Livonia

David MacGregor

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN: 9780738534251
• eBook ISBN: 9781439615423
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

At the turn of the 20th century, the township of Livonia was largely a rural community populated with farms, dirt roads, and several cheese factories. A few decades later, as the auto industry boomed in Detroit, white-collar workers sought places to raise their families outside the city, and Livonia changed seemingly overnight. What was once considered a backwater berg was suddenly seen with different eyes through the lens of the quintessential American suburban city, one in which urban and rural lifestyles converged and formed a new kind of community. This book celebrates Livonia's development from the 19th to 21st century, as it evolved from wilderness into a city that is routinely rated as one of the best places to raise a family in the United States.

Eight

1950s

Livonia’s Charter Commission had the responsibility of writing the charter that would define the kind of city Livonia would become. By a vote of 2,970 to 1,490, Livonians approved the charter on May 23, 1950 and Livonia ceased being a township and officially became a city. Seated from left to right are Wilson W. “Eddie” Edgar, William W. Brashear, Carl J. Wagenschutz, Harry S. Wolfe, Daniel McKinney, and Raymond E. Grimm. Standing from left to right are Fred Weinert, Rudolph R. Kleinert, and Leo Nye.

Here are the first city officials who were elected on May 23, 1950. Seated from left to right are Carl J. Wagenschutz (treasurer), Jesse Ziegler (mayor), Nettie Carey (councilwoman), John W. Whitehead (councilman), and Leo Nye (justice of the peace). Standing from left to right are Harry S. Wolfe (council president), Wilson W. “Eddie” Edgar (councilman), Raymond E. Grimm (councilman), Harvey Jahn (councilman), William Taylor (councilman), Ray Owens (constable), and John Miller (constable).

In the same month that Livonia became a city, Elm School put on its annual May Festival. Pictured here are the second, third, and fourth grade students. On the right-hand side of the picture is a maypole, around which the children would twirl as part of the festival.

Jesse Ziegler (1894–1974) was Livonia’s first mayor, holding the office from 1950–1954. Prior to that, he was township supervisor for 28 years and he also served as Livonia’s postmaster. His father, Otto, owned a cheese factory that was located on Six Mile Road between Middlebelt and Merriman Roads. When he passed away at age 80, he had spent every one of those years as a Livonian.

Elbert M. Hartom was Livonia’s mayor from 1954–1956. A chicken farmer and ex-Army officer, Hartom was a controversial figure remembered for his loyalty investigations of city employees and having hooded witnesses testifying in secret. His reign as mayor was brief, and Hartom and his wife eventually retired to Costa Rica.

William W. Brashear was Livonia’s mayor from 1956–1962. Prior to that, he had been appointed as Livonia’s township attorney in 1949 and was a member of the Charter Commission; in fact, he was the man largely responsible for writing the charter. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was also a special agent in the FBI during the war. Brashear was very pro-growth and it was during his administration that Wonderland Mall opened.

In large part, Livonia owes its existence as a city to the arrival of the Detroit Race Course, which opened on May 25, 1950. The mile-long track was built by the Michigan Racing Association at a cost of $5 million, but Livonia would only be able to take its share of the revenues if it became a city, which it did two days before the track opened. The result was that Livonia was able to keep its property taxes relatively low, enticing both businesses and homeowners to the community.

Programs gripped tightly, these fashionable women root on their favorites. Celebrities like Gordie Howe and Willie Shoemaker could also be spotted at DRC, which was the place to be in the Detroit metropolitan area during the 1950s. 90

The annual Post Parade that opened the racing season was considered one of th...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENT
• INTRODUCTION
• One - 1800–1850
• Two - 1850–1900
• Three - 1900s
• Four - 1910s
• Five - 1920s
• Six - 1930s
• Seven - 1940s
• Eight - 1950s
• Nine - 1960s
• Ten - 1970s AND BEYOND