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    Sterling Township: 1875-1968
    Sterling Township: 1875-1968
    Sterling Township: 1875-1968
    Ebook232 pages1 hour

    Sterling Township: 1875-1968

    By Sterling Township Public Library and Historical Commision

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    About this ebook

    Sterling Township, located about 18 miles northeast of Detroit, was first settled after the Erie Canal was opened. The rich soil, relatively flat land, and the vital Clinton River attracted pioneer and immigrant families who arrived to establish farmsteads. The first influx of immigrants came mainly from the British Isles, and by the 1870s, German
    families had flocked to the area, raising dairy cattle and
    establishing farms. Belgians, arriving in the early 1900s,
    developed truck farming—growing fruits and vegetables
    to sell every week at the farmers’ market in Detroit. Farm
    culture prevailed until the 1950s, when large industrial
    plants began moving in, bringing with them workers and
    a need for housing and city services. Sterling Township
    became the city of Sterling Heights in 1968, and this
    collection of photographs will showcase the families and
    the way of life in the early days of this community, a
    historic community that is now the fourth largest city in Michigan.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439632802
    Sterling Township: 1875-1968
    Author

    Sterling Township Public Library and Historical Commision

    Debra Vercellone is a librarian and local history authority for the Sterling Heights Public Library. A lifelong resident of the Sterling Heights area, she has had a keen interest in local history since childhood, when her father pointed out an abandoned one-room schoolhouse. She has degrees in history and in library science from the University of Michigan. Wallace Doebler�s family has deep roots in Sterling Township. Doebler has been very active in civic and business affairs, serving on the Sterling Heights Historical Commission for many years. He has written three books on local history.

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      Book preview

      Sterling Township - Sterling Township Public Library and Historical Commision

      Commission.

      INTRODUCTION

      A picture is worth a thousand words, and so depicting our city in pictures is one of the best ways to tell the story of Sterling Township, now our city of Sterling Heights, Michigan.

      Our rural township, located 18 miles northeast of downtown Detroit, was blessed with black sandy loam soil with many streams, canals, and rivers to drain the land during the spring and fall for growing bountiful crops. The farmers grew wheat, oats, and hay for their animals. They had horses for tending the fields, as well as cows for milk and meat. They also had hogs and poultry to provide additional meat for their tables. Of course, they had large family gardens with acres of potatoes as a cash crop. Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, rhubarb and cabbage also became cash crops. Macomb County was known as the rhubarb capital of the world.

      Many English, Scottish, and Irish families from New England and especially New York settled here in the 1830s following the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. By the later 1800s, the majority of immigrant peoples were of German descent. During the early 1900s, Belgians came into the area, replacing general farming with truck farming of fruits and vegetables. Many immigrants from Poland also established homesteads here.

      The log cabins and homesteads of these farmers were soon replaced by beautiful houses and barns. After World War II, developers arrived and started to convert farms to housing projects and various corners to strip malls. The intersection of Schoenherr and Hall Roads became the site of one of Michigan’s largest retail developments with the opening of Lakeside Mall in 1976, a 1.4-million-square-foot regional shopping center.

      Families were very close. Church was the focal point for most of the families. The main church for Lutherans was St. Paul in Sterling Township, and for Catholics it was St. Lawrence in the village of Utica. School was not of foremost importance for the farmer. You worked the farm first, and in the fall and winter, you went to school. Most farmers applied this rule. However, some insisted their children go to school, and a few graduated from the Utica High School.

      The schools consisted of one–or two-room buildings for students from the first through the eighth grade, usually taught by one teacher. In 1881, there were six schools in Sterling Township, with fewer than 40 children per school. These children walked up to one and a half miles to attend class. In 1894, the weekly salary of the teacher at Maple Grove School was $6.25.

      Subdivisions grew and replaced many of the old farmsteads. By the 1960s, more than 14,000 people lived here, and demand for public services increased. The City Charter Commission was formed in 1966, and the city of Sterling Heights was incorporated in 1968 with a city manager and council form of government. The dedicated people elected to the first council were committed to work together to build a good foundation for our city. They wanted rules and regulations that were fair, and plotted the new city for growth and development. The development of the 26 parks in our city today is a good indication of their farsightedness.

      This book depicts the various lifestyles of the people in our township. For older people, some of these pictures will certainly bring back memories. Younger people can now see pictures of people and things their parents or grandparents have talked about. It will be hard to believe some of the pictures, as we have changed our lifestyles and habits so much. So look them over and let your mind take you to the township way back when. Visualize living in that time, in this place.

      —Wallace Doebler

      Message from the Mayor of Sterling Heights

      September 1, 2005

      On behalf of the City Council, administration, and 127,000 residents of the City of Sterling Heights, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Sterling Heights Public Library and the Sterling Heights Historical Commission on the occasion of the publication of this remarkable book.

      Sterling Township: 1875–1968 is a priceless reference tool for residents of today and tomorrow. Photos and captions depicting life in this area over a period of 93 years showcase our community’s proud people and significant accomplishments.

      Noted author Robert Heinlein once said, A generation which ignores history, has no past and no future. I applaud everyone associated with publishing this historical account of our community. Your efforts ensure that the City of Sterling Heights retains its proud past and looks forward to its bright future!

      Sincerely,

      Mayor Richard J. Notte

      City Council: Mayor Pro Tem Joseph V. Romano, Councilman Richard L. Bracci, Councilwoman Deanna Koski, Councilman Steve Rice, Councilwoman Maria G. Schmidt, and Councilwoman Barbara A. Ziarko.

      One

      FAMILIES

      THE CHRISTOPHER AND PAULINA WEIER FAMILY. The Weier family was well known in the township for their large family, their knowledge of farming, and their civic mindedness. They farmed their 230 acres of land. The family home, built in 1872, is still standing on Plumbrook Road, just north of where 17 Mile Road crosses today. This portrait, taken around 1902, includes the entire family. Christopher Weier and his wife, Paulina Reifter Weier, are surrounded by their children—Paulina, Charles, Minnie, Gustav, Bertha, Julius, William, John, Martha, Albert, George, Louis, Elsa, and Otto. (Photograph courtesy of Elmer Measel.)

      CATHERINE AND FRED HACKER WITH WILLIAM, C. 1875. Baby William is the first of the couple’s 10 sons. By 1880, they were living in their family home on the corner of Mound and 16 Mile Roads with their first four sons and Fred’s parents. The Hackers were successful farmers, and their family name has spread throughout Macomb County. The family home on Mound Road north of the Detroit News

      North Plant was demolished in 2004 to make way for commercial development.

      CATHERINE BAUER HACKER. This 1915 studio portrait shows the calm strength Catherine Hacker must have had to raise her sons on her own after the death of her husband, Frederick, in 1892, with the youngest less than a month old. Catherine was born in Detroit and came to Sterling Township upon her marriage. She died in 1920 at the age of 65, an admired woman. (Photograph courtesy of Rose Bower Hacker.)

      MOTHER AND SONS. In 1918, Catherine Hacker proudly poses with her sons, all grown into fine men. Pictured from left to right are (first row) Emil (farmer), William (Mount Clemens postmaster), Catherine, Albert (farmer and thresher man, lost a hand in a corn husker), and Otto (farmer); (second row) Christian (farmer with a small sawmill on 16 Mile Road), George (farmer), Charles (delivered mail out of the Utica Post Office for 30 years), Louis (Detroit police officer), Fred (tile contractor and farmer), and Benjamin (the youngest, 19

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