NORTHVILLIAN
You may remember last week, I spoke about the Vagabonds group (Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, John Burroughs) and their trips to Northville. Henry & Clara not only brought them to our town to see the gardens and the greenspaces, but also to see Mr. Ford’s first Village Industries workshop where he built all the valves for his Ford engines along the riverbanks.
The old mills on the Rouge River waterway from Northville to Dearborn were converted by Ford mostly to Hydro-electric plants. They in turn, assisted in powering the factories that he built at each Mill area location along the Rouge River shoreline. He even built his home “Fairlane” in Dearborn on the river with its own Hydro-electric power plant building.
These plants were all considered “Village Industry Workshops,” which is this week’s subject. Most of these started as gristmills in the 1800’s and were purchased by Ford in the 1920’s. The Northville Plant was the first in operation in 1919, and the last of these Village Industry locations ended production in the 1980’s.
Let’s start by looking at what’s going on in town:
Activities going on today:
TASK FORCE MEETINGS
- Cemetery Renewal Task Force – 5/11/26, 7PM City Hall (Dave Marold – Chair)
- Bicentennial Task Force Mtg – 5/6/26, 7PM City Hall (Rick Sharpe – Chair)
Let’s look at some of the Mills in the area, especially Henry Ford’s Village Industry activities along the Rouge River.
(Info from The Northville Record, personal resources & The Henry Ford Museum archives.)
Mill Race Village
- The Village preserves a slice of what Northville was like before 1900, during our first 100 years. We are now closing in on our second 100 years and will celebrate our bicentennial in 2027. The Village will certainly be spotlighted then.
- The name “Mill Race” comes from the concept of damming a river to produce a pond which feeds a mill with water running down a short riverlike “Race” into a large pipe which narrows eventually to a smaller one. This liquid jet stream turned a water wheel to produce the power for our original sawmills in the area.
- Grist mills in Northville were also powered by the river. During the Industrial Revolution, the streams powered the factories, vaulting Northville to #2 in economics in the State producing school desks, furniture, bells, scales, dowels, and many other items.
- The Mill Race was once the site of the Yerkes’ Northville Mill and later was owned by Henry Ford who strolled this area with his wife Clara on their honeymoon in the 1880’s.
- Today, the Village (managed by the Northville Historical Society), consists of an inn, a blacksmith shop, school, church, weavers’ cottage, gazebo, wooden bridge, general store, an interurban trolley station and several Victorian homes.
Fords Village Industry Workshops
THE BEGINNING: Ford started 20 village industry operations between 1919-1944. The purchase of old mills was part of his vision to create community-oriented workplaces. Ford’s hydroelectric-driven factories were thought to have been encouraged by Thomas Edison (who Ford worked for at one time).
The Centennial Edition of The Northville Record (1969) reported on Ford’s plants from Northville to Dearborn. Below are excerpts are from this publication.
The Northville Valve Plant (in Town):
- The original building was a mill built around 1825 and owned by the Yerkes Family at one time (one of the first buildings in Northville).
- In 1896, a wood-working shop operated by the Dubuar Manufacturing Company was built in this area and produced wheelbarrows, pulley blocks and other wood products.
- In 1919, Henry bought the location. Valve-making machinery for the Fordson Tractor and Model T were brought to Northville for use in the plant.
- By 1936, a more modern plant was needed, and an Albert Kahn-designed plant was built. The plant was closed in the 1980’s.
- Over the years, hundreds of millions of valves were produced here.
- Ford Output: The plant started with Model T and Fordson tractor valves and eventually produced ALL valves for Ford engines. Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine parts were produced there in WWII. The Valve Plant was the 1st to open and last to close.
Northville’s Waterford – Meads Mill Plant (Northville Road & 6 Mile)
- The Plant opened in 1925 and closed in ‘54.
- This area was originally the village of Waterford, (Now within the Northville Community boundaries) with the Meads brothers’ Mill in the center of the community (thus, Meads Mill Middle School).
- Ford Output: Johansson precision inspection gauges & drills. Each employee (210 of them) were skilled craftsman. As a result, the plant did not use inspectors.
Phoenix Mill (Northville Road & 5 Mile – recently renovated)
- Henry Ford purchased this property in 1920, opened it for production in ’22 and closed it in 1947. Wayne County used it for DPW storage for a time and today, it is known as the Phoenix Mill Events Center.
- Earlier, it had been the site of the Phoenix gristmill built around 1840 and afterward hosted the Matthews Distillery. Both had burned down.
- Ford constructed the new building in 1922. The plant was unique in that its work force was all women (a precursor to the Rosie the Riveter days during WWII).
- Ford Output: Generator parts and during WWII, artillery mechanisms.
Wilcox Mill (Northville Road & Hines Drive Area – restorations are underway)
- After purchasing the original Wilcox gristmill, Henry razed the dilapidated structure and constructed a new building in 1923. It was closed in ‘47.
- The facility initially produced generators and later on, taps (a tool used for forming internal screw threads). For a time, 95% of Ford Motor Company’s taps were from here.
- Ford Output: Generator parts until 1924, then taps. During WWII, output consisted of taps for government vehicles and parts for Pratt-Whitney engines.
Nankin Mills (Hines Drive & Ann Arbor Trail)
- The Mill is on the river in Westland on Ann Arbor Trail & the Parkway. It dates back to 1842 when it was once a grist mill.
- It was operational as one of Ford’s Village Industries from 1921 to 1947.
- Ford Output: Machined screws and later engraving operations (during WWII, it produced dies, fixtures & badges).
As you can see, Henry Ford & his Village Industry operations were a big part of the local economy and why Northville was one of the top economic powers in Michigan!
Slow down and take a trip starting from the Mill Race Village by our Ford Field, drive all the way down Hines Drive to Dearborn, ending at The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. A ton of history can be found in that short scenic ride where all the original mills once stood.
Keep that Village Industries Northville Historic Faith!
Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville