As with every great
city, there is a beginning. The saga of Wixom began in 1830 when
Lewis Norton came to
Oakland
County
from
New York
State
and settled in the southern portion of what is now Wixom. He soon
built a home and sawmill on the creek beyond the school playground.
Today, as then, the creek bears his name.
Norton
Creek
is an offshoot of the
Huron
River
,
which meanders through much of southern
Michigan
. Mr. Norton’s years in
Wixom were few - two or three to be exact. He moved on to Williamston
where he was killed by lightning while taking shelter under a tree during
an electrical storm.
About a year after Mr.
Norton arrived in Wixom, another pioneer from
New York
State
settled the northeast section of Wixom. This man was to play a
crucial role in the development and prosperity of Wixom. His name was
Alonzo Sibley. At the age of twenty-one, he migrated to
Michigan
on a line boat on the Erie Canal to
Buffalo
, then to
Detroit
.
Upon arriving in
Detroit
, he started on foot
to
Royal Oak
.
From there he went to
Rochester
, then Romeo,
and finally
Pontiac
,
which was but a small village. He then proceeded to
Commerce
Township
where he selected his land. Mr. Sibley returned to
Detroit
to purchase the land - 80 acres -
from the Government at $1.25 an acre.After choosing an appropriate site, Mr. Sibley built his home from logs he
obtained in the process of clearing his land. Soon after his home was
built, he hired a team of oxen to clear and break up about five acres of
his land on which he planted potatoes and corn.During the fall of 1831, Mr. Sibley returned to
New York
to work during the winter for
wages of $12.00 a month. In the spring of 1832, he returned to Wixom,
purchased a team of oxen and proceeded to clear more land.
1832 brought several
more settlers to the community: Ahijah Wixom settled in the northern portion of Wixom and is the person after whom
the town was named; Ephraim Burch, a Canadian; Reuben Wright, a native of
New York; and Dr. Henry K. Foot, Wixom’s first physician.
These early settlers
received mail via the first Post Office in this territory, which was established
in
Walled
Lake
in 1832. Mail reached
Walled
Lake
from
Farmington
by horseback and was carried either in the rider’s pocket or in a tall hat.
While in
New York
for the winter of 1832,
Mr. Sibley married Mary Heath of
Perrington
,
New York
,
and brought her with him in the spring to his home in the west.
Mr. Sibley built the
first fences in Wixom in 1833. Most surprised with these strange
structures were the Indians whose trail ran thru Mr. Sibley’s
property. While fencing a section of his land, Mr. Sibley happened to
cross their trail. Within a few days after the fences were built,
about 40 Indians came along the trail in their peculiar single file with
the men riding and the squaws walking. When they arrived at the
fence, they halted, looked it over thoroughly, and then finally proceeded
alongside of it muttering “no meeshin”, meaning
they didn’t like it.
Wixom saw its first
road in 1833, which extended from Romeo to
Ann Arbor Road
.
On March 7, 1834, the
first township meeting was held and
Commerce
Township
came into being. In April, elections were held and many of the
offices were filled by Wixom residents. Noted Wixom names were:
Hiram Barrett, Clerk; George Spencer, Assessor; Daniel Dutcher,
Commissioner of Highways; Justin Walker, Commissioner of Common Schools;
Reuben Wright and Dr. Henry Foote, Inspectors of Common Schools;
Christopher Shy and Ephraim Burch, Overseers of Highways and Fences; Hiram
Barrett and Alonzo Sibley, Justices of the Peace.
The first cemetery was
established opposite Alonzo Sibley’s home in 1838. It was named
“South Commerce Burying Ground”. The officials were: Alonzo
Sibley, President; Ahijah Wixom, Secretary; and
Justin Walker, Treasurer.
The first Wixom
resident to be buried in the cemetery was Mrs. J. Walker who passed away
shortly after it was initiated.As Wixom continued
to grow and prosper, a school became necessary. In 1854, Mr. Sibley
donated land and a one-room brick building was constructed where the
cemetery is now located. The school building served many purposes for
the village; among them, a meeting place for Sunday worship services that
were conducted each Sunday by Elder Samuel Wire. Our local historians
tell us that this school contained but one chair, and this was used
exclusively on Sundays by Deacon Wright who was 93 years old and lived in
the woods south of Ed Hart (where Lloyd Croft’s home stands). Elder
Wire served as Pastor from 1853 to 1860 and during that time built the
house now occupied by Charles and William Tiffin to use as a parsonage and
later as a retirement home.
In 1855, sorrow once
more swept across the village. Ahijah Wixom
passed away. His loss was felt by every citizen of the village.
He was, undoubtedly, “Mr. Wixom” and one of the greatest pioneers of the
west.
The youngsters soon
began to outgrow the small one room schoolhouse and in 1857 another school
was built north of the original one. The old school was eventually
razed.
Wixom’s first church
appeared in 1865. It was built close to the school and named “Free
Will Baptist Church of Commerce Township”. Following the dedication
service, Harriet Sibley and James D. Drew were married.
A new railroad, the
Flint
and Pere Marquette, reached Wixom in 1871. During its
construction, many townspeople took food to the workers and provided
sleeping quarters.
In the fall of 1871,
Willard C. Wixom (son of Ahijah Wixom) platted on
both sides of the railroad. His land extended into the boundaries of
Novi
. After settling, he and Judson L. Sibley
(son of Alonzo Sibley) built a warehouse along the railroad that developed
into a thriving business for some time.
Willard Wixom built a
fine home west of the warehouse. Mr. Sibley built an equally nice
home east of the railroad. This settlement became known as Sibley’s
Corners.
During 1871, much
growth and prosperity came to the village and it was decided that a town
meeting should be called to select a new name for the town. It was
agreed that Sibley’s Corners would be called Wixom after Ahijah Wixom, and so it has been ever since.
In the early 1890’s a
new school was constructed where our present school is now located.
This building consisted of two rooms, and later a basement. When our
new school was built, the old school was purchased by Mr. J. Parvu and was used as a general store The Baptist
church was moved in 1897 from its original site to its present
location. Elders tell us that sealed in the cornerstone, which is
located on the southeast corner of the building, are the papers of the
original organization of the building.
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