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Orchard Lake Village, Michigan
Emmendorfer House
4121 Pontiac Trail |
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 This
house was built in the 1830s by William Gilmour. It contains two hidden
chambers, one accessible only through a small opening hidden behind
built-in drawers in a bedroom; the other, through the rear of a closet.
The house was in a strategic location for the Underground Railroad in
Michigan, on the Pontiac Trail, one of the few early roads in Oakland
County, halfway between Farmington and Pontiac.
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It was owned by Seneca
Randall in 1847, and Nathaniel Hearding from 1859-1863. Francis A.
Emmendorfer and family owned the property from 1864 into the 1950s. Emmendorfer came to America from
Germany in 1852. In 1857, he moved to West Bloomfield Township and
worked for Judge Joseph Copeland. Seven years later, he bought ninety
acres on Orchard Lake, including the house at 4121 Pontiac Trail, where
he specialized in growing fruits and grain. He helped to organize the
Pontiac Buggy Company in 1893, which was absorbed by the Oakland Motor
Company in 1906. Oakland Motors became the Pontiac Motor Division of
General Motors in 1993.
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There is a Michigan
Historical Marker at the site, erected in 1994:
William Gilmour began building this house
in the 1830s. With two hidden chambers and a strategic location on an
Underground Railroad route between Farmington and Pontiac, it is
believed to have provided shelter for runaway slaves. In the 1830s and
1840s Gilmour occasionally hosted township meetings here. It was owned
by Seneca Randall in 1847 and Nathaniel Hearding from 1849 to 1863.
Francis A. Emmendorfer and family owned this property from 1864 to the
1950s. |
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Additional Resources:
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