We felt a little like we were back in a quiet New England town while sitting in the gazebo at the small village park, sipping an apple cider slush and watching the quiet activity around Franklin’s municipal center and stately Methodist Church last Sunday,
Links and information in story updated 2020
Visiting the cider mill is definitely a Michigan tradition when autumn arrives, and Franklin Village and Franklin Cider Mill rank among our favorite fall destinations.
Visiting the mill and the village of Franklin today gives you just a tiny taste of what life looked like as the village developed from its beginnings during the 1820s, when the completion of the Erie Canal meant easier access to Michigan and other western destinations for New England travelers.
Michigan became a new state in 1837, and farmers began visiting the then-new grist mill in the village of Franklin during that same year.
Farmers knew the mill as the first and, for some time, the only mill in the Oakland County area where they could exchange wheat for cash. The future looked promising for the tiny village, but losing a railroad stop to neighboring Birmingham set Franklin on a path to slower and smaller development.
Today, Franklin proudly wears its designation as “the town time forgot”, something that earned the village center status as one of the first, officially designated, Michigan Historical Districts in 1969.
Franklin Cider Mill actually sits just over the border in Bloomfield Township, but most people consider it part of Franklin Village as it helps set the tone for the area as one of Michigan’s historic gems.
James Flynn owned the mill by 1914. He installed the mill’s first water-powered apple press during his tenure.
As the 1970s rolled around, Jack Peltz became the mill’s owner and ran it for approximately 35 years before his death in 2004. Today, the Peltz family still owns the mill, carrying on the sweet tradition started many years earlier.
We typically visit the mill at least a half-dozen times each fall, making the most of the short September through November cider season.
Fresh Michigan apples, freshly made donuts dusted with sugar and cinnamon and fresh non-pasteurized apple cider highlight Franklin Cider Mill’s offerings. Visitors also find a varied selection of primarily Michigan produce and products that include jellies and jams, fruit butters, pies, maple syrup and candies, cheese, squash and pumpkins, flowers and, one of my favorites, the apple cider slushes.
Over the years, Franklin Cider Mill added a few complementary activities for weekend visitors. Local musicians sometimes play for shoppers, some folks enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides around Franklin Village and kids enjoy bouncing in the inflatable moonwalk or feeding the ducks swimming in the stream alongside the mill.
Still, the cider mill retains much of the old-time charm lacking in other mills and orchards that seem to forget that Michigan apples should be the star of the show, rather than an ancillary appendage to a larger carnival.
© Dominique King 2008 (updated 2020)
What kind of apples are most popular at the Michigan orchards? Here in Minnesota, Honeycrisps are definitely in the most demand.
Looks like a beautiful place to visit!
Posted by: Linda (minnemom) | October 04, 2008 at 04:19 PM
I've been seeing the Honey Crisps more often here in the past couple of years, although they're quite pricey. I just had one the other day, though. Yum!
McIntosh, Jonathans, Ida Reds, Red Delicious, Fuji, Gala...those are a few apple types I can think of that we see a lot around here.
Franklin Cider Mill and the village are nice, and we're so lucky they're close to us. In fact, we're planning to go on out there tomorrow on a cider run. :)
Posted by: Dominique | October 04, 2008 at 06:18 PM