Maybury State Park, Northville, MI

Maybury State Park in Northville, Michigan is one of my three favorite parks and places to bike ride in the area. The pictures I've included were taken in the Fall on October 9th and show just how beautifil the park is when the leaves are changing color. My pictures are from the 4 mile paved bike trail that circles the inside of the park and is surrounded by picturesque of nature, mature woods and trails.

History of the Park

What is fascinating about this park is that it once served as sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis. The sanatorium's beginnings were championed by a man named William B. Maybury, a bachelor, who retired at age 37 after a successful real estate career. Once retired, Mr. Maybury focused his efforts on social reform and providing a treatment center for tuberculosis.

In 1917, as a member of the City of Detroit Board of Health, Mr. Maybury made the case to the City of Detroit to purchase the eight farms occuping 900 acres where the park currrently resides for this purpose. Then city mayor, James Couzens, placed Mr. Maybury in change of the development of the sanatorium because of his reputation as a man of honor and integrity. So involved was Mr. Maybury that he borrowed a team of horses from a local farmer who hitched them up to a plow with Maybury leading the way on foot as they wandered up and down the land plowing a single furrow. That furrow marked the roads that were built in Maybury back around 1918 and still exist today in the interior of the park and are used for the trails. At that time, Northville Township was relatively sparsely populated and considered on the far outskirts of populated areas. The sanatorium became internationally acclaimed and visited by dignitaries from around the world.

The quarantine and recovery center of Maybury operated from 1919-69. During its use the center included 40 buildings, infirmaries, and a children's playground. Mr. Maybury eventually acquired and succumb to the disease of T.B. himself. Most of the buildings were torn down before the land became Wayne County's first state park in 1975. Four stone and brick doctors' residences remain, including one that serves as park headquarters.

Maybury Trails

Lining the paved bike trails are signs that describe the sanatorium buildings that once stood. The paved trail has very smooth paving, rolling hills, mature woods as well as meadows as a few. It's not too crowded at all - just the right number of fellow nature and execise enthusists hiking, walking, biking, horseback riding, and fishing at the pond. The park includes the following trails:

Biking (paved) - 4 miles (6.4 km)
Cross Country Skiing - 10 miles (16 km)
Equestrian - 11 miles (18 km)
Hiking - 15 miles (24 km)
Mountain Biking - 5 miles (8.0 km)

Maybury Working Farm

Maybury State Park also includes a working farm open all year for visitors to explor farm life. 1900-1930 demonstrations, such as sheep shearing, honey extracting, and grain harvesting, are scheduled during the year.