General Centennial Farm Information

It was a very good year on Grosse Ile: 1851. The population hovered around 275 living in about 43 households. There was a blacksmith, a school teacher, several sailors and clergymen, and 14 laborers. Most of the residents lived and worked on farms, though some farm owners did not live on Grosse Ile. Some men worked on the mainland in lumber mills and shipyards. Grosse Ile's commercial fishing industry was at an all time high. Lake Erie was teaming with white fish, and tons of them were packed in salt and shipped to market. At least two quarries were producing quality limestone, one on Stoney Island and the other on property near Gibraltar Bay. Kilns were in operation producing thousands of pounds of lime.

An exclusive boy's school was flourishing on East River Road, and the Island's first church edifice, St. John's Episcopal Church, stood at McCarty (Church) and West River roads. There was a hotel for summer visitors. Children were taught in the home or in a small log building on one of the farms; and plans were underway to build a larger, more convenient schoolhouse. A horse driven ferry ran from Grosse Ile to Trenton; and everyone had access to boats to travel up the river or other points. In winter, the ice froze to substantial depths and supported both man and beast as they walked to the mainland.

When the Lowries acquired their Grosse Ile property, the farm was a thriving enterprise and the homestead was a handsome island residence. Half of the farmland was improved and under cultivation; half was woodland. The 1850 census lists the livestock as two oxen, 6 milk cows, 6 other cattle, 36 sheep, and 50 swine. The farm marketed butter and wool and produced good crops of wheat, corn, oats, peas and beans, barley and hay. The cash value of the farm was $3,200. Livestock was valued at $800 and farm implements at $40. This was the farm that James and Hellen Lowrie bought in 1851.

It is interesting to note that just 10 years later, the 1860 census reveals that the Lowrie farm had 30 fewer acres under cultivation, but the cash value had increased to $8,000. The nature of the livestock had changed somewhat and the Lowries reported 9 horses, 3 milk cows, 4 other cattle, 75 sheep and 25 swine. The team of oxen was now gone, as farm machinery had taken over their heavy, tedious work. The nature of the crops changed somewhat as well, as the Lowries added Irish potatoes to the crops an increased the wool production.

By 1860, Ferry Road was opened and the ferry boat operation was expanded. Docks were built on the east side of the Island to accommodate larger vessels for passengers and freight. The first building designed for school classrooms was build. The population was now 364.

In 1861, Civil War broke out. Growth and building on the Island virtually came to a halt. When the war ended, Grosse Ile had lost 8 men and several others had returned home permanently injured. After 1865, the Island grew dramatically in many directions; but the farms remained the cornerstone of industry for years to come.

Hawthorne Farm was accorded Centennial Farm status in 1952, and the farm continued to operate in a limited way until the 1960's. Several nineteenth century farm structures remain on the land, which is now reduced to 32 acres. These include the magnificent barn constructed of native black walnut, the ceramic-tiled silo, a long, low building which housed egg production, and the remodeled apple house in which produce was graded and packed for market.

(Nancy G. Karmazin, Grosse Ile Historical Society 10/10/96- Resources: The Deep Roots by Isabella Swan; P. Lafayette) The Grosse Ile Historical Society operates the Depot Museum and Customs House, East River & Parkway. Open Thursdays 10-noon and Sundays 1-4pm. Closed holidays & winter months. Phone: (734)675-1250

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Grosse Ile History

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