Historical Plots and Information:
1. Matthew Rentschler - Beginning in the 19th century he built many homes, barns and other buildings in the Saline area. He rode a white horse to his construction sites.
2. Dan Lirones - active most of his life during the 20th century including: 1966 Centennial of Saline as a Village. Booklet "Saline Has a History in its Past," And the Saline Historical Society. It is said he gave his life to save Saline History.
3. Doris Babel - she helped get the current version of the SAHS going along with Wayne Clements. Her growing up days was at the "Saline Valley Farms." She was strong on Oral Histories.
4. Alberta Rogers - she is a well known and out spoken lover of history. She is a descendent of original Saline Township settlers.
5. Wayne Clements - President of latest successful SAHS since 1987. He is energetic, personal, and hard working a rare combination for any group. During his term: The Depot Museum, The Rentschler Farm, and The Depot Trail, were established
6. Bessie Carven Collins - she was active in the 20th century and may have been Saline's Historical Society all by herself. She wrote much including a “History of Saline’s Baptist Church.
7. Rufus Nutting - who founded Saline's greatest school, The Lodi Academy. I have some letters written by him. A book could be written about him.
8. Lucretia Gillett - Saline's female photographer from about 1858 to 1890. Many of her pictures appear on Ebay.
9. John Lowry , ardent, anti-slavery, abolitionist who lived in Lodi Township. He expressed his views publicly with an anti-slavery sign in front of his house.
10. Asher Aray - was a Black farmer and abolitionist living east of Saline. He was a close friend of the Harwood’s.
11. William Davenport - banker, business leader: in 1876 he built the fine house on east side of town and furnished it with furniture bought at the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia
12. Luscius S. Pierce - Saline's artist painter-many of his paintings were found in Saline area homes and one is in the Saline Library
13. George J. Nissly - Founder of the Saline Observer, and Michigan Poultry Farm. He produced a 50 page sales pamphlet and sent them all over the USA.
14. Laura Ripley Wallace - young female pioneer, she tells the story how alone with a young child she had to stand up to 400 Indians on their way to Canada to "Pick up their gifts from the British." She is a symbol of Pioneer Women.
15. Gretchen Driskell- she is First woman and longest running mayor in Saline’s history
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16. Mrs. Chester [Melissa] Parsons - She wrote a story of her families coming to Saline from NY State. The rode the Erie Canal and crossed Lake Erie and then by foot to Saline using oxen to carry their goods.
17. George Barr - He owned the Barr Mill that stood north of the old Barr house on S. Ann Arbor. It was steam powered and manufactured cider, jellies, and molasses.
18. Webster Ruckman - he was a soldier 17th Michigan Inf. for less than a month when he was killed at the Battle of Antietam along with 23,000 other casualties. We have his tombstone.
19. The Harwood Family - they settled east of Saline on what is now Michigan Ave after 1826. They were successful farmers and before the Civil War the house was part of the Underground RR.
20. Margaret Case - She was a Saline Pioneer who settled west of town with her husband Ezra. Five of their children died from July 3 to July 9, 1854 probably from a disease like Small Pox or Cholera. All we have are their tombstones.This typical of the hardships woman faced as pioneers
21. Mary Shafer - owned a saloon in Saline at the northeast corner of Ann Arbor and Michigan. The Pineapple House is now there.
22. Fanny Friis [pronounced "freeze"] She owned and ran the Saline Mill for much of the 20th century until it ceased operation in the 1960's after a disastrous flood. Many Saline residents still remember her including Taylor and Charlene Jacobsen who own the mill today. She always dressed in black. The mill ground grain delivered by local farmers. This mill was the first in the Saline area and goes back to 1830.
23. Orange Risdon - He was the founder of Saline. He arrived to the area 1823 while surveying the Military Road, [today's Michigan Avenue] While in Saline he claimed 160 acres including much of today's downtown Saline.
24. Allan Risdon - Son of Orange, he placed a Time Capsule in a building still standing on Michigan in downtown Saline. The Presbyterian Church often excommunicated him for his "sins".
25. Dr. Daniel B. Kellogg - Clairvoyant physician, he was able to see into bodies and look at vital organs including heart, brain, lungs etc and know if it was healthy. He wrote an autobiography.
26. Doctor Harrison Nichols - With his brother Howard [a druggist] they owned a store at the corner of Michigan and S. Ann Arbor. They lost the store in the Great Saline Fire of 1881 and led the rebuilding of the Union Block visible today.
27. Minerva J. Bacon - Women's clothing including hats, Germantowns, zephyrs, gloves. Her store was part of the original Union Block lost in the 1881 fire and she likely led the fight to stop the destructive fire.
28. Miss Laura Morris - She was Principal of Saline Union School in 1856.
29. Thomas Wood - He was a member of the large Woods family that lived in Saline Area. Like many members of the family he raised sheep, some of the best in the USA. He was an ardent abolitionist.
30. Samantha Wood Hall - Samantha was the daughter of Darius Star Wood a Saline Pioneer. She attended the Lodi Academy. At the Academy she learned Latin, Greek, French and music She became one of Saline's skilled musicians and was the towns music teacher most of the 19th century.
31. George Lindenschmidt - Saline's meat man during much of the 19th century. His brick store is now occupied by a pizza parlor [Little Caesar's]
32. William Henry Harrison - He was born Feb 9, 1773 and died April 4, 1841 just one month as the 9th President of the US. He was famous as a general in the War of 1812 and won several battles. Fifty miles south of Saline at Fort Mieg's a great battle was fought. To help defend the fort and secure the Salt Springs it is said that Harrison stationed several thousand soldiers at the springs. He may have been there himself.
33. John Bortle - He was the town barber and a storeowner and a Civil War Soldier in the Michigan 20th. He had a museum.
34. Andrew Jackson Warren - He was Editor of the Saline Observer and a good historian from the 1880's.
35. William Lutz - A soldier Killed in France during World War One, the local Legion Hall is named for him.
36. Emanuel Rentschler - He purchased the farm on east Michigan that became the Rentschler Farm Museum. He was a lively, adventurous man when a pilot landed on his property in 1918 flew in his old World War One airplane.