Scripps Mansion

The Scripps Mansion (originally called Moulton Manor) is a Tudor-style mansion located in Orion Township, Michigan. The buildings and surrounding land are known collectively as the William E. Scripps Estate.

William Edmund and Nina A. Downey Scripps Estate
The mansion in 2008
Location1840 W. Scripps Rd
Lake Orion, Michigan
Coordinates42°44′58″N 83°17′01″W
Built1927
ArchitectClarence E. Day
Architectural styleNorman/Tudor Revival
NRHP reference No.07001009
Added to NRHP27 September 2007

Since 1956, the property has been part of the campus of Guest House, a residential treatment center for Catholic clergy.[1] The estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

History

The mansion was built in 1927 for William Edmund Scripps and his family. Scripps, the founder of the WWJ radio station (and son of the founder of the Detroit News), had initially established a farm on the property as a "hobby", before eventually settling there. It is currently not open to the public due to ongoing repairs, but tours and events have been offered in the past to showcase the interior design and garden.

The farmland of 3,000 acres (12 km2) was purchased by Scripps in 1916 from several different landowners. At its peak, the farm featured angus cattle, cows, swine, sheep, and poultry. During the Depression years, the farmhands and mansion servants all lived on the property. A small one-room schoolhouse for children of farm employees was established in 1925, and in 1952, it was converted into an Episcopalian church.[2]

Amelia Earhart, at the request of Scripps, flew an experimental glider at the property in 1929.[3] Scripps, a pilot himself, became a glider enthusiast and formed his own company (Gliders, Inc.) in 1929. He began his venture by manufacturing a primary type glider.

Today

Scripps died in 1952, and much of the farm was sold at auction. A large part of the collection of European paintings from the estate was donated to the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1956.

The farmland and lakes are now mostly parks for Orion Township, Oakland County, and the state of Michigan (Civic Center Park, Orion Oaks and Bald Mountain Recreation Area, respectively). Some of the former farm buildings were converted into the Canterbury Village shopping center.[4]

The airstrip and field used by Earhart is now used as an area for radio controlled airplanes as part of Bald Mountain Recreation Area.[5]

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References
  1. https://guesthouse.org/project/the-historical-scripps-mansion/
  2. http://www.stmarysinthehills.org/about-st-marys/history
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. http://canterburyvillage.com/about-us.aspx
  5. http://www.skymasters.org

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