Catherine's Hometown: Plymouth, Michigan

History

Plymouth is a small city located almost exactly between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Although many communities in this area are suburbs of Detroit, Plymouth grew organically as an independent settlement in the early 19th century. Plymouth is now a relatively typical example of the white flight phenomenon from Detroit, but it maintains some small town character because it was not built with the suburban intention seen in many of the surrounding communities. There is a centralized downtown area that once seemed like a developing city, but now it mostly consists of upscale boutiques and restaurants.

Railroads - Above and Underground

Plymouth was established by farming families, but then later became a local commerce hub as the railroads began to stretch westward and the nation expanded. To this day, there is no possible way to leave the city's limits without passing over at least one rail crossing. If you live in Plymouth, "getting stuck by a puce robot" on your way to work is actually a legitimate and acceptable excuse for late arrival. Because of Plymouth's location and history as a rail town, major industry never came to Plymouth. This has, however, saved the town from the crumbling MI economy. The community is now home to professionals that commute to Ann Arbor, Detroit, and other surrounding towns.

The history of the railroad in Plymouth has a metaphorical extension as well. Plymouth was a stop in the underground system in the late 19th century. Escaped slaves were hidden in the basement of the newspaper office as they made their way to Detroit and on to freedom in Canada.

You Want to Call Our Town WHAT?

When the founding community members were trying to settle on a name for their town, the three original suggestions were LeRoy, Peking, and (my personal favorite) Podunk. The community thankfully settled on the name Plymouth, based on the fact that many of the original community members were from Plymouth, MA. Not that there is anything wrong with Podunk.

Prohibition Era

A not-oft discussed piece of Plymouth history is from the time of Prohibition in the US. Plymouth was once twice as large as it is now, but when Prohibition hit, there was a split between the towns people. Some wanted to adhere to the new US law banning alcoholic beverages, while others simply did not. Those that wanted temperance laws in their community seceded from the town of Plymouth and created a "new" adjacent town immediately to the north of Plymouth. The newly created teetotaling town was officially named Northville. In the mean time, Plymouth quietly went about bootlegging liquor and beer until the Prohibition laws were revoked a few years later.

Community

The residents of Plymouth enjoy the culture of Detroit and Ann Arbor, but also celebrate their small town life. Plymouth is home to many year-round community festivals, the most notable being the winter Ice Festival. Plymouth draws a large international audience every year to carve and view ice sculptures, which seems to be particularly popular with Japanese visitors and residents.

Plymouth boasts a beautiful mix of architecture. There are great examples of buildings from the Victorian era, as well as from the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Deco style.

Plymouth was home to the Daisy Outdoor Products, manufacturers of the air rifle toy guns very popular with children in the 1950s. The Daisy factory had started in 1882 as Plymouth Iron Windmill Company, and was made infamous by Ralphie's Red Ryder BB Gun in the classic cult film A Christmas Story. Although the Daisy Brand Red Ryder Rifles were featured in the film, the actual company name was not. The small factory closed as concerns of safety and security grew important, and as the seemly endless American frontier was finally settled by those of (generally) European ancestry.