It’s no secret that Northville prides itself on both its history and its success at preserving it. Northville’s historic Mill Race Village district has no lack of visitors, and is one of the city’s points of pride and centers for cultural events.

Image courtesy of northville.patch.com

You may have seen the Patch.com article from earlier this week, about the publication titled Northville: The Ideal Suburban Village. The pamphlet, printed by the Eagle Steam Printing & Engraving Company, features detailed illustrations of life in Northville in the 1890’s. It’s interesting to see how the city has changed and developed since then, and how our perspectives of that change have changed, as well.

Restored Victorian homes dot Northville’s residential areas, and one glance at the downtown area (iron lamp posts, brick roads and sidewalks, and historic storefronts) tells you that Northville is a town that knows its past. This past year, many Michigan cities concentrated on building their downtown images, hoping to convey the town’s character through their preserved history, unique shops, and community activities. As time goes on, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see towns putting much more effort into preserving what makes them unique and different from other areas, both to attract tourism and to preserve their heritage.

Fortunately, Northville has never had any difficulty in either of those areas. Northville community members have always shown a vested interest in keeping the past alive, and the town welcomes many visitors each year. Once in a while, it’s nice to see new reminders of the past, and learn more about where we’ve come from.