User talk:Novilocal

Salem Township is in Washtenaw County and is immediately west of and adjacent to Northville Township which is largely in Wayne County and partly in Oakland County. The small 'village' of Salem at Six Mile and Salem Roads consists of primarily one old/repaired and one new government office/firehall building, a general store, a general use former store/residence, a smaller manufacturing plant, a house converted to a veterinary practice, a former grain depot now seemingly used as a storage facility, a former small airport now offered as residential lots, a number of single family houses and a number of large vacant lots. The 'Village' also includes an active traditional Church building; a similar church building was demolished within the past ten years. A major line of C&O railroad may route through the eastern edge of the 'Village' or possibly mark its eastern edge. Functionally, the 'Village' area appears to comprise an area of about 20 acres. Since the 1800's the 'Village' has been home to many black residents who owned their houses and properties and lived in harmony and cooperation with other residents. The traditionally rural/farming Township reputedly was a major provider of cavalry horses to the Union army during the American Civil War. Most of the City of Northville is in Wayne County and a small portion of the 'city' is in Oakland County. While 'Eight Mile Road' serves as the primary 'Baseline' between Oakland and Wayne Counties established usage and topography has resulted in portions of both Northville Township and the City of Northville being located in both counties. While Joe Louis may have undertaken some of his training activities on the grounds of the current Northville Downs Race Track in the City of Northville, his primary training 'camp' was located just south of Eight Mile and on the east side of Newburg (Halstead) in the late 1930's and early 1940's on a property that contained an overly large 'Manor' house which was converted to a senior care live-in facility (probably some time in the 1950's) and was destroyed by fire, probably around the 1970's. That property now serves as a parking lot for Greenmead historic village located directly west across Newburg. Louis also reportedly participated in a number of boxing demonstrations in some of the larger homes in downtown Northville. Henry and Clara Ford reportedly spent part of their honeymoon in a still existing house at Baseline and Center Streets. Henry was a frequent casual visitor to downtown Northville after he became wealthy, established the Ford Valve Plant at the corner of Griswold and Main Streets as one of his early 'cottage industry' facilities (now a health club and offices) and, reportedly, was incidentally responsible for the creation of Hines Park between downtown Northville and Dearborn by a casual comment 'overheard' by Edward N. Hines (then Wayne County Parks Commissioner) that it was too bad there wasn't an improved year-round road along the frequently flooded Rough River route so that he, Ford, who also had plants near both Six and Five Mile along Northville Road, could more quickly and conveniently travel from Dearborn to Northville. In November 1929 Hines commenced plans to develop the now existing parkway system along the Rouge River and its branches from Dearborn to the edge of the City of Northville. Downtown Northville was also home to the Northville Opera House which Ford attempted to purchase and move to his Greenfield Village. However the owner, upset with Henry's perceived anti-jewish leanings refused to sell him the building. The NOH eventually languished with roof problems and a fire and was demolished prior to 1950.2601:408:8000:1518:D835:8DAB:B775:667 (talk)