Cherry Hill is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Wayne County in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The community is located within Canton Township along Cherry Hill and Ridge Roads but otherwise has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics. The Cherry Hill Historic District is a primarily residential historic district encompassing the greater part of Cherry Hill. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2003.

History

Cherry Hill, settled in 1825, was an early crossroads hamlet in Canton Township. The town was originally called "Ridge" (also the origin of "Ridge Road") due to its position atop the ridge shore of an ancient lake. The first area church, the Cherry Hill United Methodist Church, was built in the village in 1834. In approximately 1865, Abner Hitchcock constructed an inn in the village, naming it the "Cherry Hill House" in reference to the wild cherry trees growing in the area. The town of Ridge soon followed suit, and changed its name to "Cherry Hill." Hitchcock's inn was used later as a general store and a dance hall, becoming the social center of the community for generations. The Ypsi Creamery was located in Cherry Hill, after which the Detroit Creamery (later the Wilson Dairy) operated until 1940.

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...

purchased the dairy and used it to house workers in his village industry program. The village industry in Cherry Hill was unique in that part of its purpose was to provide work for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

veterans who suffered physical or mental disabilities due to their wartime service. Cherry Hill is the last of the five hamlets in Canton Township to retain substantial historic significance; it also endured as a commercial and social hub until the 1960s.

Community development

In 2000, construction began on the Cherry Hill Village residential development in the area. The development included over 750 houses, parks, and a town center with a community theatre. The development emphasized traditional architecture and site plans to evoke a neotraditional small-town feel.

Historic District description

The Cherry Hill Historic District contains buildings facing Cherry Hill and Ridge Roads near their intersection. These include the Cherry Hill House, the only

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

building in the township, the Gothic Revival Cherry Hill United Methodist Church and associated cemetery, the Cherry Hill School, the Thomas and Maria Blackman Bartlett House, the Thomas and Isabella Moore Clyde House, buildings used for one of Henry Ford's Village Industry projects, and other farmhouses and associated outbuildings in the area.

References

External links

Cherry Hill Village Homeowners Association Official Site
{{authority control Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Gothic Revival architecture in Michigan Italianate architecture in Michigan Populated places established in 1825 1825 establishments in Michigan Territory Unincorporated communities in Wayne County, Michigan Historic districts in Wayne County, Michigan Ford village industries Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Houses in Wayne County, Michigan Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan Canton, Michigan