915, when the property was owned by Henry’s widow, Kate, the extension was eliminated, and the original western boundary (minus the southwestern ten acre corner) was established. The property now consisted of the northern portion of the east half of the NW quarter section with a notch cut out of it to the south, creating a T-shaped outline. This western portion was further reduced during the 1960s when the Conant family as owners deeded almost seven acres to MDOT and Detroit Edison to permit right-of-way easements for the construction of highway M-14 and an electric power line overhead. The northern boundary of the property, both historically and presently, is the section line between Sections 36 and 25 of Salem Township. It has been the northern boundary of the farm since 1826 when the land was first purchased from the United States government. The eastern boundary of the property is defined by Napier Road, which runs parallel to the north-south section-, township- and county lines. It has also been the eastern boundary of the farm since 1826. The ten acre parcel across the road in Wayne County that was part of the farm during the Bowers and Walker years has not been included in the proposed historic district because it was never and is currently not under the ownership of the Conant family. The legally recorded boundary lines of the Conant property have been selected to make the boundary for the proposed historic district. With minor changes at the rear (west) end of the parcel, the property has had this configuration since at least 1915,30 long before the beginning of the period of significance, and even before larger-scale changes (such as the construction of the barn, silo, garage, and modifications to the Bowers-Walker house) took place. The boundary encompasses much of the original Henry Walker (now Conant) farm and all of the remaining historic resources. In addition to having been part of the farm since 1826, the 94-acre parcel provides a sufficient buffer around the farmstead to maintain the integrity of the setting and location (Attachment E).

30 Ogle, George A. and Co., Standard Atlas of Washtenaw County, Michigan (Chicago: George A. Ogle and Co., 1895): 97.


VII. Conclusions and Recommendations The Conant Farm Historic District Study Committee finds that the Conant Farm, consisting of two farmhouses, a large barn, a garage, a chicken coop, a corn crib, and an outhouse all surrounded by approximately 95 rural acres, is an example of a mid-twentieth century truck farm. It possesses local historic significance under Criterion A of the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to these criteria, the Study Committee finds that the farmstead has sufficient integrity of location, design, materials, setting, feeling and association to make it worthy of preservation. Even historic workmanship is portrayed in the expression of the Greek Revival style on both farmhouses.

Criterion A: Its character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage, or cultural characteristics of the community, state, or country (Agriculture). The Conant Farmstead in its original location, with houses, outbuildings, and farm lanes still intact, is representative of the mid-twentieth century truck farm as it evolved from an early nineteenth century homestead to an early to mid-twentieth century dairy farm. The pastoral setting evokes the nineteenth to mid-twentieth century rural landscape and serves as a significant backdrop to the agricultural heritage portrayed by historic resources on the farmstead. The farm’s history mirrors that of many family-owned farms that operated in the rural areas surrounding the growing population of southeast Michigan. In addition, it also portrays aspects of the early settlement era (1830s) when small, one-and-one half story timber frame homes were built in the Greek Revival style; and of the 1940s period when the development of the Willow Run Bomber Plant to the south necessitated the removal of the some of the farm structures to the current site.

While a few of the smaller outbuildings have been removed and a few small additional outbuildings have been added, the farmstead includes a sample of all the outbuildings that were present to support the twentieth century farming operations. The existing (and historic) design and setting of the farm is consistent with its evolution over time through common agricultural practice and its period of significance as defined by this report. The integrity of individual buildings, complete with their own histories, contribute to the sense of feeling and association with the evolution of a Michigan farmstead spanning almost two centuries. In addition, the farm maintains its unique history due to its evolution as a combination of two farms. The farmstead is a significant contributing resource to the agricultural and settlement contexts of the surrounding region of western Wayne County and eastern Washtenaw County.

The Study Committee recommends that the Conant Farm be designated as a local historic district by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.


VIII. Selected Bibliography Aerial Photos of Washtenaw County. Photos No. XU-2A-22 and -23 (XT). USDA – Soil Conservation Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1940. In the possession of Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment. Ann Arbor News. Obituary of James Eugene Shake, September 1996. Belden and Co. Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wayne County, Michigan. Belden and Co., Chicago, 1876. Bechler, G. R. and E. Wenig. Map of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Bechler and Wenig, Co., publishers, Philadelphia, 1856. Republished by the Washtenaw County Genealogical Society, Nancy Krohn and Mary L. Liskow, eds., 1997. Bechler, G. R. and E. Wenig. Map of the Counties of Washtenaw and Lenawee, Michigan. Samuel Geil, publisher, Philadelphia, 1864. Republished in part by the Washtenaw County Genealogical Society, Nancy Krohn and Mary L. Liskow, eds., 1997. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Chapman, Charles C. History of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Charles C. Chapman & Co., Chicago, 1881. Combination Atlas Map of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Everts and Stewart, Chicago, Illinois, 1874. Republished by the Ypsilanti Historical Society, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1991. Conant, Bruce, Jim, John, and Olive, and Cindi Conant Shake, current owners of Conant Farm, 5683 Napier Road, Salem Township, Michigan. Interview by I. Hanel, October 18, 2005, Salem Township. Conant, Jim, John, and Olive, and Cindi Conant Shake, current owners of Conant Farm, 5683 Napier Road, Salem Township, Michigan. Interview by I. Hanel, July 10, 2005, Salem Township. Conant, Jim, John, and Olive, current owners of Conant Farm, 5683 Napier Road, Salem Township, Michigan. Interview by Washtenaw County Survey team, September 21, 2004, Salem Township. Hamlin, Talbot. Greek Revival Architecture in America. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1964. Originally published by Oxford Press, 1944. McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.


Merriman Farm: Historic District Study Committee Final Report, Washtenaw County Department of Planning and Environment, September 15, 2004. National Register Bulletin No. 15: How to Apply National Register Criteria for Evaluation. National Register of Historic Places, finalized by Patrick W. Andrus and edited by Rebecca H. Shrimpton, 1990. Revised 1997; internet revised 2002. Newcomb, Rexford. Architecture of the Old Northwest Territory. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1950. Noble, Allen G. Wood, Brick and Stone: the North American Settlement Landscape. Volume I: “Houses.” Amherst, Massachusetts: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1984. Ogle, George A. and Co., Standard Atlas of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Chicago: George A. Ogle and Co., 1895, 97. Peck, Paul. Landsmen of Washtenaw County – An Atlas and Plat of the First Landowners of Washtenaw County. Clarke Lake, Michigan: Liberty Town Press, 1986. Polk, R. W. and Co. Ann Arbor City Directories. R.W. Polk and Co., 1910, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1924, 1926. Rockford Map Publications, Inc. Plat Maps of Salem Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publications, Inc., 1957, 1960, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981-1982, 1982-1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999. Salem Area Historical Society. “Conant House and Family” file. Includes unidentified newspaper clipping from the early 1990s: “House is 160 years old; 51 have been in Salem” by Jim Totten. Saver, W.C. General Official Atlas of Wayne County, Michigan. Detroit: W.C. Saver, CE, 1893. South Lyon (Michigan) Herald. “Nostalgia reflected in 50 years in historic home.” July 19, 1990. Standard Atlas of Washtenaw County, Michigan. George A. Ogle and Co., Chicago, 1895 and 1915. Republished by the Ypsilanti Historical Society, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1991. The Thrift Press. Atlas—Plat Book of Washtenaw County, Michigan. “Map No. 5, Salem Township.” Rockford, Illinois: The Thrift Press, 1927. United States Population Census for Washtenaw County, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. United States Agricultural Census, Salem Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880.


Washtenaw County Register of Deeds. Miscellaneous Libers and Libers of Mortgages (refer to footnotes for specific numbers). Weinlander, Paul. Township Plats of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Map No. 5, Salem Township.” June 1934.

Attachments


Attachment A Letter Petitioning Designation


Attachment B Letter from Salem Township Supervisor and

Township Resolution


Attachment C Washtenaw County Historic Preservation

Ordinance (updated 2003), Section 3

SECTION 3 ESTABLISHMENT, MODIFICATION, AND ELIMINATION

OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS

A. The Washtenaw County Historic District Commission may, by ordinance and in cities, villages or townships where there is a contract explicitly addressing the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission’s jurisdictional authority within that governmental entity, establish one or more historic districts. The County Historic District Commission pursuant to section 4 shall administer the historic districts. B. Before such establishment the Board of Commissioners shall appoint an historic district study committee. The committee shall contain a majority of persons who have a clearly demonstrated interest in or knowledge of historic preservation, and shall contain representation from one or more duly organized local historic preservation organizations. C. The Committee shall:

(1) Conduct a photographic inventory of resources within each proposed historic

district following procedures established or approved by the bureau. (2) Conduct basic research of each proposed historic district and the historic

resources located within that district. (3) Determine the total number of historic and non-historic resources within a

proposed historic district and the percentage of historic resources of that total. In evaluating the significance of historic resources, the committee shall be guided by the selection criteria for evaluation issued by the United Sates secretary of the interior for inclusion of resources in the National Register of Historic Places, as set forth in 36 C. F. R. part 60, and criteria established or approved by the bureau, if any.

(4) Prepare a preliminary historic district study committee report that addresses at a minimum all of the following: (i) The charge of the committee. (ii) The composition of the committee membership. (iii) The historic district or districts studied. (iv) The boundaries for each proposed historic district in writing and on maps. (v) The history of each proposed historic district. (vi) The significance of each district as a whole, as well as a sufficient number of

its individual resources to fully represent the variety of resources found within the district, relative to the evaluation criteria.


Attachment C. ESTABLISHMENT, MODIFICATION, AND ELIMINATION OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS Ordinance, continued

(5) Transmit copies of the preliminary report for review and recommendations to the

Washtenaw County Historic District Commission, the Washtenaw County Planning Advisory Board, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, Michigan Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Review Board and the SHPO.

(6) Make copies of the preliminary report available to the public pursuant to subsection F on the next page.

D. Not less than sixty (60) calendar days after the transmittal of the preliminary report, the committee shall hold a public hearing in compliance with Act No. 267 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended, being sections 15.261 to 15.275 of the Michigan Compiled Laws. Public notice of the time, date, and place of the hearing shall be given in the manner required by Act No. 267 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended. Written notice shall be mailed by first-class mail not less that 14 calendar days before the hearing to the owners of properties within the proposed historic district, as listed on the tax rolls of the local unit.

E. After the date of the public hearing, the committee and the County Board of

Commissioners shall have not more than one year, unless otherwise authorized by the County Board of Commissioners, to take the following actions:

(1) The Committee shall prepare and submit a final report with its recommendations

and those of the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. If the recommendation is to establish a historic district or districts, the final report shall include a draft of a proposed ordinance or ordinances.

(2) After receiving a final report that recommends the establishment of a historic district or districts, the County Board of Commissioners, at its discretion, may introduce and pass or reject an ordinance or ordinances. If the County passes an ordinance or ordinances establishing one or more historic districts, the County shall file a copy of that ordinance or those ordinances, including a legal description of the property or properties located within the historic district or districts, with the register of deeds. The County shall not pass an ordinance establishing a contiguous historic district less than 60 days after a majority of the property owners within the proposed historic district, as listed on the tax rolls of the local unit, have approved the establishment of the historic district pursuant to a written petition.

F. A writing prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by a committee in the performance of an official function shall be made available to the public in compliance with Act No. 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended, being sections 15.231 to 15.246 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.


Attachment C. ESTABLISHMENT, MODIFICATION, AND ELIMINATION OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS Ordinance, continued G. The Commission may at any time establish by ordinance additional historic districts, including proposed districts previously considered and rejected, may modify boundaries of an existing historic district or may eliminate an existing historic district. Before establishing, modifying, or eliminating a historic district, a historic district study committee appointed by the Board of Commissioners shall, except as provided in Section 3, subsection H, comply with the procedures set forth above and shall consider any previously written committee reports pertinent to the proposed action. To conduct these activities, the Board of Commissioners may retain the initial committee, establish a standing committee, or establish a committee to consider only specific proposed districts and then be dissolved. H. If considering elimination of a historic district, a committee shall follow the procedures set forth in this section for issuing a preliminary report, holding a public hearing, and issuing a final report but with the intent of showing one or more of the following:

(1) The historic district has lost those physical characteristics that enabled establishment of the district.

(2) The historic district was not significant in the way previously defined. (3) The historic district was established pursuant to defective procedures.

I. Upon receipt of substantial evidence showing the presence of historic, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural significance of a proposed historic district, the County Board of Commissioners may, at its discretion, adopt a resolution requiring that all applications for permits within the proposed historic district be referred to the commission as prescribed in sections 4 and 5. The commission shall review permit applications with the same powers that would apply if the proposed historic district was an established historic district. The review may continue in the proposed historic district for not more than one year, or until such time as the County Board of Commissioners approves or rejects the establishment of the historic district by ordinance, whichever comes first. J. If the County Board of Commissioners determines that pending work will cause irreparable harm to resources located within an established historic district or a proposed historic district, the County Board of Commissioners may by resolution declare an emergency moratorium of all such work for a period not to exceed six months. The Board may extend the emergency moratorium for an additional period not to exceed six months upon finding that the threat of irreparable harm to resources is still present. Any pending permit application concerning a resource subject to an emergency moratorium may be summarily denied.


Attachment D Resolution Appointing Study Committee


Attachment E Legal Description of Proposed Conant Farm

Historic District Parcel Number: A -01-36-100-001 N ½ of the NE ¼ EXCEPT the SE ¼ of the NE ¼ of the NE ¼ Section 36, T1S-R7E, 70 acres. Parcel Number: A -01-36-200-001 E ½ of the NE ¼ of the NW ¼, also COMMENCING at the NW Corner Of Section, thence East 1,321.82 feet on the North Line of Section to POB, thence East 658.18 feet on said North Line, thence South 489.66 feet on the West Line of E ½ of the NE ¼ of NW ¼, thence West 658.18 feet, thence North 439.66 feet to POB EXCEPT that part lying north of a line 150 feet South of following Line: Commencing at the NW Corner of Section thence southerly 530 feet on the West Line of Section to POB, thence North 68 degrees 59 minutes 14 seconds East 5,584.98 feet to POE, part of the NW ¼ Section 36, T1S-R7E, 24.56 Acres. Corresponding map depicted on next page.


Attachment E Legal Description of Proposed Conant Farm

Historic District, continued


Attachment F Maps

1874 Plat Map of Salem Township showing the Henry Bowers Farm in Section 36


1895 Plat Map of Salem Township showing the Henry Walker Farm in Section 36


1915 Plat Map of Salem Township showing the Kate Walker Farm in Section 36


1934 Plat Map of Salem Township showing the Fred Truesdell Farm in Section 36


1940 Aerial Photograph of Salem Township, depicting agricultural character of area


1957 Plat Map of Salem Township showing the Eugene Conant Farm in Section 36


2002 Plat Map of Salem Township showing the Herbert & Olive Conant Farm, Section 36


The Conant Farm – Present Day (2005)

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