Aug. 25, 2006

The Walker Tavern Historic Site, in conjunction with the US-12 Heritage Trail Council and O’ These Irish Hills, is planning a rededication ceremony of the 1922 marker commemorating the 100^th anniversary of Lenawee County and the laying out of the Chicago Road and the Monroe Pike.  The celebration is set for 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 on the grounds of Walker Tavern Historic Site at Cambridge Junction. 

The sponsoring organizations are attempting to locate family members of those who were present at the original dedication in order to offer special recognition to them at the ceremony.

The marker, lost for nearly 40 years, has now been located.  The bronze plaque will be reattached and the stone reset.  The marker was originally placed on Sept. 10, 1922, by the Lucy Wolcott Barnum chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, located in Adrian.  

Before the state of Michigan began placing historical markers in 1955, many local groups, especially women’s clubs, marked sites of historic importance.  Most often the marker was in the form of a bronze plaque attached to a large boulder.  In some instances the boulder itself was engraved with historical information.

The US 12 Heritage Trail Council has located several markers that commemorate the beginnings of the Chicago Road.  Nearby ones are located in Ypsilanti, Clinton, and at the St. Joseph Shrine in the Irish Hills.  Further to the west, markers are in place near Moscow, Coldwater and Edwardsburg and at Union. 

The Cambridge Junction marker was removed sometime in the 1960s, when the intersection of US-12 and M-50 was realigned.  Newspaper stories of the 1922 dedication list the names of the following women:

Mrs. C. E. Baldwin, Mrs. O. K. Eldredge, Miss Sarah Knott, Miss Louise Ladd, Mrs. S. H. Perry, Mrs. C. S. Whitney, Mrs. Leland Bean, Mrs. Seth Bean, Mrs. H. C. Bowen, Mrs. E. B. Gibford, Mrs. W. J. Harris, Mrs. W. E. Jewett, Mrs. H. B. Knowles, Mrs. LaFayette Ladd, Mrs. T. M. McFarland, Mrs. C. S. Rose, Miss Frances Rose, Miss Eloise Wood, Mrs. William Schwitzenberg, Mrs. H. J. Williams and Mrs. W. H. Barrett. 

The sponsors are planning to recreate the original program as nearly as possible and would like to give special recognition to family members of the women named above.  If you are a family member, and especially if you plan on attending, please contact Cheryl Valentine, Walker Tavern site historian, at (517) 467-4401. 

Walker Tavern Historic Site is located next to the Michigan International Speedway in the Irish Hills. Situated at the Cambridge Junction crossroads of M-50 and the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail, Walker Tavern is just 35 miles west of Ann Arbor. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Sept. 2.  Fall tours are by appointment only.  For more information, call (517) 467-4401 or visit our Web site at www.michigan.gov/walkertavern.

Walker Tavern is administered by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency within the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).  HAL is dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy and by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan’s heritage and fostering cultural creativity.  In addition to the Michigan Historical Center, it includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office.  To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).