Detroit Real Estate

Here are some Northville MI historical facts.

Did you know that Northville MI once had one of the nations largest bell manufacturing company. 

America Bell & Foundry company

The America Bell & Foundry companywas started in 1899.  It was located on the east end of Cady street in an industrial complex.  In 1902 it employed 30 workers.  In 1906 it planned to build an addition to the foundry of 40 X 70 for $3000.  Don't you wish you could build that cheap right now?

  The company made bells of all sizes for churches, schools, homes, farms and factories. One of the larger bells was for St. Pauls Lutheran church.  It weighed over 1200 lbs.   The most popular bell manufactured was the dinner bell.  The bells were sold around the world including to companies such as Sears, Montgomery Ward and American Seating Co. The company was sold in 1920 to J.B. Foote Foundry of Ohio.  In 1924 the new company started phasing out the bell making business.  The new name for 4 years was the Bell Furnace & Manufacturing Co.

Here is a link to a old catalog  http://www.americanbell.org/files/ABFCat1903.pdf

Meadowbrook Country Club 

Northville MI Golf Courses

Meadowbrook Country Club began in 1916.  William Yerkes was one of the original members.   It started when twenty-three Northville businessmen purchased 125 acres of the Fred  Cochran Farm. Meadowbrook Country Club was named after a brook, which ran through the property.   It was designed by Willie Park Jr.  Mr. Parks designed over 40 courses in the United States.

It is a private golf and social club that includes an 18-hole Championship Course, a Clubhouse, banquet rooms, dining rooms, four tennis courts, and a pool complex with three pools.

The golf course course plays quite difficult from the back tees.  It is a blue grass course.  Trouble surrounds many of the greens.  From the back tees it is a par 74 course 6753 yards long.  The course rating is 73 and the slope is 131.  The fairways are average width and tree lined. There are many very well-placed bunkers throughout the course.   The greens are bent grass.

I hope you enjoyed this short history of Northville.  For more on Northville, or Northville real estate check out my websites Wayne County Real Estate and this one. 

 bell photo courtesy of kretyen / Ken Bosma Green Valley Arizona