The Cobblestone Farm and Museum, which includes the Dr. Benajah Ticknor House (also known as the Ticknor-Campbell House) is an historical

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

located at 2781 Packard Road in

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The museum gets its name from the

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

used to build the

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973.

History

The site of the Cobblestone Farm had been a farm as far back as 1824 and remained an operating farm well into the late 20th century. Ezra Maynard originally cleared the land on which the farm now sits. In 1835, Maynard sold the property to Heman Ticknor, who purchased it on behalf of his brother, naval surgeon Dr. Benajah Ticknor. That same year, Heman Ticknor constructed a small frame house on the property. In 1844, Benajah Ticknor built the cobblestone farmhouse, probably with the help of builder Steven Mills. Benajah Ticknor traveled extensively on assignments with the Navy, but retired to his farm in 1854 with his wife Getia (or Gessie) and two adopted daughters. Benajah Ticknor died in 1858, at which time his extensive medical library was donated to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. In 1860, Horace Booth purchased the farm from Getia Ticknor. Horace and his son Nelson farmed and improved the property, adding the fountain that still exists today. In 1881, William Campbell purchased the farm, and he and his descendants continued to farm the property until 1955. The family continued to own it until 1972, when the city of Ann Arbor purchased the property for use as a museum. Restored to its mid-nineteenth-century appearance, the farm today serves to provide a glimpse into the pioneer history of the surrounding community. The site was acquired by the city of Ann Arbor as a city park and is leased to the Cobblestone Farm Association. In addition to its educational mission, the

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

also serves as a venue for festive occasions such as

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

s and

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

Description

The Dr. Benajah Ticknor House is a rectangular two-story

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

house with a side-gable roof constructed of

cobblestones Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct from a ...

laid in a herringbone pattern. The center front entrance is flanked by Doric pilasters, and the corners of the house feature stone

quoins Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

. The -story frame ell in the rear is the original 1835 house constructed by Heman Ticknor. In the kitchen stands a large fireplace with bake oven and water heater made from hand-hewn brick. In 1924, a fire destroyed some outbuildings. Very few alterations have been done to the building, and both exterior and interior are in essentially original condition. The house was included in a 1933 survey for the

Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

. In addition to the cobblestone farmhouse, the Museum property also includes a large barn, tool shed, corn crib, and smokehouse. A c. 1835 log cabin, moved to the property from southeastern Washtenaw County, is also on display. Cobblestone Farm Farmhouse.JPG, Cobblestone Farm Ticknor-Campbell House, rear view Cobblestone Farm Barns.JPG, Cobblestone Farm barns Cobblestone Farm Historic Marker.JPG, Cobblestone Farm historical marker

References

External links

Cobblestone Farm official websiteDr. Benajah Ticknor House
from the Historic American Buildings Survey {{DEFAULTSORT:Cobblestone Farm And Museum Farm museums in Michigan Historic house museums in Michigan Museums in Ann Arbor, Michigan Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Houses completed in 1835 Houses in Washtenaw County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Washtenaw County, Michigan 1835 establishments in Michigan Territory Michigan State Historic Sites in Washtenaw County, Michigan Houses in Ann Arbor, Michigan Neoclassical architecture in Michigan