There has been an effort to get an official State of Michigan Historical Marker in the past. Without a commitment to a couple of square feet of land to be dedicated in perpetuity to the placement of a marker there was no reason to continue with the process.

An obvious location would be Sheldon Park. It is maintained by Northville Parks and Recreation. It has decent public access and the sign would not interfere with the openness of the park. It was also the site of Cottages 12 and 13 that were used as Homestead Cottage an expansion from the successful experiment by Samual Kirk that was recognized by researchers worldwide.

The other part is the one time cost. While not inexpensive it certainly is not out of reach of community fund rasing, or township expenditure efforts. I would be first in line to donate

The price schedule can be found here,

Rough drafts of the application have been written.

Nearly 8000 Children attended and hundreds of local citizens were employed by this institution

This is just a suggestion for the local community. I no longer live in the area so my individual effort has no traction.

While some people do have a negative opinion of the school because of the 24 years it was left open to the eliments, arson and vandalism which was a strain on the community, It has been gone for over 25 years now and hopefuly some of that seniment has faded.The land has all been redeveloped and has been made productive and tax generating

It was utilized by the township for adminstrative offices, police and the first township firehouse. Also the JayCees did fund raising using a cottage for an annual haunted house. It continued to serve the community even after its closing

The Michigan Historic Commision has two annual deadlines for application submition, April 15 and September 15. So currently there is ample time to get the application process completed. A dedication of the marker on Sept 2 2026 would be outstanding.

In the 1980's The State of Michigan History division had done a survey on the Plymouth State Home property to designate areas of historical importance. State Study All the items that were targeted were former WCTS buildings that had been transfered to the state prior to the construction of the state training school. During the 1930's numerous WPA projects were done on the property. Only the remnants of the Reservoir Dam remain.

Annabelle Shannon

Annabelle Shannon

Click to enlarge

In 2011 I received an email from the daughter of then, 98 year old Annabelle Aleo (Shannon) she had nothing but positive things to say about her experience. She was admitted to the school it opened in 1926.

In 2019 I was sent a batch of personal photos by the daughter of another girl that was sent there. To my surprise it included a photo of Annabelle. When I reached out to Annabell' daughter I received an email reply from her that said she had She passed away on February 8th, 2015 at the age of 102.She had a long, interesting life with 8 children and 18 Grandchildren and over 100 descendants when she passed away.

I was able to send her the origonal photo of her mom She was very happy to receive it.This was a direct result of our preservation efforts and a huge success story.

Do these children deserve to be forgotten?

My hope is that the Township will see this as a worthwhile endeavor.

Tim Wilson, January 20 2025