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.