Westland Historical Commission Preserves the Past

Preserving local history is what the Westland Historical Commission strives for. The nine-member commission collects and preserves materials and documents relating to the history of Westland and Nankin Township and operates its administrative office and archives at the Westland Historic Village Park, located at 857 N. Wayne Road.

Nankin Township was established in 1829 and through the years, the modern-day cities of Garden City, Inkster, Wayne, and Westland emerged from the larger township. "Our vision is to protect not only Westland and Nankin Township history, but preserves our natural history, our cultural histories; we do have a small collection of Potawatomi artifacts," says Commission Chairperson, Ryan Eberhart. "We're making sure that we preserve all of the history, not just when Europeans came; the first Europeans that came to this area and settled was in 1817."

The Westland Historic Village Park features four historical homes, a barn from the farm of Elmer McKee, a stone well, a butterfly garden, and a carriage shed which houses a 1922 Ford Model TT Fire Engine. The Helen C. Brown Museum inside the Felton Farmhouse features exhibits and artifacts from Nankin Township. The park's historic Rowe House holds the Eloise Hospital Exhibit, complete with photographs, antique medical artifacts, and a model of what once was the small city of Eloise, centered around the hospital campus. In its heyday, Eloise was a one mile by one mile parcel of land which was home to the hospital and its patients, hospital staff, and their families. The hospital played many roles including a poor farm, a tuberculosis sanitarium, a mental facility, and a high-quality medical hospital which was the first facility to have an onsite X-ray machine in 1896. "It was a state-of-the-art facility at the time," says Brenda Ozog, Historical Commission Member. The one mile city of Eloise is long gone and many of the buildings which once housed hospital staff are no more, replaced by a shopping plaza. The remains of the hospital have become the basis for haunted tales, yet despite its reputation as a haven for ghost hunters and reality TV shows, the historical significance of Eloise remains steadfast. "People really have a heart for Eloise. Around here people actually love it and care about the site and the facility and get really upset if it's not taken care of or if people aren't remembered," says Ozog.

In addition to the Historic Village Park, the Westland Historic Commission oversees the two historic cemeteries located in Westland: Chubb Cemetery on Warren Road which was established in 1849, and Ganong Cemetery located on Henry Ruff Road which was established in 1832. The Chubb Cemetery was established by Nankin Township pioneer Glode Chubb and is the final resting place of his son, Lucius Chubb, who succumbed to injuries received during the Civil War at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. On Sunday, September 26, the historic commission will host a Cemetery Walk at the Ganong Cemetery to conduct clean up and restoration work on grave markers and landscaping.

Community events are also hosted at the Historic Village Park. On September 25 at 1 p.m. the historic commission will host a square dance event for the community. Trunk or Treat will be hosted at the village on Saturday, October 23. Such events serve to bring awareness to the community about the village and all it offers to all ages. "I've been here since 2009 and every single Saturday that I've been here at least one person will say, 'I didn't know you were here,'" says Eberhart. To find out about the Historic Village and upcoming events, go to http://[email protected] or see the commission's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/westlandhistoricvillagepark. Information can also be found about the historical commission's meeting schedule. The commission currently has vacancies.

"We're keeping history alive and making sure people aren't forgotten, that things aren't forgotten," says Ozog. "This is the city of Westland's village, it's the citizen's village. Hopefully we can make this the diamond of Westland so people want to be here and be proud of what's here."

The museums contained within the Westland Historic Village Park are open on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and the park grounds are open to visitors throughout the week. The park is open year round