This is the property now owned by Becky and Russ Godin. Purchased in 2001, the property is five acres and contains a house, small barn, large pole barn, fenced electrified corral and pond access.
History of this house and farm are not yet known in much detail to Becky and Russ. A neighbor recently gave them some background, and said he even had some old pictures of the home. The kids are going to try and get copies of them to help in discovery of the history. What they do know is that the home was built in the 1860's. Around the same time Holly Township came to be. We are hoping that the township has records that date back that far to help in the research. When they purchased the home in 2001, the interior had been updated already. The kitchen, bathroom and much of the interior including electrical and heating had been completed. Although we can't be certain, we think that there have been at least two additions to the home so far. Mismatched brick was the main clue, alone with signs found in the basement where some of the original field stone foundation had been torn down.
Recent projects include the installation of a steel exterior cellar entry door, and the finishing off of the enclosed porch. The cellar doors replaced the wooden ones that were in pretty rough shape, and now provide good access to the basement from the outside of the home. In the picture below you can barely see them in front of the heating oil tank on the side of the house just above ground level. The porch project has been ongoing for about a month now, and we hope to have this completed by the end of the holidays. Insulation, electrical and drywall are the current tasks, with paint and flooring to be the finishing touches. I will also post some pictures of this in the near future.
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Godin Farm as it stood Dec 2001. Major changes have taken place this winter. See Siding Project. |
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View of the back pond. About one third of the pond is on the property. |
Starting in January 2004, major changes will be taking place at the house. Becky and Russ have procured the services of a highly respected local siding installer that has agreed to take on the challenge. Working on a house this old poses many problems as Russ and I have found out in the past months. Walls (inside and out) are not straight or plum, mortar may be weakened, and walls are sometimes up to one foot thick. But as time will tell, the exterior is about to be transformed into a beautiful and majestic old farmhouse from the past. I will keep you posted on the exterior updates as soon as I am able.
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This little red barn has seen better days, but is still standing and currently serves as a storage building. |
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This 3,500 sq. ft. pole barn is heated w/cement floors, insulation, and some drywall. Ceiling height stands at 14ft. |
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<-- The installation of an early Detroit street light. This now provides night time lighting to the side and rear of the house. The light is 1920's era. |
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Side/rear view of the little barn. |
Here is a view from the southeast corner of the lot showing all of the buildings.
Click
on picture to enlarge.
Click on link above to see pictures of the porch and outside basement entry door projects.
More updates to follow soon.
