The Sheldon Inn was a two-story apartment building located at 44134 Michigan Avenue, in Sheldon Corners in

Canton Township, Michigan Canton, officially the Charter Township of Canton, is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 98,659. Canton Township is Michigan's second most-populated townshi ...

. It was built in 1825, and previously used as a single-family home and a travelers' inn. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2000. It was demolished in 2021.

History

The Sheldon Inn was built by Timothy and Rachel Sheldon. The couple moved from

Monroe County, New York Monroe County is a county in the Finger Lakes region of the State of New York. The county is along Lake Ontario's southern shore. At the 2020 census, Monroe County's population was 759,443, an increase since the 2010 census. Its county seat an ...

, with all their possessions in a wagon. They had intended to settle further to the west, but when they camped for the night on the

Chicago Road (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, two days from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, they were impressed with the surrounding area and decided to settle there in Canton Township. On June 6, 1825, the couple purchased near their overnight camping spot, including the property on which this building now sits. They were the third landowners in Sheldon Township, filing their claim only a week after the first two. The Sheldons built a

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

home on their land, and the building almost immediately became an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

, serving the influx of travellers and settlers spreading westward from Detroit. The Sheldons farmed the surrounding land, and soon the hamlet of Sheldon Corners grew around the inn. Sheldon's Corners soon became a thriving community, helped in part by the 1829 establishment of South Territorial Road (now Geddes Road), which began at Sheldon's Corners. South Territorial was established by legislative act, reading in part:

''Be it enacted by the Legislative Council of the
Territory of Michigan The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...
,'' That there shall be a territorial road laid out and established commencing in the Chicago Road, at or near the Inn of Timothy S. Sheldon, in the township of Plymouth, in the county of Wayne, thence west on the most direct and eligible route, through the village of
Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...
, by Samuel Clements' to Grand River, where the St. Joseph Trail crosses the same, and also through the Coghwagiac and Grand praries, thence westerly on the most eligible route to, or near the Paw Paw, to the mouth of the St. Joseph River of Lake Michigan...

In 1830, Timothy Sheldon became

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of the area's post office, and the next year, Rachel Sheldon purchased an additional adjacent to this property. The hamlet eventually boasted a log schoolhouse, two general stores, two churches, a cemetery, a cobbler and three blacksmiths. The Sheldons added a one-story wing to the house in the 1830s for an unmarried sister. Timothy Sheldon served as a state legislator in 1839 and Director of the Poor in 1841 and 1845. The ownership of the Sheldon Inn eventually passed to Charles Sines, Timothy Sheldon's nephew, who sold the house to Charles and Anne Morton c. 1890. The former Sheldon Inn was turned into a two-unit apartment building. The building was demolished in January 2021 as part of a parking lot expansion.

Description

The Sheldon Inn was a two-story, side-gable

house located on a 1/4 acre lot, and sitting a few feet behind what was once its original location. The house had been altered since its construction, but still exhibited the Greek Revival cornice return detail on the side gable. It had an 1830s one-story addition, and a porch running the width of the house that was added in the 1930s. Two small additions were located in the rear.

History

Description

References

See also