Linda Osborne Cynowa

273 Chandler Street, Romeo

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

The Gray – Tinsman Residence

One of the historic homes I researched for the Archives when I was starting this journey was the Hugh Gray/ William Tinsman residence at 273 Chandler Street in the Village of Romeo. Hugh Gray (1842-1884) having grown up in the Romeo area from a prominent family of entrepreneurs, had a Second Empire residence, with a mansard roof constructed in 1872 by R.M. Bickford of Romeo for the cost of $10,000. The home was thought to be one of the finest in Romeo. It was finished in an all brick exterior with hard woods on the interior.

In June of 1884, a fire broke out in the upstairs area of the residence, according to the Romeo Observer. The fireman were soon on the scene ‘having pulled their fire engine up the hill’ on Chandler Street and through many obstacles only to find the water pressure not sufficient as they would have liked. In all only the walls of the residence were saved. Several weeks later, Hugh Gray died at 42 years of age, from “the excitement attendant upon the burning of his home”. The origin of the fire would remain a mystery. (See article below).

William Tinsman (1836-1916) a successful Washington Township farmer, purchased the residence for $1,250 in November 1885 and hired John Scot an architect from Detroit to re-design the home into the Queen Anne style that you see in these images. The Weiler family were the owners from 1917 to 1924. By the 1930’s it was named St Agnes School. and in 1940 the Pentland School, later known as Haven Farm until 1975. The house went into major disrepair and in a very derelict condition that has continued for many years. There is hope the owners are able to bring is back to the elegant home it once was, but even that in not a sure thing.

Image taken from the old Romeo High School

Sketch of 273 Chandler Street, date unknown

Articles courtesy of the Community Archives at the Romeo Kezar Library.

Photo images courtesy of The Record Newspaper, Washington MI.

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How the Process Began

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

I have had two books published by Arcadia in 2019 and 2020, and the process has begun on a third Arcadia book to be published in fall 2021. It will highlight farming life in and around Macomb County north of Hall Road, through out the nine different townships.

When working on my first book I didn’t have a plan other than to stay very organized as that is the only way I can function. I knew I would be gathering a large number of photographic images as for these ‘Images of America’ books, are going to take as many as 240 images.

I decided at first to copy on a piece of paper the photograph and that would also give me room for writing any notes of information about the image. And you will need everything you can find on that image. But soon realized that putting each pile of papers, as each chapter had to have a separate pile, the space was becoming an issue. Also doing it that way I couldn’t rightly tell just what I had or might have needed.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I have worked on my family history for going on 25 years. Although I have used Ancestry, since Ancestry came into being, and a family history program, I have also printed out everything. That makes a lot of paper work, along with the documents, certificates, census reports, etc. I was accumulating. Although it does take up quit a lot of space, I started working with binders for each family grouping, and managed to make sense out of all the work and material I had amassed.

It made me realize I could use the same thought process of putting together these books. Everything fell into place very easy after that. I would use photo protecters and used one for very page the book would have. Side note: count properly! I was able to ‘lay out’ the book, in book form and then found I could move my images around, and it also showed me what I might need to add to the story.

My writing was done separately and when finished I would have it coiled bound to make reading or looking for something much easier. It does not always match with the Arcadia proofs, because of changes that would need to me made that are just part of the normal publishing process.

Next week, similar to last week, I want to tell you about another vintage home I have been able to research, this one is in Romeo on Chandler Street and it’s very interesting history.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.

Research Binder and coiled caption booklet

62420 Mound Rd, Washington

The Moyers Residence

David Thruston Jr. purchased 320 acres of land running from 29 Mile to 28 Mile on Mound Rd. in 1824. In 1825 Henry Moires (Moyers) purchased 80 acres around the corner on 29 Mile from the Thurston property. He would deed to the township of Washington a half acre of his land for a township burial ground that would become Washington Center Cemetery.

Early map of the Thurston and Moires property , Mound Rd west and 29 Mile Rd north, Campground east

Daniel and Eliza Thurston, who now owned the property, also, two of the founding settlers of Washington Township, sold their property to the Moyers brothers, Henry and Adam for $4000. on the 23rd of June 1850.

The house built on the land purchased is considered to be the second oldest house in the township. Located on the east side of Mound Road south of 29 Mile. The front half of the home is believed to have been built in 1851 and 1857. The back half was constructed in the 1860’s or 1870’s. The house still contains the original flooring on the stairs and second floor.

Image courtesy of the ‘The Record Newspaper’

In 1891, the Henry Moyers Estate sold the home to Joseph and Fredericka Slating for $4500. In 1920 Mr. and Mrs. Slating passed the home on to Otto Ludtke and his soon-to-be wife Jeanette. The house went through many sales after that and a major restoration would take place in 1993, before being foreclosed on in June 2013.

In 2016 new owners would see the potential in the home before them. With the house having been in foreclosure for some time prior to their purchasing it, there was much remodeling and restoration to be done. After a number of holiday parties, the house caught fire on the evening of the 27th December 2017. The official cause was an electrical fire originating in the attic. Although a good majority of the home was destroyed , the original exterior walls were still standing because of the plaster inside. The plaster consisted of concrete mixed with horsehair as a binding. This would stop the fire from reaching the outside. Over the next couple of years the second restoration would take place on this beautiful home.

Moving on to ‘Macomb Township’

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

I sent my ‘Washington Township’ book off to the publisher in March 2019. It had been such a large portion of my everyday life for the last six months, my thoughts turned to “now what”! But very quickly the thought of another book came to mind, as I had really loved what I had been doing. It had taken some time to figure out what would or should come next, but Arcadia did help in that department. They suggested ‘Macomb Township’, and for me it did make sense, because my family had lived in the township for twenty seven years before I moved to Washington.

I had been told that they did have someone who a few years before had contracted to do the book, but for what ever reason the book was not finished. That did sort of raise alarm bells for me, in that, why was it not finished? Any way I went ahead and contacted the elements that I thought would have the most images I could use. The people at the Mt. Clemens Public Library were able to help and I got the ball rolling with them. I contacted the Macomb Township Supervisor at the time in Janet Dunn, and she was kind enough to have me meet Peggy Arccado of their Historical Commission. I explained what I was doing and I was handed a box of what they had.

After seeing what the Mt. Clemens Library had on Macomb and the Commission had on Macomb, the concern set in. I was able to come up with about 30 images out of the 240 some I would need. Was this the reason the previous person did not finish the book before?

While I mentioned in a previous post, that with my first book, I had not really put it ‘out there’ because I wasn’t sure what the out come would be. Well with that thought, I knew I would have to get help from the public in large in order to make this happen.

Facebook here I come! That made all the difference, and I realized just how much interest there was in the idea of a book about the vintage times of Macomb Township.

And six months later, with that, my second book ‘Macomb Township’ was published in the middle of a pandemic on 3 August, 2020.

In September shortly after the books release, the township held a book launch to get ‘Macomb Township’ out to the public. They would do it in a very special way. The hall located at 19925 23 Mile Road was built in 1919 and served the township community until a newer building was erected in the same location in 1974. The old hall was sold to a private buyer and moved to Romeo Plank Rd just north of 23 Mike Rd onto the Wade’s Nursery property.

By 2020, the nursery property was sold to the township to be used as an additional park area, and the original hall was back in the care of the township once again. Restoration would begin and become the new home for the Macomb Township Historical Commission. More work will be done to make this one room building less seasonal as time continues. They’re really couldn’t have been a better place to hold a book launch for ‘Macomb Township’.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.

Original Macomb Township Hall, Romeo Plank Rd, day of the book launch

How the Writing Started

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s:

I have for many years loved the Arcadia Publishing books, their vintage photo images and memories of times long past. Knowing that they have in excess of 14,000 titles to choose from, there was always one that would peak my interest. From purchasing them from areas I would visit, or the places I have lived, or just stories that interested me, I have been a big fan.

While still volunteering at the library, I mentioned to the girls there that I had asked about why didn’t Arcadia have a book on Washington Township, and to my surprise I had been told, “it was because I hadn’t written it yet”! Not being aware that these books were put together by everyday people who have a passion for history and photography, this surprised me. When I told this to Stacie at the library, she asked why didn’t I do the book on Washington myself. This is not a thought I would have had in my wildest dreams, and stated to her, “I couldn’t do that”, and she asked me “why not”? I guess with the work I had been doing for them on the historic homes, she and Julie had more faith in me than I had in my self.

After much thought, I contacted Arcadia and they had me put together a proposal. And with no end of help from Cherie Allen and the rest of the Greater Washington Historical Society, and the image scanning genius of Julie at the Romeo Archives, I would start the project. I submitted my proposal to Arcadia, and within a couple of weeks I was sent a contract, and a request that within the next six months they would like a finished product! While I was totally thrilled, I was also a ‘wee’ bit scared, could I do this?

I found I did not mention what I was doing to many people, I guess in the back of my mind the less people who knew, the less people to know I might fail? Once I found my best way to research and collect images and begin my writing, I found that this was something I might have a talent for. But basically I loved what I was doing! The support from Stacie and Julie at the Kezar, Cherie from GWAHS, my family and those friends I had told about it, was more than I could have hoped for. While turning the book into to be published three weeks early, I became the proud author of Washington Township on September 3rd, 2019!

With the New Year of 2021 coming in the next few days, my thoughts turn to not having concerns about finding toilet paper, being able to hug our friends again and getting to a point of being able to breath the fresh air without our masks. Hopefully we can see the light at the end of this long 2020 tunnel. My best hopes and wishes are for a more ‘normal’ and healthy New Year for all of us.

On that ‘wee’ note, till next week