CITY of WAYNE
The first settler here was George M. Johnson,
who located in 1824 and opened a log tavern,
where Hosie & Stellwagen's store is now located.
The tavern was sold to a Mr. Simmons in 1826,
who kept it for about three years. While under
the influence of liquor he killed his wife, for which
offense he was hanged on September 24,1830. The
first saw-mill in Nankin was built in 1834 by Ezra
Derby on the east side of the old territorial road
where it crosses the lower Rouge. The first frame
house was built by Mr. Derby in 1834, a few rods east
of the present Varney House, on the Chicago Road,
and he also built the first store, which was located on
the corner opposite the hotel. In 1832 he built a blacksmith shop on the public square about where the
town hall now stands. A private school was kept
in the building in 1833 by Cornelia Hawley, a sister
of Judge Elijah Hawley. In 1834 Ezra Derby
recorded the first plat of Wayne At that time it
was called Derby's Corners. Apart of the present village was laid out in 1835 under the name of
Nankin, and for many years the postoffice here
was known as South Nankin. It is on the line of
the M. C. and F. & P. M., railroads. In 1836 a
plat was recorded of a portion of the present village
under the name of Wayne, and in 1839 there was a
saw-mill, tavern, two stores and half a score of farm- .
lies. The village Was incorporated by Act of April 2,
1869, and the corporation was to include the southeast quarter of Section 29, the southwest quarter
of Section 28 the northwest quarter of Section 33,
and the northeast quarter of Section 32 of the Town
of Nankin. The Act provided that the first election should be held at the Union Hotel, on the
second Monday in April, and on the third Monday
yearly thereafter. It also provided for the election
of a president, recorder, treasurer, and five trustees.
The first election was held on April 12, 1869.
Hiram N. Collins and Charles T. Barnard,
inspectors, and Wm. M. Hastings, clerk, were duly-sworn by Ammon Brown, and the following officers were elected:
President, William R. Corlett; Recorder, Wm.
M. Hastings ; Treasurer, Amnion Brown; Trustees,
Jacob D. Bunting, Frederick Marker, Sr., Thomas
Morrison, Israel Bell, John J. Palmer.
The council was duly organized and the first
meeting held April 20, 1869, at which time Stephen T. Curtiss was appointed marshal, and
Andrew L. Chase, street commissioner. The subsequent officers have been:
1870. President, David Walker and Amnion
Brown, each part of a year; Clerk James R. Hosie;
Treasurer. Henry S. Kilburn; Trustees, A: C.
Pitcher, Wm. Booth, Henry N. Witford, John S.
Egeler, Amnion Brown.
1871. President, Thomas Morrison ; Recorder,
George W. Bedell; Treasurer, Henry S. Kilburn;
Trustees, O. C. Abell, L. T. Blount, I. Bell. Wm.
A. Pettingill, 0.E. Warner.
1872. William C. Steers; Recorder. Theodore
E. Deming; Treasurer. Henry S. Kilburn; Trustees, J. F. Hammon. L. E. Doolittle. S. D. Smith.
W. W. Bailey. J. R. Brace.
1873. President. Oliver C. Abell; Reeorder,
Theodore E. Deming; Treasurer, Henry S. Kilburn ; Trustees, L. E. Doolittle, J. F. Hammon, L.
T. Blount, E. Derby, I. Stevenson.
1874. President, Charles H. Cady; Recorder,
Curtis Brace ; Treasurer, Henry S. Kilburn; Trustees, W. A. Pettingill, J. F. Hammon, W. Blain, A.
L. Chase, H. Loss.
1875. President. O. C. Abell; Recorder, Theodore E. Deming; Treasurer, Henry S. Kilburn;
Trustees, W. C. Steers, I. Bell. F. H. Hubbard.
H. L. Bedell, with L. E Doolittle. and Thomas
Morrison, each part of a year.
1876. President, William R. Corlett; Recorder
George McGuirc ; Treasurer. John S Egeler; Trustees J. O'Connor, W. Pettingill, C. H. Cady, S. W.
Walker, J. R. Hosie.
1877. President, William R. Corlett; Clerk,
Theodore E. Deming ; Treasurer, John S. Egeler;
Street Commissioner, Hiram N. Collins; Assessor,
George McGuire; Trustees two years, Jeremiah
O'Connor, Wm. A. Pettingill, O.J. Turk; Trustees
one year Charles H. Cady, John F. Hammon,
James R. Hosie; Constables, Wm. Blain, T. E.
Deming.
1878. President, William R. Corlett; Clerk,
Theodore E. Deming; Treasurer, John S. Egeler;
Trustees, James R. Hosie. Chas. H. Cady, L. E.
Doolittle; Street Commissioner, Hiram N. Collins;
Assessor, George McGuire; Constable, Wm. Blain.
1879. President, William R. Corlett; Clerk.
Theodore E. Deming; Trustees. John C. Stellwagen. Samuel W. Walker, Jr.. David Zimmerman;
Treasurer, Henry Loss; Assessor. T. Morrison;
Street Commissioner, H. N. Collins; Constable,
Wm. Blain.
1880. President, Bradshaw Hodgkinson; Clerk,
Ira M. Jennings; Trustees. James R. Hosie, Chas.
H. Cady, James H. Rodgers; Treasurer, Chas.
Kynoch; Assessor, Thomas Morrison; Street
Commissioner, H. N. Collins; Constable, Edgar
W. Pate.
1881. President, Bradshaw Hodgkmson; Clerk,
Ira M. Jennings; Trustees, T. E. Deming, L. E.
Doolittle, Geo. D. Parr, C Brace. A. W. Meldrum;
Treasurer, Henry Loss; Street Commissioner,
Francis H. Pitcher; Assessor, David Zimmerman;
Constable, Wm. Blain.
1882. President. William C. Steers; Clerk,
Henry W. Barnard; Trustees, James H. Rogers,
Wm. A. Pettingill, John S. Egeler; Treasurer,
Henry Loss; Assessor, Thomas Morrison; Street
Commissioner, L. H. Pitcher; Constable, Wm.
Blain.
1883. President, Bradshaw Hodgkinson; Clerk,
Edwin F. Steers; Trustees, T. E. Deming H.N.
Collins, S. G. Hammon; Treasurer, Geo. H. Stellwagen; Street Commissioner, Francis H. Pitcher;
Assessor, Thomas Morrison; Constable, E. Wilbur
Pate.
1884. President, James R. Hosie; Clerk, Joseph S. Brown and F. C. Wheeler, each part of a
year; Trustees, B. Newkirk, Wm. Artley, M.
Schmidt; Treasurer, Geo. H. Stellwagen; Assessor, Thomas Morrison; Street Commissioner,
Francis H. Pitcher; Constable, Geo. A. Guest.
1885. President, Frank H. Knickerbocker; Clerk,
William A. Marker; Trustees, John S. Egeler,
Geo. M. Bennett, Chas D. Bunting; Treasurer,
Henry Loss; Assessor, John Murphy Jr; Street
Commissioner, Francis H. Pitcher; Constable,
Henry Fisher.
1886. President, James R. Hosie; Clerk, William A. Marker and E. M Murphy each part of
year ; Trustees, Edwin K. Steers, James R. Noble,
Hiram Hawley. John Murphy, Jr.; Treasurer,
Henry Loss; Assessor, Giles H. Collins; Street
Commissioner, James H. Pitcher; Constable, John
J. Downer.
1887. President, James R. Hosie; Clerk, William A. Marker; Trustees,T. E. Deming; C. W.
Chambers, S. D Smith; Treasurer, Jacob D.
Bunting; Assessor, Giles H. Collins; Street Commissioner, Francis H. Pitcher; Constable, John J.
Downer.
1888. President, David Zimmerman; Clerk,
William A. Marker and G. H. Collins, each part of
a year; Trustees, James R. Hosie, Wm. A. Chamberlin, John Harrison; Treasurer, J. D. Bunting;
Assessor, Giles H. Collins; Street Commissioner,
Phillip Spann ; Constable, J. C. Smith.
1889. President, Theodore E. Deming; Clerk,
Giles H. Collins; Trustees. Geo. H. Stellwagen,
James M. Crouch, James R. Noble; Treasurer,
John C. Stellwagen; Assessor, Wm. R. Corlett;
Street Commissioner, Francis H. Pitcher; Constable, Joseph C. Smith.
1890. President, William R. Corlett; Trustees,
Theodore E. Deming, William Hoops James R.
Noble, Geo. H. Stellwagen, Michael Schmidt, Almond C. Parsons; Giles H. Collins; Assessor,
Daniel M. Chambers; Street Commissioner, Daniel Ackley; Constable. Joseph C. Smith.
Appointments by council: President pro term.,
James R. Noble; Marshal Joseph C. Smith ; Health
Officer, Herbert K. Foster; Village Attorney, John
F. Cullen; Chief Engineer Fire Department, Fayette
Harris.
The first village lock-up was completed and occupied on July 29, 1869. On January 31, 1876,
fifteen street lamps were put up at a cost of $141.20,
and at intervals since they have been lighted. The
village hall, located in the public square, is a two
story frame building. A portion of the lower store
is used as a jail, and part for the township meetings.
The upper part was not finished off until August,
1880, it is used as a council room. The building
was first occupied on November 14. 1878, and cost
$1,400. In July, 1879, a special police force was
organized, consisting of the village marshal and
three policemen, L. E. Doolittle, E. Wilber Pate,
and D. L. Adams, who were to act under instructions from the village attorney. In July, 1881, two
Babcock fire extinguishers were purchased at a
cost of $96, An effort was subsequently made to
obtain a vote in favor of borrowing $2,500 to procure fire apparatus, but it was unsuccessful. On the
morning of September 12, 1888, the O'Connor
Block was destroyed by fire with a loss of $25,000,
and during the winter of 1888-9 fires became so
frequent that on January 18, 1889, the council offered a reward of $500, for the arrest and conviction of the incendiary.
The Union School building is a three story brick
building, with seats for 300 pupils. It was erected
in 1870 and 1871, cost $19,000 and was opened in
the fall of 1871 by Prof. Boyd.
The population of Wayne in 1870 was 833, and
in 1880. 919. The assessed valuation of the property in the village is $260,000; in the township,
$1,100,000.
The Wayne County Review, an eight page, five
column paper, is published every Friday at $1 per
year, by E. F. Steers. Its beginnings were as follows. In the fall of 1876 two boys,brothers, named
E. F. and E. E, Steers, set up as amateur job
printers, their outfit consisting of a 6 1/2 x 10 1/2
hand inking novelty press, for which they paid $10.
With this and $18 worth of type they began. The
following spring Mr. E. E. Steers went to California, and the job office was sold to their uncle, J. H.
Steers, who in the fall of 1877 started the Weekly
Review as a four column quarto without a subscriber or advertisement, and with little or no experience. The paper was printed on a 13 x 19 half
medium Universal press. The venture proved a
success, and on April 12. 1878, the paper was enlarged to a five, and July 5 to a seven column
quarto. On December 6, the name was changed
to the Wayne County Review, with an office in
both Plymouth and Wayne, the former in charge of
O. S. Howard as editor. In July, 1887, it was
purchased by the present proprietor, E. F. Steers.
Wayne Masonic Lodge, No. 112. secured a dispensation on January 14. 1858. and held its first
regular meeting on July 19, following
A Universalism Society was organized about 1858
by the Rev. Andrew J. Stebbins, and the first sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Snead. A
church was built and dedicated in 1863, and was
under the charge of Rev. Chauncey Knickerbocker,
until his death in 1884. Since then only occasional
services have been held.
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, I*. A.
C, was organized by the Rev. George Deckinger,
in the fall of 1876. For a time the meetings were
held in Steer's Hall. A lot was afterwards purchased for $100, and a church erected, which was
dedicated on August 12, 1877. It cost $1,350.
The pastors have been Rev. George Deckinger;
from September, 1876 to April, 1878; Rev. George
Tierck, from May, 1878, to May, 1880; Rev.
George Deckinger until September, 1880: Rev. J. J.
Bichsenstin, from January. t88t, to October, 1883;
Rev. Robert Weise, from May, 1885, to May. 1886;
Rev. Wm. Renz. from May, 1886, to May. 1888 ;
Rev. John Baumann. from July. 1888. From
October, 1883, to May, 1885. the church was without a pastor, occasional services being held by
neighboring ministers. They had twenty-five members when the church was organized,'and now have
thirty.
Wayne has several advantages as a manufacturing center. The Michigan Central and the Flint &
Pere Marquette Railroads intersect at Wayne Junction less than a mile west of the village. A Citizen's
Improvement Committee of ten was organized in
1887 for the purpose of holding out inducements to
manufacturing establishments to locate in Wayne,
and on December 5, 1887, at a special election,
there was a unanimous vote to bond the city to
purchase three acres of land as a site for public
buildings. The land was purchased and at a special meeting of the Council on January 7. 1888, it
was sold to the Prouty & Glass Manufacturing
Company, of Detroit for $8,000. Their establishment, which manufactures carriages and sleighs,
was started in Detroit in 1881, and moved to
Wayne in November, 1887. They give employment
to an average of fifty men with a pay roll of $300;
the annual output being estimated at $80,000.
They make an average of 100 carriages monthly,
and about 125 cutters, besides white work in the
rough.
The elevator of Hosie & Stellwagen, located on
the Michigan Central track near the north end of
the village, was put in operation in 1880, and has a
storage capacity of ten thousand bushels. They
have handled an average of twenty-five thousand
bushels each of wheat and oats annually, and one
year reached seventy-five thousand bushels.
COUNTY HOUSE STATION.
This station on the Michigan Central Railroad,
as its name indicates, is for the convenience of -the
county establishment known as the Poor House
and Insane Asylum. The history of these institutions up to 1886 is given in Chapter LXVII. In
the latter year a building designed for use as a
chapel, offices, and store room was erected at a cost
of $23,000, and other buildings, such as gas and
boiler houses, at a cost of $12,000 additional. In
1888 further additions were made to the main building at a cost of $60,000. and the establishment
is now one of the largest and most complete in
the country.
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan By Silas Farmer 1890
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