Domestic Violence and Attempted Murder in 1910

This story from St. Joseph appeared in the February 5, 1910 Ypsi Daily Press. After filing for divorce and getting a restraining order, Mrs. Riddle watched in fear as her enraged husband came across the fields with a gun, heading straight to the house where she and the children hid. Warning: violent material.

"Seeking the life of his wife, having vowed vengeance because she had instituted suit for divorce and secured an injunction restraining him from molesting her, Albert Riddle, a Royalton township farmer, all but accomplished his intentions when he secured a repeating rifle and attacked the house, which, by the court's order, he had been forbidden to enter.

"Mrs. Riddle and her four children, offsprings of a former husband, when they observed Riddle coming through the fields, barricaded the door and awaited his approach. Riddle opened fire on the house and finally chopped his way through a rear door with an ax. Mrs. Riddle and the children fled through a front door in time to save their lives, though the enraged husband sent several bullets after them.

"When neighbors surrounded and entered the house, Riddle was not found. Blood was scattered about the rooms, and the furniture had been partly destroyed. Thinking he would fool the officers, Riddle cut the house dog's throat and let the blood run out. When the dog's body was found, a search for Riddle was begun. He was finally located under a porch and [secured] at the point of guns. He is now in the county jail, charged with attempted murder."

Sarah Jane Norton Diaries: Sharon Springs, NY

In the spring of 1864, 24-year-old Sarah Jane Norton, her 28-year-old husband Austin, and the couple's infant son Charlie emigrated from Sharon Springs, New York, to Ypsilanti. Sarah kept a diary over the next 43 years until her death in November of 1906. Her 1864 diary will be serialized here during 2012. To see all entries to date, see the "Sarah Jane Norton" tag at bottom.

At left she is pictured in 1888 at age 49. Introduction to the Norton family.


2/5/1864: Elma came for us to go to Mr Vooreses. but I thought I would wait untill Almire came here

2/6/1864: Eve Vansaltinberg came here this afternoon. I sold her my carpet-rags Albert came about 4ockock. I very glad to see him. I was so glad I did not know whether to cry or laugh. he has enlisted again for three years I am sorry. he had been home but a little while he gave me 58 dollars and ring that he paid 2 for he did not go to bed till after ten

2/7/1864; We sat up with George last night I set up untill three, then Aut got up and I went to bed Albert went to Uncle Bens, Aut went as far as Henry Smiths with him

2/8/1864: Washed the flanel to day. I had a good many and I thought I would divide it.

2/9/1864: Aut work for Jake Anthony Albert a Delos came between ten and eleven I was washing my white clothes they stayed a little while. then went down to Gardnersville to see [Sile]. I Irond part of my clothes this afternoon. Chalie as very cross I do not believe he is very well

2/10/1864: finished Ironing and baked some Albert an Caroline Noyes came a little before noon. I got dinner at three. Aut was down street allmost all day We were to Mr. Collins donation this evening to Rockville. there were a great many there he got 188 dollars. Albert and his couses [cousins?] were there we had charlie with us he was good. we got home half past 10

2/11/1864: Went to the stoar this morning. Albert did not get up untill nine o'clock then he went of with Seth Merenus and Barny Davis

These diaries were written by Sarah Jane Norton and are the property of the Norton Family. They may be used and reproduced for genealogical and historical purposes only. No commercial use is allowed without the express, written permission of Dennis Norton and no charge may be made for, nor income derived from their use.

Turning the Crank

This pic documents a major turning point in Ypsilanti utility history. FASCINATING. Here we see a bunch of white guys turning a crank. It is the crank to officially turn on the new natural gas system in town in I believe 1948. The old municipal coal gas plant at Forest and Huron was decommissioned and thus ended the three-decade era of municipal gas. Photo legend:

"DOING THE HONORS are Mayor D. T. Quirk (left) and City Manager N. G. Damoose (right), who are turning the valve releasing natural gas to Ypsilanti. Ceremonies were conducted at the gas plant on Clark Road. Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. officials and Ypsilantians watching the proceedings are (left to right) Walter Hochrein, assistant superintendent of the Liquid Petroleum Plant; Creston Myers, city councilman; Charles Henderson, general manager of the district; Will Kendrick, Ann Arbor, and Walter Butler, service department head."

A Bittersweet Ypsilanti Wedding, 2/3/1910

This February 3, 1910 account of a home wedding offers a look at the usual wedding customs of a century ago. Home weddings are the norm according to what I read in papers from this era. In fact I can't recall reading about any wedding that wasn't a home wedding, even for a well-off couple like this one--the bride was the daughter of successful Frog Island lumberyard owner and onetime mayor H. R. Scovill. Note the symbolic use of bittersweet.

"A pretty mid-winter wedding took place Wednesday evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. R. Scovill [120 Washington] when their daughter, Genevieve, was united in marriage to [traveling salesman] Mr. Herbert A. Bisbee. The house was simply but effectively decorated with bittersweet, cut pine, and smilax. The impressive ring service was performed by Rev. William Gardam. As the groom is in mourning the guests were limited to the relatives and immediate friends.

"Preceding the cemetery the solo "O Promise Me" was rendered by Mr. William Ryer, after which the wedding march was played by Miss Mathilda Holmes, to the strains of which the bride entered the back parlor and proceeded through an isle of white satin ribbon, to the tower window, where the groom and best man were waiting. The marriage ceremony took place in front of a bank of palms and ferns with a background of white outlined with bittersweet berries. The bride was given away by her father. After congratulations a second solo "When thou art near" was rendered by Mr. Ryer.

"The bride was prettily attired in a gown of cream crepe de chine, entrain, and carried a shower bouquet of bride's roses and lilies of the valley. She was attended by her sister, Miss Laura Scovill, who was becomingly gowned in pale blue chiffon cloth with gold trimmings, and carried pink bride's roses. The groom was supported by Dr. H. H. Harper. A pretty feature of the ceremony was the carrying of a ring in the heart of a calla lily by Little Miss Catherine Boss of Imlay City, a cousin of the bride.

"After congratulations had been extended, a wedding supper was served in the dining room, which was decorated in pink and green. The color scheme was carried out with roses, carnations, and smilax.

"The large number of beautiful gifts including cut glass and silver, attest to the popularity of both bride and groom. Miss Scovill has lived in Ypsilanti all her life and has a wide circle of friends among the citizens. Mr. Bisbee, who has made his home in this city for the past few years, is well-liked and has made a host of friends who extend to him and his bride their best wishes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bisbee left on the 9:12 [p.m.] train east for a short trip after which they will be at home, after March 1, at 801 West Congress Street (Michigan Ave.)."

Cars: A Menace to Public Safety in 1906

This February 1, 1906 YDP article offers a look at a time of transition, when cars and horses shared the road. Indianapolis was a larger and wealthier city than small Ypsi and likely the density of cars was higher there. DD recalls a 1907 story from Ypsi when the sight of a passing car on Washtenaw caused all of the Normal students out doing athletics (on fields then closer to Washtenaw) to pause and stare at it. Like as not we were slightly later to the game as far as sharing the road--but we eventually experienced the same tenuous sharing of Ypsi roadways.

"The supreme court has sustained the decision in the case of Susan Orner vs. William H. McIntyre, Auburn. She received $2,500 damages for injuries caused in a runaway started by McIntyre and his automobile. He ran the machine to within a few feet of the horses, although they were plunging wildly. Mr. Orner was thrown out and injured.

"The opinion delivered by the judge (Hadley) was the first on the subject in Indiana. In it he said: 'There is nothing dangerous in the use of an automobile when managed by an intelligent and prudent driver. Its guidance, its speed and its noise are all subject to quick and easy regulation, and under the control of a competent and considerate manager it is as harmless on the road as other vehicles in common use. It is the manner of driving an auto on the highway too often indulged in by thoughtless pleasure seekers and for the exploitation of a machine that constitutes a menace to public safety.'

"The court held that the care which the driver of an auto must give to his machine and the road he is traveling does not excuse him from the duty of observing horses that he meets and noticing whether or not they are frightened."

Past and Present: Ypsilanti Gas Co.

The Washington Street office of the onetime Ypsilanti Gas Company, whose plant was on the northeast corner of Huron and Forest. This is the downtown business office, where, if you were a miser like DD too cheap to spring for a stamp, you could go to pay your bill.

The photo is dated 1912. This may be incorrect as the city seized municipal control of the gas plant in 1914, holding it until after WWII. The inscription continues: "House in background: 212 Pearl. Later moved to 921 Sheridan (Ward Roper House). Genevieve C. Cross & Phil Duffy, in front of gas company, 27 N. Washington."

Note that in the reflection of the window you can see the sign for Ypsilanti's storied "ARK" secondhand store/junk shop/nexus of questionable activities.

I guess you could say the northwest corner of Washington and Pearl is still a place with a lot of energy...

Sledding Accident on Pearl Street Hill 102 Years Ago

The front page of the January 31, 1910 Ypsilanti Daily Press features this story about a sledding accident on Pearl Street, in days when few Ypsilantians owned cars to get in the way.

"A coaster carrying eight happy boys and girls speeding down the Pearl Street hill Saturday evening crashed into a delivery wagon owned by Gaudy's bakery at Hamilton and Pearl Street.

"The coaster was smashed to kindling wood and two of the occupants were seriously injured.

"They were removed to a neighboring house and their wounds [dressed], but a reporter for the Press was to stay outside to ascertain the [nature] of those injured."

We Lost the Starkweather Fountain, But It Could Have Been Worse

New York's J. L. Mott Ironworks company designed the onetime downtown fountain of Hebe, Cup-Bearer to the Gods. The company manufactured many types of statues as well as a wide range of other plumbing and household fixtures. Sad as it is that Ypsi lost her Hebe, it could have been worse. What if the city had ordered THIS statue instead, also by the J. L. Mott Co.? I'm guessing that this 1890 monstrosity would never have "disappeared"--who would want it? And we'd have this to look at, down to this day.

Or is it kind of awesome in its sheer ugliness? Hmm...now I can't decide.

Sarah Jane Norton Diaries: Sharon Springs, NY

In the spring of 1864, 24-year-old Sarah Jane Norton, her 28-year-old husband Austin, and the couple's infant son Charlie emigrated from Sharon Springs, New York, to Ypsilanti. Sarah kept a diary over the next 43 years until her death in November of 1906. Her 1864 diary will be serialized here during 2012. To see all entries to date, see the "Sarah Jane Norton" tag at bottom.

At left she is pictured in 1888 at age 49. Introduction to the Norton family.


1/29/1864: Aut work in the woods day

1/30/1864: Albert is coming home soon he is in New York

1/31/1864: Rains and freezes [ah] so splpery one can hardly stand up Charly is begining run alone

2/1/1864 & 2/2/1864: [is Charlie writing "sick" here? on behalf of his mother]


2/3/1864: Mr. Wort had his donation to day. we were going. but we could get no shoes for Charlie to wear I tried to make a pair and spoils them Aut wanted me to go and he would take care of Charlie. but I did not want to

2/4/1864: Spent the evning George Fondes. Tad and Elma were there we had a good visit it is a good place to go a visiting. Charlie was good we did not get home till most twelve

These diaries were written by Sarah Jane Norton and are the property of the Norton Family. They may be used and reproduced for genealogical and historical purposes only. No commercial use is allowed without the express, written permission of Dennis Norton and no charge may be made for, nor income derived from their use.

DIY Utility Bill

This is a bill from the onetime Ypsilanti Gas Company, a municipal utility supplying coal gas to homes all over town for cooking and lighting. The gas generator plant stood at the northeast corner of Forest and Huron, where the DPW yard is now. The plant operated as a municipal utility from 1914, when the city seized control, to the late 40s, when it switched over to natural gas and external ownership.

Here is a DIY bill in case the meter reader couldn't come in your house--presumably meters were indoors in those days--and a lot of moms were at home to be able to let them in. If not, you could just fill in the numbers yourself and mail it in to be billed, as seen on this undated sample which I would guess is from the late 20s-ish (?). ETA: Reader Paul found a date: 1931.

Tidbits from 1921 Washtenaw Map

While nosing around in a box of old maps the other day at the Archives, Dusty D found this gem: a 1921 beauty by the Auto Road Map Co. The map contains many details of vanished communities, railroads, and waterways.

Before ever seeing the copyright date, I noticed that Ford Lake was missing. This tipped me off right away that the map was made pre-1931, which is when Henry Ford dammed the river and began to create Ford Lake.

One now-vanished railroad is the old Huckleberry Line, then called the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern. You can see it exiting from the northern part of Ypsi and curving down to Saline, from which it continued west. You can also see the branch of the Detroit United electric interurban following alongside the "Chicago Turnpike," now Michigan Avenue. Remember the recent "cold wave" story? They threw a plow on one car, which was filled with photographers recording this novelty, and tried to forge through to Saline but the line was closed for literally weeks.

A branch of the old Ann Arbor railroad (still in use) is also visible, leading down to Urania. Urania was not a settlement per se but just a station name. It was named by one Thomas Richards who campaigned successfully to bring a railroad to Milan. He named it for his wife Urania Richards.

Another section of the interurban connected Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. Here you can see a westward section of the Detroit United line traveling out to Chelsea...and beyond. How Dusty D would love to go back in time and take a leisurely ride on one of the cars.

Last and most nostalgic IMO are the many little settlements on the map, now vanished. Here you can see Lima Center, Jerusalem, and Rogers' Corners, all west of Ann Arbor. Just south of these is Fredonia, which is still referred to as an existing community on the Freedom Township website. Many others are just vestigial names, like Mooreville, with only old cemeteries remaining to remember the onetime founders and residents of these tiny communities, long gone.

The Ypsilanti Home Association

What did municipal charity look like before mid-Depression federal welfare programs? Find out (thanks to the Chronicle)!

Past and Present Photos: The Barber Shop on Huron, c. 1913

Meet the guys at the barber shop thought to once have been at 24 1/2 North Huron. The caption for this YHS Historical Society Photo Archives photo states "The inscription identifies it as Courtez R. Hall's barber shop but it is also possible it is William Hipp's, long at that location. The gentlemen are, from L to R, Watson Laidlaw, Ralph Smith (listed in the the 1912 city directory as a clerk that boarded at 24 E. Congress), Wesley M Dawson (1890-1964) who was a partner in the Martin Dawson company and later Ypsilanti Postmaster, Courtez R. Hall, Samuel Spring, James Tweedie (listed in 1912 city directory as a barber in Hipp's barber shop and boarding at 108 Buffalo, Hipp's residence) and an older man not identified (perhaps Hipp)."

The puzzle is whether the modern photo is indeed a match for the original. What do you think? Obviously many changes have been made to the building facade...but are the bones the same? Is this the onetime barber shop?

A Portable Pest House, Ideally Situated Near the City Water Supply

There has been some agitation among the city authoriyies during the past week as to what would happen if a tramp who has been confined in the city jail should become ill with smallpox as was recently the case in the Ann Arbor jail. How would he be cared for and where? The city has no detention hospital and no pest house fit to keep a person in. What would become of him and how could he be isolated from the public to precent the spread of the dread disease?

Mayor Towner stated to a Press representative today that he had given notice to the Board of Health that something definite must be done in the near future to provide for such an emergency.

One plan that has been suggested is that a portable pest house should be purchased by the city and placed on the property near the Water Works station. Three portable houses may be purchased of a firm in the northern part of the state at a reasonable figure. One or more rooms could be purchased just as desirable. These houses are strong and warmly built and are put together with staples.

A meeting of the Board of Health and the Council will probably be held very soon to discuss the advisability of such a purchase.

----Ypsilanti Daily Press, January 24, 1911

The Cold Wave of 1912

Read all about the great cold wave of exactly one century ago this January! Thanks to the Courier and its great new editor T.! (If you don't have a sub, don't forget to pick up your paper copy on Thursday!)

Sarah Jane Norton Diaries: Sharon Springs, NY

In the spring of 1864, 24-year-old Sarah Jane Norton, her 28-year-old husband Austin, and the couple's infant son Charlie emigrated from Sharon Springs, New York, to Ypsilanti. Sarah kept a diary over the next 43 years until her death in November of 1906. Her 1864 diary will be serialized here during 2012. To see all entries to date, see the "Sarah Jane Norton" tag at bottom.

At left she is pictured in 1888 at age 49. Introduction to the Norton family.


1/22/1864: Ironed at home all day Flora called this evening Aut to work and boards from home. he has boarded from home but a very little since we have been married

1/23/1864: Pleasant. Charlie has been very cross today I do not think he is very well. Received a letter from Ypsilanti to day our folks seem to be well pleased at the idea of our coming out there Mr. Scrum was busied to day

1/24/1864: I was going to Church but it thawed so that I could not go Aut was running down street a back he was home in the evening Marie and Mary J Smith called

1/25/1864: Thawing yet Aut is to work for R Hanson to day I washed. Charlie was very cross he is more trouble than he used to be. full of mischief to, as he can sh[r]iek I went to the stoar and left Charlie with Mrs. Stoffor[d].

1/26/1864: Aut is chopping Lenard Larpunge and boards home. but I do not mind a little more work it is plesanter to have him here at meal time than to eat alone. Mr D Potter has his donation to night. we do not go. he is to much of a Loafer Flora was here this afternoon Mary Moak called this evening

1/27/1864: I was going to Marie's to day and Mother Norton sent for me to come there and visit with Mr and Mrs [Work] the Lutheran minister and wife Edhna and Flora were there I had a good visit

1/28/1864: Went to Marias Aut called for one when he came from his work thawing very fast

These diaries were written by Sarah Jane Norton and are the property of the Norton Family. They may be used and reproduced for genealogical and historical purposes only. No commercial use is allowed without the express, written permission of Dennis Norton and no charge may be made for, nor income derived from their use.

A Man of Mystery at the Normal, 1912

This time of year 100 years ago, Normalites were treated to a bright spot in the usual semester lecture course: a magician. The lecture course was a public cultural series for students and townspeople, the latter of whom could buy a series subscription. The onetime nearby Tubal Cain Owen family (whose landholdings were eventually absorbed into the expanding campus) had one such subscription, and Tubal's daughter Abba Owen frequently went to hear the latest lecture, in the late 1800s.

Germain certainly holds no bars in his ad for himself but I have been unable to find the tiniest scrap of any documentation of any performances elsewhere, so his precise stature in the world of magic is uncertain. At any rate, here's his ad and a write-up in the January 18, 1912 Normal News.

Past and Present: Spanish-American War Veterans on Michigan Avenue

In this winter 1900 photo a group of about 25 veterans of the Spanish-American War march westward on Michigan Ave. They have just crossed the "Old Iron Bridge," the onetime structure and name of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. In the background may be seen the Nichols and Panek upholstery store.

The Joys of Being a Normalite

Here's a cartoon from the 1912 Aurora normal School yearbook that shows the daily life of a student. The 6 panels depict:

1. Student waking up in his austere boarding house room (long before dorms at EMU, students boarded around town in boardinghouses approved by the school or in private homes).

2. Running down Ellis street to class. Ellis was the onetime name of the stretch of Washtenaw between the water tower and Huron.

3. Late to class!

4. Back at the boardinghouse for "boardinghouse hash" for lunch, with landlady scowling in background.

5. Studying on the radiator in a chilly boardinghouse room.

6. Nightmares of the dreaded blue book!

A Century-Old Clawfoot Cartel

In school you and I learned about the era of trusts and monopolies in the late Gilded Age and early Progressive Era. Standard Oil, the Chicago-St. Louis meat packing giants, U.S. Steel, gigantic railroad companies, American Tobacco, and even a group of linseed oil manufacturers. But in the winter of 1912, a rather unusual cartel had been hauled into court and grilled about its anti-competitive practices. In the papers, as here in the January 16, 1912 Ypsilanti Daily Press, it was referred to as the "bathtub trust."

16 manufacturers of bathroom enamelware, led by the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co., colluded to arrange to use a set of fixed prices to sell their wares to plumbers. The case went to the U.S. district court in Detroit and eventually to the Supreme Court, which ruled the group's practices illegal under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed in 1890 to eliminate businesses' collusion to restrict market competition among them and control prices. The Act came into heavy use during this era of trusts, but is hardly irrelevant today. In 2003 the band the String Cheese Incident sued Ticketmaster, claiming that the ticketing giant was violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. The case was settled out of court for a settlement and a non-disclosure agreement, perhaps sadly. And thus are linked a contemporary Colorado jam band and the clawfoot tub you remember from your grandmother's house.