A History of the Farmington Link on the Underground Railroad
An interesting bit of Farmington's history which is believed to be part reality, part speculation, is the story of Farmington's part in the Underground Railroad.
The peace-loving Quakers were supporters, of course, of the Abolitionist ideals of freedom for all, so it is natural to assume that they would give what aid they could to runaway slaves traveling to Canada. It is believed that the Farmington routes were used only when the direct passage to Detroit was blocked by the watchfulness of slave hunters.
Although there is no actual evidence to support the claims, several buildings in Farmington are said to have been stations along this route. The first was the old Quaker Meeting House, where Arthur Power lived after 1836. Located on Gill Road, it is now a Convalescent Home.
Other purported stations on the Underground Railroad include: the Philbrick Tavern at Eleven Mile Road and Power, now a private residence; the basement of the First Baptist Church; a home owned by a Judd Webster, which stood where the Thayer-Rock Funeral Home is now located; and the Shaupter Place on Grand River, which is now Executive Office Supply.
While there is no proof that any of these buildings may have been involved, the story of Wellington Hullm, better known as Pete, the T.V. Man, one of the area's first black residents, does give some credence to the legend. Hullm's ancestors in Farmington date back to the 1850's; the property he owned on Ten Mile Road had been in the family since 1870. Ellen Wilson, Hullm's great-grandmother was born a slave in 1836. In 1850, she and her husband Aaron came to Michigan. They went on to Canada and remained there for three years, obtaining Canadian citizenship and, as a result, their freedom. The two returned to Farmington; it is believed they lived in several places, including a house at Nine Mile and Grand River.
When Hullm was young, he left his parents in Detroit to live with relatives in Farmington. He remembers accompanying his great-grandmother to the house at Eleven Mile and Power frequently. Though he doesn't really know the reason for the visits, he speculates that it may be because of the house's involvement with her journey to freedom. Hullm's story, combined with the rememberings of other stories residents heard from their grandparents, is evidence that some members of the community were indeed involved with the Underground Railroad.
Even with the history of the Underground Railroad, the community remained largely white through the 1970's. With the 1990 census, the population of the Farmington area remained predominantly white although there were significant increases in minority populations. In Farmington Hills, the percentage of minority population rose from 2.8% of the population to 7.3%; while in Farmington, the percentage went from .9% to 3% of the total population. The largest minority population was Asian, with 4.8% of the Farmington Hills total and 1.5% of the Farmington total. There were a large number of nationalities represented in that group, including: Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Indian, Korean and Thai. Black population was 1.8% of the Farmington Hills total and just under 1% of the Farmington total. The Hispanic population was 1.1% of the Hills' population and .77% of the Farmington total.
The concept of ethnic diversity in the community was vividly illustrated by the fact that in 1990, of the 69,733 people over the age of five in Farmington Hills, 8,015 indicated that they speak a language other than English at home and 2,277 of those indicated they do not speak English very well. For Farmington, 512 people spoke a language other than English at home and 162 replied they did not speak English very well. In addition, almost 10% of the population of Farmington Hills responded that they were born in another county. For Farmington, the figure was 6.8%.
Such changing ethnic diversity mirrors a national trend. Diversity in the school population is often a good indicator of other ethnic population characteristics. A May, 1991 survey of students in the Farmington Public Schools found that 460 students identified 24 primary family languages other than English spoken in the home. Of those 24 languages, the majority spoken were: Japanese, Chaldean, Arabic, Albanian, and Asian Indian.
Diversity was identified as a community concern that resulted in the creation of the Multi-Cultural Multi-Racial Council in the early 1990's. The Council, which represents schools, government, the clergy, business, service groups and residents, has the mission to enhance the basic human dignity of all people and to assure that all residents of Farmington and Farmington Hills feel welcome and comfortable in their city, schools, and neighborhood. The Council promotes community awareness and acceptance of diversity to improve race relations and to improve a climate which promotes inclusivity.
