Novi

Barbara G. Louie, Samuel D. Popkin

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 1998
• Print ISBN: 9780738500126
• eBook ISBN: 9781439626757
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

From a peaceful farming community to a thriving commercial suburb, Novi, Michigan, has undergone many periods of dramatic change, creating a rich history. This collection of over 200 photographs provides a fascinating record of the development of Novi through the 19th and 20th centuries. In the early days of westward exploration, the fertile land surrounding Detroit attracted the first settlers of Novi. The town grew quickly after the 1825 opening of the Erie Canal, and by 1830, a bustling business district had emerged. The major changes came in the 1950s, with the building of freeways that cut directly through the heart of Novi. The sudden easy access to Detroit and Lansing ensured the town's future as a true American suburb. Shopping centers soon followed in the tire tracks of the freeway, and the area rapidly expanded.

Five

GRAND RIVER AVENUE

PUTTING NOVI ON THE MAP

The Grand River Road, which has connected Novi with Detroit since the early 1800s, began as an ancient Indian trail. Many of the early settlers coming to Novi traveled along this narrow, rugged path. In 1832, promoters were able to obtain funds for a “military highway” which would go from Detroit to the city of Grand Rapids, mouth of the Grand River, from which the road was to get its name.

By the 1850s, the rough, muddy trail was planked and it became known as the Detroit-Howell Plank Road. Stagecoaches made regular runs from Lansing to Detroit along this road, averaging about 12 hours one way.

Up through the 1950s, the Grand River highway was the main link between Novi and cities to the east and west. Many businesses grew up along this road, from its early days as Novi Corners in the 1830s.

Novi’s former “Main Street” is today known as Grand River. No longer dirt covered, the road has been built up considerably.

This early section of town was first settled around 1830 by pioneers who helped develop the area as the first business section in Novi Township.

The area known for years as “Novi Corners,” the intersection of Novi Road and Grand River, became the town’s central business district as early as 1830. This view, taken in the early 1930s, looks west along Grand River. The Methodist Church is visible on the far right. (Courtesy Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library.)

As Novi changed from a small farming community to a sprawling Detroit suburb, the Grand River/Novi Road intersection—still known by oldtimers as “Novi Corners”—remained the unofficial center of town. (Courtesy Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library.)

A Mobil gas station has stood on the southwest corner of Novi Road and Grand River Avenue for over 60 years.

These are the plans for the building of the first Mobi...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - EIGHT MILE ROAD
• Two - NINE MILE ROAD
• Three - TEN MILE ROAD
• Four - ELEVEN MILE ROAD
• Five - GRAND RIVER AVENUE
• Six - TWELVE MILE ROAD
• Seven - THIRTEEN MILE ROAD
• Eight - FOURTEEN MILE ROAD