Bicentennial and Cemetery Task Forces

NORTHVILLIANS,

Over the past few years, scores of Northvillians have engaged on various task forces for the betterment of the community. Thanks to their efforts on these major initiatives, we are starting to see results for the good of all in our “Hamlet in the Hills” or “Switzerland of Wayne County” we call Northville. These groups are supported by the City Council and have accomplished major achievements. They include the Riverwalk Task Force, Farmers’ Market Group, Ford Field subcommittee, along with the Sustainability Team and Northville Tree Champions.

As many know by now, most of these initiatives are connected to our water pathways. And it is this resource which put our Village on the map as one of the first Milling areas in the region, eventually becoming an industrial standout through the use of hydro power. Today, Northville is ideally situated to provide connections with the various pathways in the State and will be one of the last connectors intertwining trails going South to Ohio and North to Mackinaw City.

This month I am enthused about having the opportunity to start two new task forces for the betterment of the community – the Bicentennial Committee and the Cemeterian Task Force (the latter being formed to help make our historic cemeteries celebrated touchpoints of our community).

BICENTENNIAL AND CEMETERIAN (CEMETERY) TASK FORCES:

BICENTENNIAL TASK FORCE (2027 Bicentennial)
Northville is one of the oldest communities in the State, incorporated a decade before Michigan was part of the Union. Because of our three rivers, we had the first Milling area in the State and later on one of the first Foundries. Continued rapid progress led to us being number two in the State in production during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800’s.

Northville’s growth coincided with the Victorian era (when Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901) and resulted in Northville having more Victorians on the National registry than most cities. We had the largest celebration in Michigan history in 1927 for our Centennial gathering – see parade link … it’s time to start planning our Bicentennial.
 
Potential project items for the Bicentennial TEAM:

• Bicentennial events (Parade/Victorian Festival/festivities throughout the year)
• Tours of the city (Horse & Buggy, Electric Model T rides, autonomous vehicle tours, and walking tours, both self-guided and led by Northville Historical Society experts
• History markers for buildings and various sections of town
• A heritage trail on sidewalks (similar to historic Boston) showing where to walk for tours
• A movie commissioned on the history of Northville playing at the Marquis Theater
• Tours of Henry Ford Village Workshops in the area, where he visited with his Vagabonds group (Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone & John Burroughs).
• Banners on our light posts/special entry signs at the Gateways of the community
• Participation by School, Church, businesses, and citizen groups as well as neighboring municipalities
• Determine timing and plans for events to be included in this grand celebration
• Expand the offerings at our historic Mill Race Village, in addition to history tours of this walkable interactive history museum, Swan boats on the mill pond and old-time bands playing on the Gazebo
• At Ford Field West, potential monthly concerts on the renovated greenspace, historic baseball games (Eclipse) on the diamond. At Ford Field East, perhaps Lumberjack shows including logrolling, chopping, sawing, speed climbing and axe throwing.
• Sponsorship work for private and public organizations to participate in the events

Cemeterian Task Force
Our cemeteries are some of the oldest in the state with veterans (over 400 & counting) dating back to the Revolutionary War, Civil War, War of 1812, the Spanish American War and all the conflicts since. We will review the needs of our beloved Oakwood Cemetery (1828) on Cady Street which needs a great deal of attention, as does Rural Hill, which was established in 1885 as a scenic walk area. We will restore these two local gems to their glory days.

Potential Ideas to be explored by this Task Force:

• New wrought iron fencing for Oakwood Cemetery (Cady St.)
• History markers for both a planned walk with self-guided and/or guided tours as well as horse & buggy ride history tours
• Refacing and reconstructing stones, especially in Oakwood (possible team-up with U of M)
• Commission arborists to assist in sustaining the old growth canopy in our cemetery boundary (potential MSU partner)
• Potentially brick the entry area into Oakwood or create a sustainable permeable pathway through the park.
• Assist in maintaining our Veterans Area (which is our Arlington) at Rural Hill
• Garner corporate/private/municipal support for these endeavors (fundraising)

I am truly looking forward to kicking off these two task forces at City Hall later this month.
If you have any interest, please respond to me directly or plan on attending the kickoff meetings 3/27 for the Bicentennial committee and 3/28 for the Cemetery Team, both at 7PM.

Now is a great time for you to share your efforts for the betterment of our community. Become part of these two new Task Forces to help guide the future trajectory for Northville. Let’s move into the future… Together!

Keep that Bicentennial Northville Faith!

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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