A Little History Lesson

The city of Northville was first settled around 1825, many of them from Plymouth Township. The area was named Northville because it was north of Plymouth which was already settled. Joseph Yerkes (The Yerkes house) was one of the original settlers in the early 19th century. Here is a picture of how Northville looked in 1840:



From the time it was established in 1825, Northville has gone through many changes including a valve plant which supplied for Ford's car plants. The Fords became a big part of Northville as they introduced these plants, allowing the town to contribute as an industrial area.

Here is a current picture of downtown Northville:



Not only were the Fords a part of the history of Northville, but there are some well-known people today that have lived here! Mike Babcock, head coach of the Detroit Red Wings lives in Northville and Jennifer Granholm, Michigan's governor resided here before she moved to Lansing!

General Store Update

The General Store is still undergoing reconstruction. Society volunteers are graciously putting in hours of work to restore the building to how it looked in the mid-19th Century. The Northville Historical Society hopes to move the MRV's Country Store to the first floor of the general store and use the upstairs for general assembly and meetings. We are accepting donations to help complete this project as part of the Mill Race Village.

The Gazebo

While touring Mill Race Village, you will notice our gazebo located along the Rouge River. Built in 1979 by Glenn High School students, the gazebo is a perfect site for a couple to exchange vows on their wedding day! Each year we have many couples that get married on the village grounds, which are reserved and closed to the public. Contact the office staff at the Cady Inn to reserve the village for your special day!

Archives and Research

Are you a Northville resident? Ever wonder about the history of your house or the area that you live in? The Northville Historical Society houses Northville's archives in the Mill Race Village. The NHS invites researchers, students and genealogists to come research.


Cady Inn


The Northville Historical Society welcomes researchers both members and non-members. The archives (located inside the Cady Inn) are open Thursday and Friday from 9am-1pm. There is a $5/day fee for non-members and if you want your research done by an archivist, there is a $20/hour charge. We have a variety of collections for anyone interested in the history of Northville.

The NHS archives house books that include cemetery records, maps, and publications written by Northville residents. They also include Mill Race Village photos, collections of Northville family papers, history of Northville businesses, census records and oral interviews on tape. See the official Northville Historical Society web site for more details.


Remember that the Mill Race Village is open every Sunday 1pm-4pm until October 17. Village grounds are open every day from dawn-dusk except when there are weddings.

MRV Open House Sundays!

Mill Race Village opens its buildings every Sunday from 1pm-4pm so you can visit us and learn about historic Northville! All buildings are open to the public and docents dressed in period clothing educate visitors along their tours.

The buildings of MRV that can be toured include: The Cady Inn, the Hirsch Blacksmith Shop, Wash Oak School, The New School Church, the Hunter House, the Yerkes House (1873) and the Cottage House. All of these buildings were relocated to the village site from other areas of Northville. Here are some pictures from this Sunday's visit to the village.




Children explore the yard of the Yerkes house, built in 1873 by William Yerkes.



Join us next Sunday and every Sunday from 1pm-4pm to explore the village and learn more about Northville in the 19th century.

4th of July Weekend!

Mill Race Village Celebrated the 4th of July...as it would have been in 1910! Visitors enjoyed a game of Vintage Baseball, a Civil War soldiers, Revolutionary War soldiers and even some patriotic music! Check out the pictures we captured from this holiday weekend:

Membership Picnic

MRV members gathered on the afternoon of July 10 for the Membership Picnic. They enjoyed hot dogs and a fun afternoon! Here are some pictures:


A group of MRV Members during the picnic:




This is member Mark Chester grilling hot dogs for the group: