Cherry Hill, Michigan

Cherry Hill is an unincorporated community in Canton Township in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community centers along Cherry Hill and Ridge Roads but otherwise has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics. The Cherry Hill Historic District is a primarily residential historic district encompassing the greater part of Cherry Hill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]

Cherry Hill Historic District
The Italianate Cherry Hill House, Corner of Ridge and Cherry Hill
LocationCherry Hill and Ridge Rds., Canton Township, Michigan
Coordinates42°18′17″N 83°32′20″W
Area17 acres (6.9 ha)
Built1865
Architectural styleGothic Revival, Italianate
NRHP reference No.03000176[1]
Added to NRHPApril 02, 2003

History
The Village Theatre

Cherry Hill, settled in 1825,[2] was an early crossroads hamlet in Canton Township.[3] The town was originally called "Ridge" (also the origin of "Ridge Road") due to its position atop the ridge shore of an ancient lake.[3] The first area church, the Cherry Hill United Methodist Church, was built in the village in 1834.[2] In approximately 1865, Abner Hitchcock constructed an inn in the village, naming it the "Cherry Hill House" in reference to the wild cherry trees growing in the area.[2][4] The town of Ridge soon followed suit, and changed its name to "Cherry Hill." Hitchcock's inn was used later as a general store and a dance hall, becoming the social center of the community for generations.[5]

The Ypsi Creamery was located in Cherry Hill, after which the Detroit Creamery (later the Wilson Dairy) operated until 1940.[3] Henry Ford purchased the dairy and used it to house workers in his village industry program.[3] The village industry in Cherry Hill was unique in that part of its purpose was to provide work for World War II veterans who suffered physical or mental disabilities due to their wartime service.[6]

Cherry Hill is the last of the five hamlets in Canton Township to retain substantial historic significance; it also endured as a commercial and social hub until the 1960s.[6]

Community development

In 2000, construction began on the Cherry Hill Village residential development in the area.[7] The development included over 750 houses, parks, and a town center with a community theatre.[7][8] The development emphasized traditional architecture and site plans to evoke a neotraditional small town feel.[7]

Historic District description

The Cherry Hill Historic District contains buildings facing Cherry Hill and Ridge Roads near their intersection. These include the Cherry Hill House, the only Italianate building in the township, the Gothic Revival Cherry Hill United Methodist Church and associated cemetery, the Cherry Hill School, the Thomas and Maria Blackman Bartlett House, the Thomas and Isabella Moore Clyde House, buildings used for one of Henry Ford's Village Industry projects, and other farmhouses and associated outbuildings in the area.[6]

Canton Fractional School District No. 1 Schoolhouse
Cherry Hill School
LocationCherry Hill and Ridge Rds., Canton Township, Michigan
Built1876[2]
Part ofCherry Hill Historic District (ID03000176)
Designated MSHSMarch 16, 1989[9]
Cherry Hill United Methodist Church
Cherry Hill United Methodist Church
LocationCherry Hill and Ridge Rds., Canton Township, Michigan
Built1882[10]
Part ofCherry Hill Historic District (ID03000176)
Designated MSHSJuly 29, 1980[10]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. "Discover Michigan's Historic Canton Township". Canton Historical Society. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  3. Kosky and Glynn Associates (April 2000), Historic and Architectural Resources of Canton Township Multiple Property Submission Nomination Form, National Park Service
  4. Silas Farmer (1890), History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan, Volume 2, S. Farmer & co., for Munsell & co., p. 1259
  5. Diane Follmer Wilson; Canton Historical Society (1988), Cornerstones: a history of Canton township families, Canton Historical Society, p. 315
  6. "Cherry Hill Historic District". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  7. Adrienne Schmitz; Urban Land Institute (2004). Residential development handbook. Urban Land Institute. pp. 242–245. ISBN 0-87420-918-8.
  8. Darrell Clem (June 13, 2010). "Plans call for more Cherry Hill homes". Observer & Eccentric.
  9. "Canton Fractional School District No. 1 Schoolhouse". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  10. "Cherry Hill United Methodist Church". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
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