By David Fleet

Editor

Raymond Miller is unsure of the historical significance of the intricately laid stone steps that descend to Oak Hill Road in front of his Springfield Township home.

“It appears to be a landing where carriages once pulled up in front of the house and passengers could step down without getting into the mud on the road,” said Miller who, along with his wife Elizabeth, purchased the centennial farm in 1973. “The road commission kept adding gravel on top of the stones over the years—they were partially covered up.”

Miller’s historic steps, which have endured more than a century of gradings along the rural road that divides Groveland and Springfield townships, are just one of several obstacles that the Road Commission for Oakland County contended with before paving of the rural mile section of Oak Hill Road about two years ago.

The State Historic Preservation Office has been contacted regarding the steps and prompting the RCOC to work around the front of Miller’s home.

“The road commission did a great job,” he said. “Actually the steps extended a few feet under the road, further then we expected. It’s a great piece of history to keep.”

Miller’s home is about a half mile east of the Dixe Highway-Oak Hill intersection within the forgotten Groveland Township community of Austin.

“We do know that William H. Greene, lived in Austin about a half a mile north from the intersection of Oak Hill and Dixie—he lived in the same house for more than 80 years, “said Carol Bacak-Egbo, historian, archaeologist and Oakland University special lecturer. “Greene lived in Groveland from 1844-1931 and saw the passing traffic go from Indians to trains, from stagecoaches to motorcars” – a world of change in just one lifetime. He was the area fiddler, too, along with the owner of a thrashing machine. He would go around to area farms at harvest time.”

The story of Greene will be just one shared at 7 p.m., Oct 19, at the Groveland Township Hall, 4695 Grange Hall Road, Holly, when Egbo will host a discussion regarding the history of Dixie Highway through Groveland Township.

The six mile section of Dixie Highway from about Oak Hill to Lahring roads actually was part of a single trail from Sault St. Marie to Miami; however due to several factors is now fragmented, she added. The origins of the pathway through Groveland Township actually date back at least 500 years.

“It was a walking path,” she said. “First called the Saginaw Trail, then the Saginaw Turnpike—it connected Detroit and the Saginaw Valley. Very early on the pathway was not quite as straight as it is today. Rather, it wound around swamps, lakes and crossed in the shallow sections of creeks. But today the trail is pretty close to original in a lot of areas.”

While few photos of the area are available, Egbo has a 1817 plat map of the township. She suggests residents bring any historical document or photo regarding Groveland Township or Dixie Highway to the gathering on Wednesday.

“We have stories from early settlers that Indian burial mounds were located in the township,” she said.

“Unfortunately the mounds were flattened when farmers cleared the land to farm, so no trace of the burial grounds have been reported. Unfortunately, it was a time when Native Americans were considered inferior and the settlers were more interested making a living in a new land.”

In the fall of 1835, Moses Smith came to the township, with his wife, four sons, and one daughter, from Olive, in Ulster County, New York. He lived during the winter on the Saginaw Turnpike,” near the Hadley Cemetery at Dixie and Tripp Road.

“A man named Tom Terwilliger actually founded Austin Corners and the Groveland Hotel near the corner of Oak Hill Road and Dixie became a stop for travelers,” she said. “It also became a place where the stagecoach stopped and changed horses since it was about halfway between Detroit and Saginaw.”

With the exception of a few maps, the history of Groveland Township is sketchy, she said.

Dr. Lamar Matthews had settled in Groveland Corners near Grange Hall Road and Dixie where Groveland Township Fire Station One is today. He opened a car dealership and relocated his optometry business to the Groveland.

“He purchased land and constructed a resort, including Stewart Lake,” she said. Oakland County eventually took over the area which is today Groveland Oaks.”