Some Ford Road History
Over 120 years Ford Road has grown into the commercial heartbeat of the region. As the community looks forward to an exciting year of new businesses and opportunities on the corridor, here is a look back at the last century.
1894: William Ford (father of Henry Ford) requested a portion of the road built near his farm.
1905: Ford Road named after William Ford for his public service on County Commission, School board and as Justice of the Peace.
Ford and Canton Center Rds. 1916 photo of bridge building near Fellows Creek.
Ford and Canton Center Rds. ~1916–1917 finished bridge near Fellows Creek, looking west.
Originally, Ford was a dirt road. In the early 1900’s, John Haggerty, a prominent businessman and politician, owned a summer estate at Palmer and Canton Center Rds. His role on the Wayne County Road Commission and later with the Michigan Department of Transportation eased the way to pave the rural Canton roads of the time.
1916: Ford Rd stops going west at Canton Center Rd. To continue traveling west, a short road turned north just east of Canton Center Rd. and then turned west onto Maben Rd which extended out to Beck Rd.
1930: Ford Rd. is transferred from Wayne County to the State of Michigan and designated M-153 (also serving as 0-mile-road).
1934: Ford Rd. is paved from the Wayne–Washtenaw County line west to Plymouth Rd near Dixboro, where it stopped until the north bypass for Ann Arbor (M-14) was built.
1933: The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) extends Ford Rd. from Canton Center rd. to Napier Rd. during the Great Depression.
As late as 1976, a 2-1/2 acre section along Ford Rd was home to a peony farm.
House belonging to Lyn Wiles at the Southeast corner of Canton Center and Ford Rds.
1974: Meijer opens at Ford & Canton Center, paving the way for the Ford Road corridor we recognize today.
1981: Paul and Fay Palazzolo open Palermo Pizzeria & Restaurant
1984: Canton Township establishes the DDA to bolster the burgeoning commercial growth on ford road.
Ford Road, 1985
2006: Ikea opens the (still) only location in Michigan at I-275 & Ford Road jumpstarting a statewide destination.