Main Four Corners Business District

"Post Office Medina Mich." at the Old White Store with proprietor Abner Griffith near the meat wagon.  Behind the store is the former home of past Old White Store owner Charlie Brown, and earlier the home of Alexander Blake who ran a furnace repair business on the Red Brick Store corner at a previous building.  This store was on the NW corner of Medina Rd or Main St.. and Mill St. Aldrich McLouth was owner and proprietor before Griffith; at an even earlier day  the store was operated by the sons of Timothy Allen, E. Darwin who became publisher of Morenci Observer and John who became Morenci's jeweler.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

Another view of Red Brick Store when operated by H. R. Skeels.  On NE corner of Main St. and Mill St.   Photo:  David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Wm. L.Clements Library, University of Michigan

From the "Skyline" view of Medina Village (shown below) is a blow up of the main four corners where we see L to R the back of the old hotel, a corner of the Old White Store, the trees in front of the Red Brick Store, and the brick Carter blacksmith shop.  The old Carter house is believed to be within the brush growing at the back of the Carter blacksmith shop, as Annis reports it was moved in 1909; we know that the Carter and Strobeck shops were gone possibly as early as 1902  as they're absent in other photos shown in previous posts.  The horizontal roof with wing building at far right was the Strobeck cabinet maker's shop. (It is seen in one of the Red Brick Store photos as a reflection in a window--will post elsewhere when located again).   Imogene Huff said:  "  . . . the cabinet maker's shop where parlor stands, tables, what nots, and book cases and bed steads were made by hand.  Many times I have filled my apron with all sorts of shapes of black walnut pieces that fell among the curling white shavings on the floor of Mr. Strobeck's shop on Main Street as he sawed out bric-a-brac and trimmings for furniture."  Then she started describing Mr. Carter's blacksmith shop.  Photo from Hudson Museum.  

Believed to be the SE corner of Main and Mill Streets; the men look like Chauncey Mann and Ben Hydenberk (see the City Fathers Photo for comparison, though that photo is perhaps 20 years later in 1898).  This tin type photo was found in the James Lee collection donated to Hudson Museum. Lee's mother Viola Palmer was daughter of John G. Palmer, brother of blacksmith Ernie Palmer and son of Stillwell Palmer (who was Annis Darr's grandfather).  To the left is believed to be the former Pratt cabinet making shop with a showroom in right front corner,  in a later time belonging to Mr. Strobeck; it was a large building with an outside staircase to the second floor;  to the right is the brick Edmund Carter blacksmith shop that was originally owned by the Allen Daniels Co., renowned as the most extensive store in the county outside of Adrian (in the 1830's and 1840's).  Bricks were made at an early day on the land of Charles Prisbrey, according to Geo. W. Moore. Note what appears to be the shadow of a large tree in between the business buildings and the street and the trunk of a tree at far right.  There's a little girl on the porch.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

Here again is presented the "Skyline" of Medina looking north from the mill area; the mills are either off to the right (east) or  probably torn down.  Photo from Hudson Museum

This photo was found in Burdick family photos at Hudson Museum; George Burdick as a child once lived in the Tiffin Mills area at the old John R. Foster home.  The Burdick children attended Pegtown school there.  In addition, Geo. Burdick's Aunt Lilla (wife of his Uncle Loren Lawrence) was a Hotchkiss, and it's not hard to believe that she asked the Burdicks to take a photo of the Medina Hotel before it was torn down.  It was the site of many celebrations and public entertainments, such as Wild West Shows outside on the side and back yards.  It is not difficult to imagine this was a request of a former Medina girl.  This is a copy of a very small photo that I am searching for again; it is filed in the back of another sheet of pictures and is not immediately accessible; but when it is found I will re-scan it and present it here.  What makes us believe this is the Medina Hotel, originally built and owned by Charles Prisbrey and C. P. Warner, later run by Lorenzo Barkman, and fianlly by the family of Frederick Allen (another son of Timothy)--well, the configuration of the roof line and wing is right, the chimney is in the right place, the steps off the porch match, the side yard is right; the windows are unusually long for a residence; and it is clearly an important building or there would be no photo of it taken; usually there were family members in the yard when the photo of a residence was taken, so this doesn't appear to be a residence.  This building was located on the SW corner of Main and Mill Streets and was torn down in 1912 according to Annis Darr.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

Flood of 1908 at Medina village, captioned by Jim Findlay who took this photo of a photo he saw somewhere.  Apparently 1908 was the year of flooding and there are no mill buildings to be seen anymore.  The small house on the hill in the background is still in place south of the main four corners and in very good condition today.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

To show how I decided that the building next to Carter blacksmith shop was not just a barn,
please look at this photo of Red Brick Store's reflection in the window and it's enlargement:

Red Brick Store around 1902 when the Maccabee building next door was built.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

Here in the Red Brick Store window, behind the reflection of the porch post we see the Pratt/Strobeck cabinet shop, gable ends facing E/W with wing on the back.  Trees are everywhere and especially in front of Carter blacksmith shop.

Blacksmith Ernie Palmer moved the Carter house which sat behind the Carter blacksmith shop to Section 9 where Drs. Ely and Coffin lived, just to the south of the Red Brick House of Schaffners.  Here is a screen of Google maps street view from 2009 showing Carter house on left and on right at a distance is Coffin house (where Dr. Coffin lived in the 1890's) These houses are now long gone.

2021 is when I finally saw the Edmund Carter house (left in Google Maps photo directly above) at it's original location behind the brick Carter blacksmith shop at Section 11 Lot 1, SE corner of the main four.  See enlarged enhancement directly below, where the house is within the oval.  Annis said the house was moved in 1909, so the Lady in the Buggy photos is earlier than that. Perhaps 1902 to 1905. 

By 1906 Maccabee Hall has been built and Abner Griffith has arrived and the Carter and the old Pratt shops are gone.  The town pump stands alone in the photo postcard sent by Sarah Moyer to her grand daughter Vella Moyer.

Lady in the Buggy Photo Series Circa 1902--1905

These are seven photo postcards from the Jim Findlay collection at Hudson Museum. Here they are in numerical order as labeled by the photographer, two without numbers. Most important are Medina Bridge and number 152, both identical views of  the Medina village "skyline," showing the main four corners with the hotel, Carter blacksmith shop, White Store and trees in front of the Carter BS shop covering the view of  Red Brick Store.

Recall that Annis Darr said the hotel was torn down in 1912; also we know that the Medina village mills were gone in 1908 when the flood was photographed.  Annis also said 1909 is when her uncle Ernie Palmer moved the Carter house from behind the brick Carter blacksmith shop to Main St. in the block with Dr. Ely, Dr. Coffin, Cornelius Brazee and the Old Brown House.

UPDATE 2021:  The Carter House is visible see Main Four Corners post enhanced enlargement!

 Mr. Carter died Oct. 20, 1898, coincidentally the same day the photos of the school kids and the "City Fathers" were taken.  Annis said after Carter was gone that Wheeler Lindenbower and Mr. Harrington continued to use the building, but nothing was said about the house behind the BS shop except it being moved in 1909.

Divided back postcards with place for message on the backs were permitted March 1, 1907, which all of these are, but we do not know the dates the photos were taken.

However, if we return to my earlier post "John Chris' Red Brick Store" and the post card sent by Mrs. Darr to her grand daughter July 1908, that card shows no Carter Blacksmith shop and no trees in front of where it was.

So the Lady in the Buggy photos must have been prior to 1909.

Mrs. Sarah Darr's card shows Macabee Hall that was built in 1901-2, dedicated 1903, according to Annis Darr. That photo postcard is of a different style, almost as if it were created for the pre-1907 post card market with the slightly larger right margin for writing (preprinted and not a photo pasted to card)--but it does have the divided back for message and address used starting early 1907.

So the "East Main St. Medina Mich." photo card sent by Mrs. Darr could have been taken as early as  1901-1902. Macabee Hall appears to be there so it is at least 1902.  That is also the earliest time the Carter and Pratt shops are known to have been gone.
 
Further, in the post "John Chris' Red Brick Store" we see the "Main St., Medina Mich" photo post card with the tall slim Aldrich McLouth leaning on the porch support at the Old White Store.  He married Mattie McLouth in 1906 (June 26, 1906 FamilySearch.org)  There is no sign of trees in front of Carter BS shop, or the shop itself, though the town pump is there.

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So I would date the "Skyline" view photo and it's series at the earliest in 1902; and this is apparently when the mills were gone as they are not seen in the Skyline photo--unless we come across information on the construction of the bridges.

One of the photo cards was mailed by A. or O.W.L. to Mrs. L. W. Abbott in Hudson, and postmarked Medina Oct. 25, 1912,  and we will show that below.  All the other postcards are unused.

In the next post we will present an enlargement of the main four corners and post the flood picture, Carter blacksmith shop, the hotel, Maccabee Hall, Ladies' Baptist Hall (previously Temperance Hall) pictures after presenting this series of the "Lady in the Buggy." for which we are indebted to the late Jim Findlay of Hudson.  Carter and Coffin houses still existed until the 2010's and  I will also provide a link to those in Google Street View, with the others in a later post.

150.  Tiffin Bridge, looking NE, photo from Hudson Museum.

151. Off Tiffin Bridge, Medina, Mich.  Looking south; Photo from Hudson Museum.

152.  (No title) This photo is what we have called the "Skyline" of Medina village.  The 4 corners all still have buildings, though the Red Brick Store is behind some trees which appear  in front of Carter Blacksmith shop.  Photo from Hudson Museum.  

153. Niger Bridge, Medina, Mich. located on the road that later became known as Warwick Rd., between Medina and Canandaigua villages.  Joyce Longo felt perhaps the Hotchkiss family had named the bridge as it is located within their old farm boundaries, and that the significance of Niger was as being named one of the longest rivers in Africa that was still being explored and reported on, due to it's continual wide twists and turns,  throughout the 19th century.  Photo from Hudson Museum.  

Back of 153. Niger Bridge photo (Warwick Rd. Bridge) The Warwick family came after the Hotchkiss family at the old farm and the roads were not assigned the names they carry today until sometime after 1920.  This card from A. or O. W. L. to Mrs. L. W. Abbott, Hudson, Michigan.  The friend will be visitng Bern Tew across from Milliken Bros. at Medina area.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

156. Catholic Hill Bridge, Medina Mich.  This bridge is located on Munson Rd. just to the south of Medina Rd., and this is looking south.  I believe it's Jim Findlay who wrote "Bridge replaced 1997" on back of this photo postcard.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

"Road to Tiffin," appears to show Medina Rd. heading west towards Tiffin or Peg Town--even though the Lady in the Buggy is heading east.  Photo from Hudson Museum.

This is a photograph of a photo postcard with a different caption (rather than just the number 152. shown far above in this post).  I would guess that a new postcard was made after the location was identified.  It looks like Jim took this photo because the 152. post card is discolored in the middle. Photo from Hudson Museum.