Preview How Rochester's History Will Come to Life This Weekend

Members of the Rochester-Avon Historical Society will be in costume re-enacting the stories of the residents who reside in Mount Avon Cemetery on a guided tour Saturday.

The Rochester–Avon Historical Society will conduct a living history presentation that portrays several characters from Rochester’s past during a series of guided tours on Saturday. Tour groups will be led through Mount Avon Cemetery as they hear "Stories in the Stones" about the lives of people who are buried there told in first person by the actors. It's a family-friendly event combines community theater and local history. Timed tours will depart from the municipal parking lot at Third and Walnut Streets during specific times from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Ticket holders will be transported to and from the cemetery via shuttle van.  Tickets are $15 per person; tours will be held rain or shine. Tickets may be purchased at the Regional Chamber …

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David Gifford

12:57 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012

You can also pay for your tickets through Paypal via our website: www.rochesteravonhistoricalsociety.org/store   more ›

A Patch of History

Where is Rochester History Preserved? In the Archives, for a Start

First of two parts: Patch takes a closer look at the archives of the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm.

Many of us make frequent visits to the public library, but how many have visited a local archive? An archive is a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved. In this two-part series on local archives, I’ll introduce you to two formal archives located in the Rochester area, both of which are integral to the preservation of local history: the archives of the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm and the Rochester Oral History Archive at Oakland University.  The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm houses a traditional archive of papers, newspapers, photos and other documents relating to the history of Rochester, Rochester Hills and Stoney Creek Village, as well as to the Van Hoosens and the Taylors – two …

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Harris Fountain Near Rochester Police Station Has a Tale to Tell

Remembering Rochester's Civil War soldier and POW Samuel Harris on Veteran's Day

Did you ever quench your thirst at the large, four-columned, stone drinking fountain near the Rochester Police Department?  Maybe you thought it was a pretty fountain or wondered why such a simple device had a monument built around it. This structure is called the Harris Fountain and it was built in 1917 at the request of Samuel Harris, a Civil War lieutenant and prisoner of war who narrowly escaped execution at the hands of the Confederate Army in 1864. Life in Rochester Harris was a year old when he traveled with his family from Vermont to Michigan in 1837. Weak and frequently ill as a child, Harris didn’t regularly attend school. Instead he enjoyed building machines and working with tools. At 16, he convinced his father to let him …

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Tiffany Dziurman Stozicki

3:45 pm on Friday, November 12, 2010

Thought I would mention that Sarah Harris, Samuel's wife, is buried in Mount Avon Cemetery. Daughter, Fannie (1860-62), and son, Edward (1870-71), are buried beside their mother.   more ›