The Longacre House was originally a small six-room Victorian House built in 1869 by Palmer Sherman. Mr. Sherman had many fruit trees and grew alfalfa seed for the Ferry Seed Company. The Sherman House was the only brick house in the area and was a landmark for those traveling on Farmington Road. The house consisted of a parlor, dining room and kitchen downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs. The front entrance faced Farmington Road. There was a porch across the front, and the house was decorated with 19th century gingerbread.
Barns, a spring house, and a water well were also part of the property. Mr. Sherman, father of nine children, owned 100 acres but gradually sold portions to other farmers. He retired from farming in 1879 and the house and grounds were rented to others for 36 years. In 1915 the house and property were sold to Luman Goodenough, a Detroit lawyer, and until 1918 was used only as a summer home. Then, Mr. Goodenough employed Marcus Burrows to redesign and expand the house into a 20 room Georgian country house, including four porches, seven baths, a greenhouse and a library.
This was one of first houses in the area to have electricity and a telephone. It was necessary for Mr. Goodenough to have erected a long series of utility poles and the necessary electric wire from Grand River Avenue, where there was a generating station, a distance of about two miles. The final remodeling was completed in 1930, when the library was added. With the help of neighboring farmers, the stone wall was erected along Farmington Road to replace the Sherman's white picket fence.
Mr. Goodenough's formal gardens were well known in the area. Pools and fountains in the gardens added to the beauty. Five gardeners were employed to maintain the grounds.
The Goodenoughs raised three children in this house and kept horses, sheep and goats on their 40 acres. Several plots of ground were sold to others, including Mr. Burrows who bought acreage west of The Longacre House and built a home for himself. The architect also designed and built a house for the late Mrs. Eleanor Spicer, Mr. Goodenoughs daughter. This home is also west of The Longacre House.
In 1968, after the death of Mr. And Mrs. Goodenough, the Goodenough family donated the house and five acres of ground to the people of Farmington to be used as a non-profit community center.
Income to support the house is derived from classes, special events, rentals and an annual fund drive. The formal gardens have given way to the parking lot, an outdoor stage has been erected on the site of a pool, and an old barn has been removed
A log cabin, which was a playhouse for the Goodenough children, is still there, as is the old Sherman spring house and water well. The lovely junipers, maples and elms planted by Mr. Goodenough still shade the lawns.
These and the present flower beds are a pleasant reminder of the days long gone when Mr. Goodenough would stroll through his beloved gardens, always looking for new ways to bring beauty to his surroundings.
"Just wanted to take a minute today and thank you once again for everything. Our event was everything I dreamt it would be and more! You and your entire staff were friendly, accommodating and spot on with every single detail.
Several of my guests commented on how delicious the food was. I even had many guests rave about the punch (I have to agree- yum!) Simply amazing from start to finish!
With all we've had going on over the last several months with our house fire, I was really looking forward to a beautiful day of celebrating our new addition with our family and friends. You and your team made all of my dreams come true! It was just that, a day our family will never forget!!
Thank you again for everything, I will highly recommend you to friends and family in the future."
With love & gratitude,
Heather, Kevin, Dominick, Madelynn (& baby) Pope
"I just want to say thank you for all you did for Ken & Rawan's wedding. I have had nothing but compliments from the guests: here are a few of what they said.
Food was outstanding
the help was very accommodating
the place was beautiful"
Thank you again,
Sylvia Hinzman
"Just wanted to say thank you again for all of your wonderful hospitality! We received many glowing words of praise on the facility as well as the food! We look forward to our November event, as well as those in the near future!
Please pass along our thanks to all those who helped last night, such a warm and friendly group of people."
Healthy Blessings,
Susan Pontack R.N.
Senior Functional Medicine Consultant
Certified First Line Therapy Lifestyle Educator
Metagenics Midwest -Genetic Potential Through Nutrition
"I just wanted to say thank you again for the wonderful job you did for Kirsten and Merrick's wedding. You made everything so easy for us and everything came together seamlessly. Kirsten and Merrick said that everything was perfect and they were so happy that they chose the Longacre House."
Warm regards,
Carol L. Strauss
"This is a few days late but I finally feel like I am recovering from this weekend! I can't thank you enough for helping to make our wedding day so perfect! You and your staff were so wonderful from start to finish! All of the decisions we made just came together perfectly! Everything was beautiful and seemed to run really smoothly! If there were any issues, I was not aware and I really appreciate that you all went out of your way to make sure I was as stress-free as possible!
I am so happy you were able to accommodate our dietary restrictions and still make everything taste delicious! We got so many compliments on the food and bar all night! It was certainly the best day I could imagine - I have very high expectations and you surpassed them all! It was great to work with you and I will certainly recommend you to anyone looking for an awesome venue or caterer!"
Thank you,
Kirsten
"I wanted to tell you that the shower was a success. I don't have to tell you that any major event requires coordination, support, people, the "right" venue, and great food! I've managed events in my career and understand what goes on behind the scenes.
All of the above occurred with thanks and gratefulness to you and your team. I received so many compliments on the food, the excellent staff, and the beautiful venue. We couldn't have pulled it off without the continuous support of you and your team.
Thanks again for your efforts and support, and please pass on my thanks to your staff who served us during the event. From set-up to clean-up, they were awesome and were complimented by many of my guests."
Debbie
"Thank you so very much for helping us make this such a beautiful experience! Those attending were delighted with the entire event! They raved about the food, the atmosphere, and the setting. Guests loved the French interpretation! We couldn't have done it without you!! You made it all go so smoothly! Your staff is great, as well."