Tag

Now that summer is in full swing many Wayne-ites will make their way to Cedar Point or Michigan Adventure for a fun day of rides and coasters, but did you know that in the past residents didn’t have to go so far to visit an amusement park? In the 1920s the U.S. had over...

Back in the 1820s and 30s most of the area immediately outside the few downtown streets was originally settled as 40 – 80 acre farms. This land was mostly wooded with white and yellow oak with some poplar mixed in. The original landowners would have to cut the trees, pull...

This is the eighth and final installment on the history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, commonly known as Eloise. After WW2 there began to be problems with overcrowding and funding at Eloise as priorities shifted. The state was still refusing to take all of its charges,...

This is part 7 of a multi-part history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, commonly known as Eloise. In the height of the Depression, it was decided that the county house after being an asylum, poorhouse, and sanitarium for tuberculosis would also become a full-fledged...

This is part five of a multi-part history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, commonly known as Eloise. A major part of the Poorhouse at Eloise was the working farm. All the way back in 1839 when the county bought the black horse tavern it came with a barn, four cows, two...

This is part four of a multi-part complete history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, commonly known as Eloise. As we go towards the turn of the century Eloise starts to grow into more and more of its own city. In 1893 “Lake Eloise” was dug on the south side of...

This is part three of a multi-part complete history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, commonly known as Eloise. By 1880 the population at the County house was 307 people, with 224 being considered “Permanent” for one reason or another. In 1881 the county hired...

This is part two of a multi-part complete history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, later known as Eloise. After the first 35 people arrived in 1839 the population at the county house steadily grew. The former Torbert farm came with a barn, two oxen and some seeds so the...

This series will be a multi-part complete history of the Wayne County Poorhouse and Asylum, later known as Eloise. As early as 1805 Wayne County had laws on the books for the relief of the poor, but this did not amount to much more than a little bread to be given out here and...

In 1832 it was decided to build a railroad from Detroit to Chicago to connect these two growing cities. The cost would be $3,200 per mile due to the unimproved and wild wilderness that the tracks had to cross. In any case construction began at Detroit and reached Wayne by 1836,...