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"To
succeed, jump as quickly at
opportunties as you do at
conclusions."
Benjamin Franklin
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A custom
cabinet with a lighted display
for Ray Township archives was
recently installed in the Ray
Township Public Library as part
of the Library’s Renovations for
Resourceful Spaces Phase II
project. The Society contributed
$8,610 towards the $33,600
project which also renovated the
children’s room and bathroom.
The
Library was awarded a grant of
$15,616 from the State of
Michigan Council for Arts and
Cultural Affairs (MCACA), $5,302
from the Four County Community
Foundation, and $500 from the
TCF Bank Foundation.
Organizations receiving a MCACA
grant award are required to
match funds with other public
and private dollars. Additional
local support of the project
included the Ray Township Public
Library, the Township of Ray,
and the Ray Township
Firefighters.
In
addition to archival cabinet,
this second phase increased the
shelf space for the children’s
collections, added two dedicated
children’s computers, expanded
storage space, as well as
improved the overall comfort and
welcoming environment in the Ray
Township Public Library. (pictures)
On June
30, 2019 during the Ray Day
event, the Society’s
acknowledged donors and provided
cake for the Open House in the
Ray Township Public Library. A
perpetual plaque recognizing
donations of $500 or more was
unveiled during the opening
ceremony. The title states,
“Celebrating Our Donors, In
Gratitude and Remembrance”. Four
name plates are engraved in
memory of Marlene Ebling,
Richard Obrzut, Wilbur Heldt,
and Bernard & Betty Verellen.
The plaque hangs on the wall
near the archival cabinet in the
Library.
The
Society thanks the individuals
and organizations that made
financial contributions to the
project and the perpetual plaque
and the community for its
participation in the Society’s
many fundraising activities.
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PROCTER CEMETERY RESTORATION PROJECT
The transformation of the
Procter Cemetery is
stunning. The beautifully
restored marble tributes to
our community’s cherished
pioneer families now stand
proudly and glisten in the
sunlight. One can imagine
what the cemetery looked
like in the 1800’s when the
markers were first lovingly
erected, such as the one for
Lucy L Briggs who died in
1857 at the age of just 2
years and 18 days. Her
headstone states, “A bud on
earth, A rose in heaven.”
The project also uncovered
the headstones of Elzada
Smith and Mariam Titus. Both
of these women were not
listed in any of the known
Procter Cemetery readings.
Four tablets were returned
to their family’s plots,
Mary Hamblin, George and
Charley Hall, and Harrieth
Fillmore. Most likely, these
markers had fallen over and
someone placed them in
another area to safeguard
them. Thankfully,
Stonehugger was able to find
their bases and return them
to their original locations.
Finally, as the project was
completed in the spring and
the bushes were still
without leaves, Helen
Wildermuth of Stonehugger
was able to locate an
obelisk and finial that were
lying down the embankment.
These items are being stored
until they can be returned
to the tops of their
rightful monuments.
Stonehugger Cemetery
Restoration Company will
provide the Society with
a binder documenting all
the information and work
done to the 57 stones.
The Society also updated
the list of those buried
in the Procter Cemetery
that is available on our
website. Those
highlighted in green
were restored. The names
highlighted in yellow
are tablets that still
need restoration. The
names highlighted in
orange are the
patriarchs of each
family whose monument
needs restoration, as
well.
The community’s
support allowed for
the success of this
phase of the Procter
Cemetery
Restoration. The
Society thanks all
who helped plan the
project, organized
or attended
fundraising
activities, and our
sponsors.
Platinum
Sponsor -
The Four County
Community Foundation
Silver
Sponsors -
Armada AmVets Post
93, Armada Lions
Club, Avon Pryor –
in Memory of John M.
Crawford, Ray
Township
Firefighters, Ray
Township Lions Club,
and the Romeo Lions
Club
Bronze
Sponsors -
William Diener,
Mario & Joelle
DiNello, Janet
Garrett, Rusty W. F.
Millar, Richard
Pointe, Richmond
Lodge #187 F & A
Masons
Individual
Sponsors -
Graham Family, John
& Audrey Hemr &
Family, Winn &
Sharon Renken, and
Leroy Smith
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NEWS / EVENTS |
The Friends of the
Ray Township Library
and Historical
Society will host
its first quarterly
meeting this year on
Thursday, February
18, 2021 at 6:00pm
EST via Zoom. We
invite everyone to
join us and share
the information with
friends. Here is the
link to connect:
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 882 1709
9600
Passcode: 423538
CHECK THEM OUT HERE!
2020 Calendar now
available - click
HERE
Thanks to
the generous
donations and
community
participation during
our annual Silent
Auction, the Friends
of the Ray Township
Library and
Historical Society
raised over $1,700
at the Ray Day
Picnic in the Park
event on June 30,
2019.
The community’s
support is greatly
appreciated as we
raise funds to
repaint the exterior
of the Ray Township
Public Library
housed in the
historic 1863
one-room
schoolhouse.
LIST OF
2019 AUCTION
DONORS
HELP US RENOVATE THE
LIBRARY'S CHILDREN'S
ROOM. Click
HERE
for details!
The Friends of Ray
Township Library and
Historical Society
has published its
2019 calendar,
titled “Historical
Connections”,
in collaboration
with the Romeo
Historical Society
and the Greater
Washington Area
Historical Society.
It features images
from the early to
mid-1900’s.
CALENDARS
ARE NOW AVAILABLE
FOR DONATION AT THE
RAY TOWNSHIP PUBLIC
LIBRARY
Proceeds from the
sale of calendars
within Ray Township
will support Library
programs and
preservation
projects in Ray
Township. Visit
Our Store
page for more
information.
New Ray Township
T-shirts are
available in
Our Store
MEMBERSHIP FORM
 Here are
some events we have
coming up that you
might be interested
in attending:
EVENTS
Check back
for future updates.
The Society is
seeking additional
members who are
interested in helping
the Library and/or
preserving the history
of Ray Township. Stop by
the Library or call
586-749-7130
for more information.
It was a beautiful
evening for our
annual Indian Trail
road cleanup event.
We are so thankful
to those who came
out to help. We are
keeping the "Jewel
of Macomb County"
beautiful. If you
were unable to make
it out to tonight's
event, we will make
sure to let everyone
know of next year's
event.
Summary, with
pictures, of the
annual Macomb County
Heritage Alliance
meeting and trip to
the Selfridge
Military Air Museum
can be viewed
HERE.
Thank you to all of
those who came out
to the bottle and
can drive at the Ray
Township Recycling
Center and Ray
Township FD! We
raised over $160.00
to benefit the
Library renovations.
Your generosity was
amazing! Stay tuned
for more fundraising
events and bottle
and can drives that
will be scheduled in
the future. You can
find the information
here, on our
website, in our
newsletter, as well
as on our Facebook
page.
Click
HERE
for photos of our
bottle and can
drive.
Amazon
will donate 0.5% of the
price of your eligible
AmazonSmile purchases to
the Ray Township
Historical Society
whenever you shop on
AmazonSmile. Click on
the AmazonSmile button
to sign up and start
shopping.
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This was a wonderful
start to the
restoration of the
entire Procter
Cemetery. A quick
review of the
cemetery shows
another 74 markers
and 33 monuments
that would benefit
from restoration at
an estimated cost of
$40,000. The
Society’s members
will need to discuss
how and when to
continue with the
next phase in the
restoration of the
Procter Cemetery.
Click
here to view history of the Procter
Cemetery.
Click
here to view plot documents for the Procter
Cemetery.
OUR MISSION
The Friends of Ray
Township Library and Historical Society’s
mission is to engage passionate individuals to
enrich cultural experiences, enhance literary
and educational opportunities, and enliven
history.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
RAY TOWNSHIP
Whether you are new to Ray
Township, or have lived here for generations,
you’ll agree that the “jewel of Macomb County”
is a unique and wonderful community. It has
grown and changed through the years, but unlike
so many surrounding areas, Ray Township has
retained its rural charm. Many diligent
historians have researched our township, and we
present a small sampling of their efforts here.
(The following is adapted from Leeson’s
History of Macomb County,
Michigan, pp.858ff.)
Joseph Chubb was among the
first white settlers of the area that became Ray
Township. His 1825 patent of one section of land
was signed by John Quincy Adams. Sadly, Joseph
Chubb’s wife soon became the first adult person
to be buried in Ray on January 9, 1827. Lucinda
Chubb was the first white female child born in
Ray, and Edgar Freeman was the first white male
child. At about this time, other white settlers
included the families of Zelottes Stone, John
Gass, Duncan Gass, Nathaniel Thompson, Benjamin
Freeman, J.T. Robinson, and Samuel Butterfield.
At the time of its organization, the area was
named “Rhea”, after the Latin name of a river in
Europe. After two or three years, the name was
changed to “Ray”. The community grew as more
settlers came to the area. The first schoolhouse
was erected near what is now known as Ray Center
in 1834. The first church building was erected
in Ray in 1839, for the Close Communion Baptist
Society.
(The following is adapted
from the Ray Township website: www.raytwp.org.
It includes some background on two of our best
known historic buildings, the Township Hall and
Library.)
When Ray Township was established in 1827, the
boundaries included what is now Armada Township.
In 1832 the boundaries were enlarged to include
Lenox, Macomb and Richmond Townships. Ray
Township was later reduced to its present size
of 36 square miles with boundaries as follows-32
Mile as the northern boundary, 26 Mile as its
southern boundary, its eastern boundary being a
line one mile east of North Avenue and to the
west a line one mile west of Romeo Plank.
The current Township Hall
is housed in what was originally the Ray “Union
Church” built in 1869. In the 1940’s attendance
lagged at the church and the trustees decided to
abandon the church and to turn the property over
to the township to be used by its residents. On
June 6, 1950 a formal agreement was signed
between the church trustees and the trustees of
the Township. The Township Board began holding
meetings at the hall in 1968 and in 1973 opened
a small office in the back room. In 1996 the Ray
Township Senior Center addition was built on the
back of the hall. The interior of the old hall
was renovated in 2001 to provide much needed
office space for the Township Hall.
The Township Library is
located in a former one-room schoolhouse that
was built in 1863. The “Mill School” served the
community to educate the children of Ray
Township for ninety-one years. The ownership of
the school and property was transferred to Ray
Township in 1953. The building was reconditioned
in 1983 and opened as the Ray Township Library.
(The following is
excerpted from the Macomb County Historical
Commission website’s Local History Spotlight
page; it describes the settlements that were a
part of Ray Township.)
Davis - This settlement of Ray
Township was originally named Brooklyn. Because
this name was already taken in Michigan, the
settlement was renamed Davis in 1876 in honor of
Rev. Jonathan E. Davis. At its peak in the
1940s, Davis had 2 grocery stores, 2 gas
stations, a church, Davis Hardware, a
barber/beauty shop, cleaners, tile factory,
grange office, two-room schoolhouse, insurance
and other offices, a Masonic Temple, and a
cemetery. Prior to 1876, there were 2
blacksmiths, a hotel, general store, sawmill,
cooper, church, school and cemetery. The “Plank
Road Mill” manufactured planks for the Romeo
Plank Road. Davis is located at 27 Mile and
Romeo Plank Road in Ray Township, and it is
still a viable entity as a community.
Meade - Stewart Taylor became
the first postmaster of this rural post office
in 1838. At that time called “Vienna,” it was
renamed for Civil War general, George Gordon
Meade, on November 28, 1863 and operated until
July 31, 1906. During the 1870’s it was also
known locally as the “Crawford Settlement.” At
one time near a small airport, as of 2005, Meade
still enjoys a somewhat tenuous existence. There
is still a party store (located in one of the
oldest surviving structures) as well as Meade
Cemetery and a few street signs that still mark
Meade. It was/is located at 26 Mile Road between
Romeo Plank and North Avenue.
Ray Center - Located in the
southern part of Ray Township, Ray Center’s post
office was opened there on February 13, 1846.
The first land purchase in the area was made by
Reuben R. Smith in 1824. First named Rhea, after
the Latin name of a river in Europe, it was
later changed to Ray, which is still the
township name. Its location was at the
intersection of 29 Mile, Hartway and Indian
Trail Road on the north branch of the Clinton
River. One of the main businesses was the Shafer
Mill. It went into decline when the railroad
passed it by, instead going by Armada and Romeo.
Ray - This rural post
office in the center of Ray Township opened on
May 1, 1827 with Reuben R. Smith as the first
postmaster. Not to be confused with the Ray
Center post office, it operated until June 25,
1868.
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