The home in which former Michigan Gov. Fred M. Warner lived during his time in office (1905-1911) stands as a testament to the past.
Warner’s adoptive father, P.D. Warner, built the Victorian Italianate structure in 1867 in Farmington. Originally built as a brick house, there have been several additions to the building over the years.
The mansion, which now is a museum, was given to the city in 1980. A group of dedicated volunteers keeps this historic home well maintained.
“It’s a gathering place,” says volunteer Jean Schornick. “It gives the city a sense of place.”
The Gov. Warner Mansion will be open for Spring Open House on Sunday afternoon, April 3.
Warner was born in England. When he was 3 months old, his parents moved to the United States. Shortly after they arrived, Fred’s mother died, leaving his father to raise three children younger than 4 while working as a farmer in Livonia.
His father did not feel he could adequately raise the children with his duties on the farm, so he placed the children for adoption.
P.D. Warner was a merchant, statesman and banker. He and his wife did not have any children of their own, so they adopted a daughter, Mary, and later adopted young Fred.
When Fred Warner married his wife, Martha M. Davis, P.D. gave him the mansion. Fred and Martha had four children, and when Fred died in 1926, his eldest child, Edessa, inherited the property. She and her husband raised two children there, then the family donated the mansion to the city after she died in 1980.
Before it could be opened to the public, it took two years of renovation to return it to the late Victorian style of the time Fred Warner was in office. Mansion Director Kimberly Shay, who has volunteered there for more than six years, describes some of the renovations.
“We wanted to make this a living-history type of museum,” she says. “They replaced carpets, wallpapers, draperies and put them all back to the original, so it would look much more like the time period.”
Schornick, a Farmington native, has volunteered at the mansion since 2002. She sends out notices to people when the facility needs extra help for tours, organizes the building for a showing, plans events and helps with displays.
“I’m like the mansion coordinator,” Schornick says.
A major attraction of the mansion is nearly 3 acres of gardens, maintained by a group of women “who come in from the time they can start planting to the fall when there is a freeze,” Schornick says.
The Museum Garden auxiliary comes in once a week to tend to the gardens. In May, the dozen women will receive help from some youth volunteers.
“They keep the place looking pretty,” Schornick says.
The mansion is open from 1 to 5 p.m. every Wednesday and first Sunday of the month. It holds a variety of events including Pages in the Parlor — an evening dedicated to local authors who have released new books.
“We had one reading in March, and the next one is on (Thursday) April 7,” Schornick says.
Fundraisers and ticket sales pay for the upkeep of the mansion.
“It’s a great deal of work to put on the events we have every year,” Shay says. “We have a promotional group called the Warnerettes.”
The list of volunteers is weighted more heavily towards females, but there are a few male volunteers, she says.
“It takes a tremendous amount of woman power,” Shay says with a laugh.
In the future, the volunteers hope to work on some bigger renovations, such as part of the foundation that needs attention. For such expensive work, the mansion needs extra help.
“Right now, we’re working on getting some grants from the state,” Shay says.
The mansion has been a staple in the community for 34 years. It has been in photo shoots for everything from wedding parties to prom dates. “People can build memories at this location,” Shay says.
The historic Gov. Warner Mansion’s having grand opening fundraiser is 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 3 at 33805 Grand River Ave., Farmington. Tours and refreshments are free, but donations are welcome.