5347 Plymouth Road

5347 Plymouth Road, is a historic, 1870's Greek Revival style, American Farmhouse, just minutes from downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the quaint Village of Dixboro,

It is located on the "Washtenaw County Designated Historic Driving Tour of 19th & 20th Century Settlements", along with four one-room school houses, a historic church, several cemeteries, barns and other historically significant homes and structures.

 Featured on the 2005 Ann Arbor Farm and Garden Walk, the 1 acre property received "National Wildlife Federation" Certification for the Butterfly Garden & Wildlife Habitats in 2003, as well as, "North American Bluebird Society" registration of its "Bluebird Nesting Trail". Organic English and French Lavender beds were added in recent years. 

The lush green foliage running the length of the fence (far, right side of the above photograph) is Dutchman's Pipevine. Adult Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on the beautiful large, heart-shaped foliage. When the caterpillars hatch, they feed on the leaves. It is one of dozens of host plants in the "Butterfly Garden" that provide food sources for all four stages of the life cycle of a butterfly.

French and English Lavender are growing in the back beds.The lavender attracts an abundance of bees - one of my favorite creatures.

 

I was actually close enough to capture the "bee's knees" in the lavender!

  5347 Plymouth Road, was never a fancy, up-scale abode. Everything about it was well-loved, and well-worn, long before we were born.

It still has the original: wood on the exterior, wide-plank floors, working radiator system, windows and 90% of the original plaster walls!

The energy-efficiency and level of maintenance could benefit greatly with additional improvements, but at the cost of the historic character of the structure. So, as with all things vintage, we been given an opportunity to appreciate that we needn't strive to make all imperfections "perfect". I think that's a good, overall life lesson.

The restoration of this historic home, abandoned for many years, began in the spring of 1996. It seems that most people who restore a historic home agree that there really isn't an end to the project. It's the gift that keeps on giving!