Renovation begins on Hewitt House at Walker Tavern Historic Site

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 27, 2012

Contact: Laurie Perkins, 517-241-0731


Construction in high gear on Walker Tavern Historic Site’s Hewitt House

The 90-year-old summer home of the Rev. Fredrick Hewitt is currently undergoing a complete overhaul at Walker Tavern Historic Site, located near Brooklyn, Mich., according to officials at the Michigan Historical Center.

Once completed, the Hewitt House will have new exhibition space, a museum store and community and office space, in addition to much-needed public bathrooms.

“We look forward to our spring reopening of the Hewitt House,” said Michigan Historical Center Director Sandra Clark. “The improvements we are making will not only be a great benefit to the local community, but will give Michigan Historical Museum staff the opportunity to exhibit items that have not been seen before.”

Hewitt owned and operated a mid-20^th-century tourist attraction on the site of historic Walker Tavern, a roadside inn on the Detroit to Chicago Road in the 1840s. “The attraction helped bring people from as far away as Detroit to enjoy the beauty of the Irish Hills in their shiny new automobiles,” noted site historian Laurie Perkins.

One Dearborn resident who enjoyed the Hewitt family’s hospitality was industrialist Henry Ford. The Ford family shared Hewitt’s interest in history and collecting antiques. Photographs and other documents from the Ford era will be on display at the Hewitt House when construction is completed in the spring of 2013.

Local contractors working under Laux Construction of Dansville, Mich., are responsible for the construction work. The preservation architectural firm is Quinn/Evans of Ann Arbor, Mich.

For more information on the Walker Tavern Historic Site, go to www.michigan.gov/walkertavern.

The Michigan Historical Center is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its museum and archival programs help people discover, enjoy and find inspiration in their heritage. It includes the Michigan Historical Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/michiganhistory.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.