FOR RELEASE: October
11, 2010
(TROY, MI)
– Harriet Barnard knew the significance of the historic Niles Barnard House
when she donated it to the City of Troy in 2005 and Johnson Niles was a
visionary who saw past the pastures and cultivated fields to envision Troy as a
prosperous community. Together Johnson
Niles and the Barnard family are making history on October 20, 2010.
On that Wednesday morning, led by bagpiper Ron Barnard,
one of Harriet and Norman’s sons, the historic Niles Barnard House will leave
its home site for the last 173 years and make its way down Livernois Road to
the Troy Museum and Historic Village.
The basement has been dug and the house is being prepared now by C&A House Movers, who are also moving three additional
historic homes this month.
The journey of Johnson Niles, Norman and Harriet Barnard
and the many visionaries throughout the years including the Troy Historical
Society that have helped to make Troy the remarkable city it is today, will
continue down Livernois Road as the historic home makes it way to a new site on
the grounds of the Troy Museum. The
rounded stones dug from Johnson Niles’ land and used as the foundation for his
house built in 1837 will now surround the home on its new site at 60 W.
Wattles.
“The Troy Museum & Historic Village is now poised to
fulfill our goal and Harriet Barnard’s dream to relocate the historic Niles
Barnard House to the Village by the end of 2010,” Historical Society Board
Member Ward Randol said.
Joined by Harriet and Norman’s children and
grandchildren, members of the Troy Historical Society (many of whom served with
Harriet Barnard) and the Troy community
will gather up and down Livernois Road to view history in the making on October
20. Livernois Road will be closed in
sections as the tractor trailer carrying
the Niles Barnard home makes its way south along Livernois to Wattles
Road.
“The Niles Barnard House represents what Troy was in the
early days, a handful of families – strong-willed and hard working pioneers who
displayed extensive community involvement,” Museum Manager Loraine Campbell
said.
“Johnson Niles was a visionary who saw past the cultivated
fields and pastures to envision a prosperous community. His dreams were not realized until after
World War II when the population steadily grew and then boomed after the City
was incorporated thanks to Judge Norman and Harriet Barnard,” Campbell added.
This historic house move is made possible thanks to the
Troy Historical Society. “It is so
important, now more than ever, that we complete the move this year. This move,
while keeping Troy’s history alive on our Museum site, also signifies to our community
that we believe in Troy’s future. The
lessons learned from the pioneers like Johnson Niles and Norman and Harriet
Barnard making it through tough times such as wars and the depression shows us
that we too can make it through our own tough economic times,” Randol added.
Thanks to the Barnard Family, Troy Historical Society and
Museum staff, this house move represents the pioneer era and the city era coming
together to keep Troy’s history alive at the Troy Museum site on Wattles Road.
“The Troy Historical Society will continue to raise funds
to complete the restoration of the interior of the Niles-Barnard House,” THS
President Cheryl Barnard said. “The Troy
Historical Society is responsible for the costs related to the relocation and
restoration of the house. Unfortunately the costs for the project have been
higher than expected. We are still
looking for donations from our community to complete the project,” Barnard added.
Every effort will be made for minimal disruptions
throughout the day as the house moves along Livernois Road. Safety precautions will be in place, but
everyone is invited to grab a spot along the route to witness history in the
making.
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