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Farmington, Michigan
| First Baptist Church |
Judd Webster House | Old Quaker
Meeting House | Philbrick Tavern |
| There are several
locations in Farmington rumored to be stations on the Underground
Railroad. They are listed below with what little information could be
found about them. With the Quaker population of the town, it is natural
to assume that they may have given aid to runaway slaves traveling to
Canada. The Farmington legend continues to say that this route was only
used when the direct passage to Detroit was blocked by slave hunters.
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First Baptist Church
33400 Shiawassee
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 Fugitive
slaves were supposedly hidden in the basement of this church.
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Judd Webster House
33603 Grand River Ave
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 On
this site, where the Thayer-Rock Funeral Home is now located, was once a
home owned by Judd Webster. It is purported that Underground Railroad
activity took place here. |
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Old Quaker Meeting House
Grand River Ave, West of Farmington Rd
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 Arthur
Power, supposedly involved in Underground activities, lived at this
location after 1836. The site is now a Convalescent Home. The marker,
erected in 1962, reads: In the
1820's members of the Society of Friends played a key role in the
settlement of several Michigan communities. Farmington was founded in
1824 by Arthur Power, a Quaker from Farmington, New York. In 1831 what
was apparently Michigan's first formal Quaker Meeting was organized at
Farmington. Power in 1832 gave the land for the meeting house and the
old Quaker Cemetery located one-half mile west of here on Gill Road.
Earlier, in 1828, these Friends opened a school. This industrious group
provided the nucleus around which the present city and township
developed. The Quakers were also active in the antislavery movement.
Farmington had a station on the Underground Railroad.
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| Power is best known as
having built the first school in Farmington that served District Five.
This building was a tiny log hut, located east of where the Baptist
Church now stands. The teacher for the school in 1826 was Power's son,
Nathan. The small building was soon outgrown, and, in 1835, Arthur Power
constructed the "Little Red Schoolhouse" for $372.50, which was probably
located near 10 Mile and Farmington Roads. Power was given the task of
building the next school in 1852, a two-story frame building that cost
$729. That building was moved in 1888 to the corner of Warner and Grand
River, where it became the Apple Evaporator business until it burned
down. |
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Philbrick Tavern
11 Mile Rd and Power
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Nathan Philbrick built this structure in 1827, at what was then the
corner of Orchard Lake Trail and Lansing Post Roads. He ran it as a
tavern with his wife, Asenath. Nathan Philbrick was the justice of the
peace in 1824, 1838 and 1840. The original tavern had a taproom, small
sleeping rooms and a second floor ballroom. During the pre-Civil War
days, George Fisher Chamberlain and his brother, Charles, farmed the
land and lived in the tavern. It was during this period that the
building was purportedly in use as an Underground Railroad station.
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The Farmington Hills
Historical Commission marker reads: The attractive home located on
the northwest corner dates from 1827. In the 1830's and 40's it was a
tavern operated by Nathan Philbrick and was one of the finer hostels in
southern Oakland County, widely known for its high quality of
entertainment for weary travelers. It also served as a meeting place for
the early Township government. In the 1850's, according to a strong and
persistent local legend, the place possibly served as a station on the
underground railroad, helping escaped slaves get into Canada. It is now
a private, well-kept home. |
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Resources
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