The historic Mary Gilbert log cabin in Northville will be moved to a temporary location during the construction under way at the former Northville Downs site.
The cabin was moved this week to a location near Seven Mile and River Street by Talaski Building Movers, officials said. The cabin will be elevated onto I-beams and rolled to the temporary location where it will remain until the Middle Rouge River is daylighted as part of the construction of The Downs development. The cabin will be fenced to prevent damage or vandalism, official said, until the foot bridge planned at the site is completed by developers.
Eventually the log cabin will be moved to a permanent location on a newly-built foundation southeast of the Gardner Street footbridge. It will serve as a Welcome Center to the park with a canopy for a picnic shelter, a one-room, ADA-compliant restroom, and an adjacent period garden, officials said. When the park becomes city-owned property, the log cabin will be maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department, a shared service of the city and township.
“The restoration and relocation of the log cabin built in the 1930s is being sponsored by the Northville River Restoration Task Force partnering with the Northville Historical Society, the City of Northville, and Hunter Pasteur,” noted Nancy Darga, who chairs the task force.
Darga expressed her appreciation for the professional contributions made for the project. Local builder Mike Miller is donating his services to manage the project. Ken Brock, of Brock Associates, is donating his expertise as a builder of log cabins, to manage the move of the structure and Dan Schneider, an architect certified to work on historic preservation, is providing construction documents at a reduced fee, which will be offset by a $5,000 grant from the National Historic Trust Fund. He is a former board member of the Northville Historical Society.
Hunter Pasteur is contributing up to $125,000 for the log cabin move to a permanent location, along with an equal amount that has been raised by the River Restoration Task Force. In addition, the task force members continue to raise funds for the total build-out of the project, which includes restoration, interior displays and a new restroom, likely to be built outside the cabin as part of the picnic area extension. The task force has already received $240,000 and is seeking donations of $60,000 more, for a total amount of $300,000. The Northville Historical Society is serving as a fiduciary for the fundraising effort. Donations can be made on this Go Fund Me page: https://tinyurl.com/5ddz25f7
The historic cabin has a long history in the community. It was the home of Mary Gilbert from 1871 to 1941. She was born in Howell, the daughter of a harness maker. A graduate of Alma College, she taught in the Howell schools for several years until her loss of hearing compelled her to resign and teach in more remote areas of the country. When she could no longer teach, she worked in hospitals as a caregiver.
In the midst of the Great Depression and despite her disability, Gilbert used her savings to build her retirement vision: a state-of-the-art log cabin using airlock log technology along the banks of the Rouge River. She was an avid gardener and one of the early members of the local Woman’s National Farm and Garden Club, today known as the Northville Garden Club.
Members of the Historical Society consider Gilbert an “embodiment of Northville’s pioneering spirit. She found purpose in life through hard work, community service, and harmony with nature.”
