[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 174 (Friday, November 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OLD HOMESTEAD SUBDIVISION

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                          HON. JOE KNOLLENBERG

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 9, 2007

  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the historic Old 
Homestead Subdivision at Eleven Mile and Drake Roads in Farmington 
Hills, Michigan as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary on November 
10, 2007.
  The Old Homestead Subdivision takes its name from the original 240-
acre tract taken out in 1824 by Mr. Edward Steele. The deed, which was 
signed by President John Quincy Adams, was granted to the first 
``homesteader,'' who was required to clear the wilderness and establish 
a home while paying $1.25 an acre. It was on this land that Mr. Steele 
built a home, a farm, and a mill for his family.
  It was Edward Steele's grandson, Frank Steele, who would leave the 
largest mark on this community. After a fire destroyed his 
grandfather's farmhouse, Frank and his wife, the former Bertha Crosby, 
the daughter of the first soldier to enlist in the Civil War from 
Michigan, commissioned a stone house to be built on Eleven Mile Road. 
They were both active members of the community, where Frank served on 
the Township Board and as a Justice of the Peace, while Bertha was 
active in all the local women's organizations. The house stayed within 
the Steele family until 1989 when it was made part of the Farmington 
Hills Historic District by Frank's nephew, Robert Bohme.
  Throughout the years, the farm land originally purchased by Edward 
Steele has been sold and developed into country homes for folks seeking 
solace from the busy city life of Detroit. Stores, cider mills, and 
inns began to dot the pastoral landscape, bringing commerce to the 
community. Road development allowed more families to settle into 
suburban life in Farmington Hills, and like many subdivisions that 
formed after World War II, the homestead was established on November 
10, 1957.
  Even with all of the new construction and development that came over 
the years, the Old Homestead kept hold of the unique features that made 
it what it is. The Old Homestead remains home to historic Elliot 
Sprague House, which was built in 1880, and the Erie Prince Sawmill, 
which now is a cider mill. These mainstays keep the Old Homestead as 
the quaint neighborhood it was when formed.
  Madam Speaker, today I pay tribute to the rich history of the Old 
Homestead Subdivision. Its contribution to the character of the city of 
Farmington Hills is beyond measure, and I congratulate the residents on 
the 50th anniversary of its founding.

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