TBT: Franklin Cider Mill remains mostly unchanged
For decades, the Franklin Cider Mill has stood on Franklin and 14 Mile and it's remained mostly unchanged in all those years.
Fall is here. The temperatures are cool and the cider mills are pressing apples for delicious cider. It's a Michigan tradition like football on Saturdays in Ann Arbor and East Lansing. And, like those college football Saturdays, the cider mills have remained mostly unchanged in the decades of existence. One of those is Franklin Cider Mill.
This week's Throwback Thursday from the Detroit Historical Society features the West Bloomfield cider mill in 1963. Then, as it is today, had people loading up on cider mill goods.
Thanks to Google Maps, we can actually compare the Franklin Cider Mill in 1963 to 2012 and everything is very similar. The parking lot is still a one way system; the annex to the left of the main mill is still there but with a new roof; and there are stairs up to the annex on the opposite as well.
Click here to see Franklin Cider Mill in 2012, the most recent Google Street View of the Mill.
And of course, the familiar sign reading Franklin Cider Mill is still in place, though today, the words 'A Family Tradition' have been aded to it.
The area was more rural in 1963 than it is today but it was already autumn destination for Detroiters to enjoy fresh cider and donuts. The mill was originally built in 1837 and was bought by current owner Jack Peltz in 1966.