WARNER PIONEER HOMESTEAD
4001 Pleasant Valley Rd
Brighton, MI 48114
tim
Blog ARCHIVE
10/11/2022
In June we held a graduation party at the farm for our two oldest girls, Anna and Megan. It is hard to believe that it was 15 years ago last month that Megan found a sherd of transferware decorated pottery that led to the excavation of over 5,000 square feet at the farm. Then just 3 1/2 years old, Megan discovered the sherd that had been churned up in a pile of dirt by my Uncle's Siberian husky, Simba, in pursuit of a ground squirrel. As the light began to quickly fade, I distinctly recall having trouble getting both 3 year olds to look at the camera at the same time. Simba seemed to be the only subject in the picture willing to be still. As a proud father exercising his right to embarrass his teenage daughters, I have attached the photo from 2007 of the initial discovery. Both girls graduated with highest honors and continue to have strong interests in history and archaeology. Megan is attending U of M-Flint this fall majoring in wildlife biology while Anna is attending Eastern Michigan University majoring in history.
Earlier last month we held our annual student dig at the Warner Homestead. This is now the 10th time we've held the student dig since 2011. Thirty-seven sixth graders from University Liggett in Grosse Pointe Woods participated in the one day event. As usual, the students began by learning about the site from a presentation in the Hicks school with the mystery item segment being well received. After a group photo in front of the house, the students went on a tour of the house and cellar. The also participated in 19th century activities such as stilt walking, corn shelling, using a rotary style push mower, and making hand churned butter.
I was particularly struck by comments made by two students while I was giving a tour of the cellar. One student inquired as to the current worth of the house and property after discussing what it would cost in today's dollars to build a replacement with all of the wood made of white oak, using hand labor, etc. I explained that the dollar value didn't really matter to me as the property wouldn't be sold. I also added that if a developer had bought it that the likely outcome was demolition of the house, barn, trees, school, etc to make way for another tidy subdivision. I was impressed by a girl who asked why they would do that and why can't they reuse old buildings like the Warner house. The ideas and questions of historic preservation are precisely what I hope to impress upon the students. It was gratifying to see that the importance of these considerations had sunk in on some of the students. I will consider it a lasting success if students of our first group that are now graduating college and approaching various career positions consider the value of historic resources such as old buildings and archaeological sites in their future endeavors.
The students broke into 9 groups and did well learning how to use shovels and screens with help from experienced volunteer mentors. The soil that the students were excavating was removed from the area of where the Hicks school now sits. A number of nice finds included sawn animal bone, a sherd of blue transferware, nails, peach pits, part of a buckle, and some other unidentified iron items. Many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped make this student dig event happen, it couldn't be done without you!
A number of donations were also received over the summer. Pam Thompson, who owned an antiques store in the area, donated several chairs, a settee, a 19th century landscape painting, an oil lamp, and a high chair as she was winding down her business. One of my uncles, Chuck Warner, donated a window air conditioner that was most useful for the graduation party. Another uncle, Kevin Van Dyke, built a three legged dairy stool, handmade from butternut wood with carving on the seat, as a symbol of the dairy that once operated at the farm. Many thanks for all of the donations, it is much appreciated!
The Warner farm is now officially a Michigan Historic Site with the installation of a Michigan Historical Marker entitled "Warner Homestead" (see attached photos). The front of the marker reads "Around 1855, Timothy and Lucretia Warner built this Greek Revival farmhouse. Timothy (1819-1900) migrated from Livonia, New York, to Brighton Township in 1837. He was credited with helping organize and name the township later that year. In 1841 he purchased eighty acres at this site for $384. He married Lucretia Jones (1828-1900) around 1847. Timothy co-owned the nearby Woodruff gristmill from 1867 to 1871. By 1873 the Warners had expanded their farm to nearly five hundred acres of land." The back of the marker reads "Pioneer farmers Timothy and Lucretia Warner raised their six children on this homestead, which by 2021 had remained in the Warner family for six generations. Archaeological excavation, begun in 2007, has yielded thousands of artifacts that reveal information about the family's everyday lives. In 2015, Warner family descendants restored the farmhouse to its nineteenth-century appearance. The site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a Sesquicentennial Farm." We are very proud to receive this designation and the marker compliments another one at the Lyon School just a quarter mile down the road. Many thanks to Michelle Davis, Marker Coordinator, Heather Lehman, Marker Program Graduate Assistant, Sandra Clark, Director, Michigan History Center, and the Michigan Historical Commission for all of their efforts to make this a reality!
Michigan Archaeology Day will be held on October 29th at the Michigan History Center in Lansing. Archaeologists from across the state will bring artifacts from prehistoric, historic, and maritime sites. The event also features a guest presenter as well as a variety of activities for both kids and adults. We will have a significant display of artifacts from the Warner Homestead and Hicks School. If you are an archaeology student, I would highly encourage attending to get to know some of the folks that are doing really great research in the state. It's hard to beat the price as the event is free, parking is free, and admission to the museum is also free. More details forthcoming at https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/archaeology/archaeology-day/
4001 Pleasant Valley Rd
Brighton, MI 48114
tim