NORTHVILLIANS,
Unity is on everyone’s mind these days and it shows … citizens coming together to support our community in so many ways – through the various task forces, sitting on committees, helping with new initiatives. All this enables us to move forward into 2021. Vaccinations are also on people’s minds. Our first responders have been vaccinated and our health care professionals are finishing up getting inoculated. As of early this week, over 29 million vaccination vials have been sent to the various states and more than 9.0 million citizens have received their injections thus far. Check with your health care provider: University of Michigan, Beaumont, Providence and other organizations who are contacting those in their networks.
In this week’s letter, I’ll highlight another gateway from our past which may be the most historic touchpoint in the community…The Northville Well.
Let’s look at another Historic Gateway into our Community.
I’m going to talk about the Northville Rotary Well, one of the City’s oldest landmarks, located on Northville Road as you come into town from the south. This bubbling spring (whose waters are naturally carbonated) is mentioned in the Northville Record in 1870. Originally part of the Curtis farmland, Mr. Curtis was looking for investors for bottling this water, which he deemed a miracle cure from the bubbling mineral spring. In the same article, there was a description about Northville that sounds like what we would say today:
“Northville’s close proximity to Detroit, Pontiac, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor & other large towns, the beauty of the Village and surrounding country…will make this the most popular and preferable locality in the State.” (Northville Record Aug. 6th, 1870)
The Northville Rotary Club built the well structure in 1932, where it still stands today. The underground natural spring waters in this area filled the only natural lake in Wayne County (Curtis Lake). Early on, a bottling company sprang up that provided Northville Silver Springs water for Trains, Hotels, Restaurants & many other locations (similar to Absopure today). Interestingly, it was so carbonated right out of the ground that the water was used to create Orange & Grape pop, which was bottled there, too. The train company in the 1800’s paid to pump this spring water up into a reservoir that provided water to passing steam engines.
Today, we have become accustomed to the Northville Clock (erected 1982) being our symbol of Northville. But up till then, the Northville Well was the representation of the City. It was on the masthead of the Northville Record for a number of years and on checks from Depositors State Bank. Even the City of Northville historically used the “The Well” on their stationery. As you might surmise, the Northville Well is one of the oldest landmarks in the City.
Again, as we started this letter, I remind and thank everyone for coming together in unity. Support for local projects like the Rouge Restoration & River Walk, Ford Field and Farmers’ Market keep us on a very positive trajectory. Your collective commitment will provide benefits to not only our community, but well beyond the borders of Northville.
I continue to ask you to stay safe by masking up, keeping social distance and washing up. And, as you have always done, stay connected to all in the Ville!
Keep that Northville Faith, and let’s move forward … together.
Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville
BTurnbull@ci.northville.mi.us / 248.505.6849
(Reach out to me anytime or forward this communication to others interested.)
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