Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate
About this property
The Scripps Mansion (originally called Moulton Manor) is a Norman/Tudor Revival style mansion located in Orion Township, Michigan. The buildings and surrounding land are known collectively as the William E. Scripps Estate. Since 1956, the property has been part of the campus of Guest House, a residential treatment center for Catholic clergy. The estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. 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. Amelia Earhart, at the request of Scripps, flew an experimental glider at the property in 1929. 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. 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. The airstrip and field used by Earhart is now used as an area for radio controlled airplanes as part of Bald Mountain Recreation Area. National Register of Historic Places listings in Oakland County, Michigan
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate
This page lists Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate listed on the National Register?
Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 2007.
What type of historic resource is Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate?
Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate?
The period of significance for Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Oakland County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Oakland County.
Explore OaklandCounty ›More historic places in Michigan
Browse all historic places in Michigan.
View Michiganhistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Scripps, William Edmund and Nina A. Downey, Estate will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.