It was an enjoyable reading about the past 75 years in Clarkston in the anniversary issue of The Clarkston News.
It brought back many memories of our time there from 1960-1990. Perhaps some of the ‘old timers? still remember when:
? The Max Brook building was Bob’s Hardware owned and operated by Bob and Gerry Wertman and their three children ? Mary, Bill and Fred. You could take in your light bulbs and get them exchanged at the Detroit Edison mini-station in the center of the store. Gerry was the ‘expert? in helping many of us select our wallpaper.
The Town Shop was owned by another older couple before Fred and Sheila Ritter purchased it.
Taylor’s Dry Goods store was on Main Street in the now Clarkston News office before it relocated as Taylor’s 5&10 to the new A&P store block at the M-15 and Dixie Highway intersection. A&P was the big new supermarket where many of us bought the weekly special of Blue Willow dinnerware. Check those prices out in the antique stores today!
Standard Oil built their current station at M-15 & Dixie intersection.
Alger Hardware was across from Rudy’s Market. They had a whole attic and basement store area and you could buy anything there, even an old percolator coffee maker glass top. The Alger family lived on Middle Lake Road.
Fred Yeager had the sporting good store on the southeast corner of Washington and Main streets. You could get your skiis there for the new Pine Knob ski hill.
Keith Hallman had the drug store and Carol was the gal who ran the rest of the store.
Frank ‘Tink? Ronk’s barber shop was on the west side between Bob’s hardware and the post office. Tink became the fire chief for many years and his mother, Elizabeth, was the postmistress. Elizabeth lived on the west side of South Main near Waldon Road and could be seen walking to work.
King’s Insurance agency, owned by Isabella Bullen, was adjacent to the Clarkston State Bank. Charlie Robinson was president of the Clarkston State Bank which became the Pontiac State Bank and then NBD with a branch at Dixie and Maybee, where Joe’s Sunoco was.
Also, another was located on Sashabaw and Maybee roads. Martha Wheeler was the bank manager in the village for many years. I notice now when I go back to Clarkston, it is again the Clarkson State Bank. Wonders never cease!
Of course, Dick Morgan had the corner gas station and auto repair shop and next to it was the Clarkston book store which was also the Knit Shop run by Gerry Hunter. Loretta Shrappnel opened the Tot to Teen shop in the same area.
Then there was the little house south of Depot Road on the west side of M-15 where Ivan Rouse, until his death, operated the Clarkston Conservatory. Many of the residents? children remember taking their first piano lessons from Ivan.
Speaking of lessons, ‘Mac? MacDougall of Deer Lake taught swimming on the Deer Lake Beach to most of the residents? children in the 1960s.
Clarkston Mills mall was later built on the former Hawke Tool property which originally was the site of the Ford Motor Co. A dam was built forming the Mill Pond.
Speaking of the Ford Motor Company, Henry had his tractor operation out on Holcomb Road, which Dr. James O’Neill purchased in the early 1960s. Before that the Michigan State Highway utilized the old chicken coop as an office for the construction of I-75. That chicken coop later was renovated into the O’Neill’s recreational pool house.
The Terry girls, Shirley and Norma, their dad and mother owned and operated Terry’s Market about the space where Hallman’s and the current gift and antique store is. Shirley married Howard Altman, who was the Independence Township clerk for many years, and Norma married Harold Goyette, who owned Goyette Funeral Home on North Main, which is now a B & B.
No one could forget Rudy’s Market where Rudy and Elsa Swartz and their two sons Bob and Fred were the mainstay. Rudy came over from Germany and brought with him the hard German work ethic.
Fenton and JD Powell were the men behind the meat counter, along with Rudy who would do any special cut of meat or catered item, including cutting your deer into venison cuts as desired. You could buy a stuffed turkey all cooked and ready for the table. Rudy would be up all night preparing the turkeys. Elsa’s sister, Rose Fenstermacher, worked the cash register.
Rudy’s always employed boy baggers, but about 1977, they hired the first female. Elaine Johnson proved to be so efficient, they hired another female student, Doreen Freitag, who later became Mrs. Fred Swartz.
Later, the village park was improved and the free Friday night concerts were presented in the summer.
There was a very active Clarkston Garden Club, Dance Club, and the Clarkston Women’s Club which just celebrated 50 years with a reunion.
Jan’s Sewing basket was on the east side in the drug store area owned and operated by Jan Fox in the mid 1970s.
For a short time there was an old fashioned ice cream parlor in what was King’s Insurance Agency. That same shop area also housed a wonderful flower and plant shop.
If you called or visited The Clarkston News to place an ad, or for any other reason, you were likely greeted by the smiling Donna Farhner.
Remember taking your children for their shoes at the Clarkston Shoe Shop in teh Bob’s Hardware block? Big Jim Stiles was the owner.
Duane Hursfall was the township supervisor and his wife Mildred was the Clarkson Elementary school secretary for many years under principal Ruth Purslow. The Hursfalls lived on Holcomb Street and the Purslows lived on the northeast corner of M-15 and Middle Lake Road. Howard Altman was the clerk.
Lillian Bauer was the village secretary for many years. Art Pappas has been the clerk for more years than I remember. He was also the first of a duo at NOVEC, teaching office machines.
Boothby’s Gift shop was on Dixie and White Lake Roads, run by Boothby senior and their son ‘Tom-Bob.? The original farm house was moved to the east side of north Main Street.
Independence Township is fortunate now to have an expanded network of trails for walking, jogging and biking. Great for keeping fit safely and enjoying the outdoors. Joe Figa spearheaded the campaign for a millage to cover the cost which has been renewed.
Medical care: Dr. Rockwood Bullard, surgeon, Dr. Robert Buerhig, family medical doctor and Dr. John Naz, OB-GYN, were the main practitioners.
Later Dr. Kurt Maier and Dr. Charles Hermes added to the OBGYN practitioners. Dr. LaPere and Dr. Hamilton had their osteopathic offices across the street.
About August of 1961, Dr. James O’Neil, pediatrician specializing in allergy care, came to Clarkston sharing office space in the Naz, Bullard and Buehrig building. Myrna Conrad was his nurse, office receptionist and billing clerk with the file cabinet in the hallway!
Many of us now know the growth in Clarkston in medical care and the role that Dr. O’Neil had in moving toward the medical community of today.
Dental care was available in the village at Hal Ford’s office on South Main and later Gary Symon for a time. The current Dr. Stevenson came and still occupies the former Symon office.
Lewis Wint, his wife Diane and their two children, Joy and Bill, lived above and operated their funeral home where it still is in operation today by their son Bill with it’s enlarged modern facility.
Down Depot Road to White Lake Road, across Dixie was the old train station where the Village Players originated and presented many an entertaining evening event if the train roaring down the tracks provided an interlude during the performance.
The residents of Independence Township were an integral part of the Village of Clarkston.
The McNeill’s of Hummingbird Lane moved from their farm home on Dixie, but maintained their nursery for many years just north of Maybee Road. Subsequently, Fred Ritter bought that property and operated the nursery before branching out into the Town Shop ownership and then opening a car wash on Dixie.
Speaking of Maybee Road, the Russell Maybee’s had a farm on Maybee Road which they sold and then moved to Middle Lake Road. That farm property then became Spring Lake Golf course.
Howe’s Lanes was Barb and Les Howe’s thriving bowling alley on the east side of Dixie near the Tally-Ho restaurant, which was near the site of the current Red Knapp restaurant, which was formerly Alexander’s for many years. Barb and Les and their children, Linda and Gordie, were all active at the new Howe’s Lanes built on the west side of Dixie northwest from Maybee Road.
Joe Bordon operated the Sunoco station on Maybee and Dixie. A big change on Dixie was the bright lights from the new Red Fox gas station now the current Speedway station. It lit up the Birdland subdivision and wasn’t too popular at the time.
More Dixie lights appeared with the Waterford Hill Golf Course, a par 3 course lit for night golfing. The community adapted and many learned the sport which supported youth teams. Later, there was strong opposition when K-Mart attempted to purchase that property. Finally, it was sold and condominiums were built along with the Kroger, Hallmark and Ace Hardware store of today.
The Dairy Queen opened and all the little league teams looked forward to their after game treat. Also, Don Vachon opened a drive-through service, Richardson’s Dairy of Drayton Plains on M-15 across from the A&P area with bread, milk, packaged ice cream and other unsundry items.
Ray’s son, Terry, was the day manager. He drove a SS Chevelle with a 396 engine.
The new post office was built with Ray (help me on this one) as postmaster after Elizabeth Ronk’s retirement.
In the late 1960s, Oakland County Schools developed the vocational education program and opened four education centers. Clarkston had the northwest vocational building.
The Bottle for Building campaign, started by Carolyn Place, was a model for our current bottle deposit return program. Carolyn got it accomplished and have you noticed that Michigan is the single state that gives 10 cents for each bottle returned? Sure helped clean up the roads and byways.
Then there was the Independence Township Safety Path program of 1976. With the leadership of Joe Figga, many worked hard, going door to door and giving presentations to accomplish the passage of the millage that enabled miles of walking and non-motorized biking paths in the township. The millage has been renewed in subsequent years and what an asset it has become!
Anyone else out there with some memories to share of former times before Clarkston mushroomed into the bedroom community it is today? Perhaps some of my memories will tweak yours or perhaps some need some correction or clarification of my sometimes fuzzy
memory.
Wouldn’t it be interesting for a weekly segment to run with more detail in singular portions of Clarkston’s history, many of which I have mentioned only in passing?
I enjoy fondly remembering all the folks mentioned, and many more omitted, in the wonderful years of raising our family in Clarkston ? when it seemed everyone knew most of the residents if they were at all involved in the school or sports programs. Perhaps some of the ‘kids? now in or approaching middle age will have some memories.
Julie Johnson was a former part time office nurse of Dr. James O’Neill. She was also a Medical Office Assisting instructor at the Northwest Oakland Vocational Education Center/NOVEC, and ANP at the former Women’s Health Center.