The Cranson-Hinbern House

Samuel and Persis Cranson came to Livonia/Redford Township from Monroe County, New York, in 1832 with their three children, and on June 8, 1833, land in Township One South, Range 10 East was purchased in the names of their children Marquis LaFayette, Samuel Jr., and Asa. Over the next four years, the family grew to eight with the births of Luke, Jane, and Sarah. The house's rear section, built with whole log joists, was constructed before 1850, and the front section was built about 1850 and later remodeled with Queen Anne features about the turn of the century. The Cranson family purchased 1.3 acres for eight dollars, farmed land across the road in Redford Township, and had six children, four sons and two daughters; their second son, Samuel, was a carpenter. In 1902, Fredericka Hinbern, also identified as Reke Hinbern, purchased the house and property for $800. The Hinbern family sold the property to the Southland Corporation in 1984, and it was then donated and moved to Greenmead from its original location at Seven Mile and Inkster, where it was to serve as a gatehouse and interpretive center for the Historical Village at Greenmead.

Livonia, Michigan · United States