Cobblestone Farm, like Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti themselves, started life in 1824. Located prominently on the Ypsi-Ann Arbor Road, it was a working farm, and remained such into the third quarter of the 20th century.
Today Cobblestone Farm is a park in south-central Ann Arbor fronting on Packard Road. Popular as a picnic spot and site for public and private gatherings (such as weddings and community fairs), the farm is possessed of a handful of extremely well preserved historic buildings. Mallet’s Creek traverses the property.
The farm house, completed in 1844, is one of several
cobblestone houses in the area
History
Ownership
- Ticknor family = 1824-1860
- Booth family = 1860-1880
- Campbell family = 1881-1972
- City of Ann Arbor = 1972-present
 1859 advertisement for the farm |
Timeline
| Year | Event |
| 1824 | Ezra Maynard clears land for a 240-acre farm in Section 3 of Pittsfield Township, lives in a log house on Mallet’s Creek |
| 1835 | Maynard sells farm to Heman Ticknor on behalf of his brother Benajah Ticknor, a surgeon serving in the United States Navy |
| 1840 | Dr. Benajah Ticknor shares the small frame house with brother Heman and family |
| 1844 | Construction of the cobblestone house completed |
| 1846 | Ticknor farm expands by another 80 acres |
| 1860 | Gesie Ticknor inherits the farm from her late husband Benajah, sells to Horace Booth |
| 1880 | William and Catherine Burke purchase the farm, then sell to Susan Chandler |
| 1881 | Scottish immigrants, William and Mary Aulls Campbell purchase the farm. Three generations of Campbells and their offspring work the farm |
| 1972 | The City of Ann Arbor acquires the farm from George and Mary Campbell |
| 1973 | Cobblestone Farm Committee founded |
| 1974 | Ann Arbor City Council resolution gives authority for the farm to the Historic District Commission; Cobblestone Farm Committee incorporates as Cobblestone Farm Association, a not-for-profit volunteer-run organization |
| 1981 | "Ann Arbor's Last Log Cabin" (the Willis cabin) was moved to the site from its original location at 1563 South Maple Road |
| 1982 | Ann Arbor City Council resolution establishes guidelines for management and operation, Cobblestone Farm officially becomes a public park |
On the web
- Cobblestone Farm Association website
- City of Ann Arbor: Cobblestone Farm Rentals and Special Events
- Ann Arbor Observer: Then and Now: Cobblestone Houses in Washtenaw County (September 1989).
Maps
42.245193, -83.710558, Cobblestone Farm Center
