The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Urania train station steeped in mystery
PUBLISHED: June 26, 2008
John Blakeslee had a right to feel nervous. The date was April 25, 1831, and a proper gentleman in the state of New York was never allowed in the birthing room with his wife. He knew something odd was happening, but no one would tell him.
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Eventually, he found out. He was the father of twins. When the babies were safely in their beds, he tiptoed into the room and whispered to his wife, "Let's name the girl after you and name the boy after me."
Urania nodded her head in agreement. And so the new members of the Blakeslee family were John Blakeslee Jr. and Urania Blakeslee.
Just one year before the twins' birth, a young family in Nottingham, England, left home on a steam ship and crossed the Atlantic, eventually traveling down the Erie Canal and ending up in York Township about halfway between Milan and Saline. The parents, William and Elizabeth Richards, had at least two children, maybe more. They had a boy, age 5, and a girl less than a year old.
It took a little longer for John and Urania Blakeslee to make up their minds about Michigan. But, in 1836, when their twins were about the right age to start school, they bought some land in York Township and became neighbors with all the other farmers in the area, including the Richards family.
Apparently, the two families got along famously in York Township. In September 1848, Thomas Richards walked down the aisle to meet his beautiful bride, the young Urania Blakeslee. They had two children and moved away from the farm into the "big city" of Milan.
John Blakeslee Jr. must have seen a lot of the Richards family, especially Elizabeth, since his twin sister had married into the clan. Finally, he could not stand it any more and got a preacher to unite him in marriage with Elizabeth. That wedding took place Nov. 24, 1850.
As the 1860s heated up, there was more in the news than just the war between the states. There was the railroad. Just about any civic-minded gentleman in those days would throw in his utmost to help bring the railroad to the area. The local economy would be jumping, and there would be plenty of jobs available. Both Blakeslee and his brother-in-law Richards dove right into the challenge and gave it their all.
Blakeslee had a political bent, serving as township supervisor at some point along the way, as well as justice of the peace and constable. He was active in civic groups, and in those days the civic groups such as the Odd Fellows and Knights of Honor basically ran the show.
It's possible the civic groups were the reason why Milan was so slow to obtain its charter as a village. Saline was chartered in 1866. Milan waited until 1885. Perhaps the Milan residents thought, "Why bother? Just let the good old boys run the community from their civic groups."
Either way, there is tremendous power whenever citizens rise up and demand something. In this case, it was the railroad they wanted. Anyone owning farmland along the railroad was in a special position to sell land for this good cause.
One of the farmers selling a chunk of land to the Toledo, Ann Arbor and Northern railroad was Peter Cook, who came to York Township as a young child with his parents and his grandparents. He had quite a few cousins and in-laws who purchased land next to his family's farm. They all had railroad fever.
Cook had grown up in a log cabin along Willis Road, which at that time was referred to as a "highway." On Feb. 9, 1872, he and his wife, Ann, signed a deed selling chunks of their farmland to the railroad for $800. It seems Cook had already made arrangements to become the station agent for a train stop at his "highway." The deed made it clear that the railroad could not have another station closer than three miles of Cook's territory.
His deed allowed for another station to the south no closer than Ridge Road, now referred to as Stony Creek Road. Ridge Road extends a long distance in both directions as it's an Indian trail.
The railroad eventually placed the Urania station practically in Cook's front yard, building the station house on the north side of Willis Road just east of the tracks. That station building was used as a duplex at the end, and was finally demolished in 1936 or 1937. There was no concrete pad under it, so there is nothing to find there today. Cook lived just a short walk east of the station.
By the time the railroad came through, Cook and his family were in a handsome wood house. That house recently got in the way of a new subdivision. A history-minded neighbor, Tony Corrigan, took pity on the historic dwelling and moved it just a short distance west. Now Corrigan and Cook's former home are side-by-side on the south side of Willis Road.
Railroad timetables mention the names of stops on the Ann Arbor Railroad, but it's difficult to guess where they might have been. I think there was a station at Stony Creek Road. Cook wrote it into his deed that a station could not be any closer to his place than Stony Creek, so I assume a station was built there.
I think the next station or stop was on Begole Road and it was called "Nora." That was also a post office for farmers in the area. Then there was the Draper stop, which was probably on Willow Road. I think the Draper stop was at Willow because an old atlas shows a farmer with the last name Draper owning land there. The next stop south of Draper would be the Milan train station on Redman Road.
This particular railroad finally arrived in York Township in 1878. How did the railroad get the idea to name the Willis Road station "Urania?" That is the big question.
While working as station agent for the railroad, Cook also received an appointment as postmaster for the "Urania" post office. Meanwhile, he was farming the land as usual, and having more children. According to their birth certificates, all of Peter Cook's children were born in "Urania."
The Urania question always makes me giggle because there was never a general store in "Urania." There was never a blacksmith, a shoemaker or even a tin smith. There was never a dance hall, a school or a church in "Urania." It took about 35 years for the Post Office to realize there was absolutely nothing in Urania, so that the post office there could be dissolved.
So how did that name become associated with the railroad station?
Perhaps John Blakeslee Jr. wanted to honor his mother, Urania. She was in her 80s as the railroad was about to build the station, and he had plenty of political muscle to make it happen if he wanted to.
But wait, could the younger Urania be the inspiration for this railroad station's name? Urania Richards died Sept. 10, 1865. I don't know what the cause of death was, but in those days, there were plenty of possibilities. She was born in 1830, so she was 35 when she was placed in York Cemetery. She left her husband and two children.
As the railroad was approaching, Thomas Richards was raising his family as a single parent. Richards had a reputation -- he fought long and hard for the railroad. Did he use his political clout to have the Willis Road station named Urania in honor of his late wife? If so, his children must have been real pleased.
There it is, the facts are on the table. How did the Urania railroad station get its name? You tell me.
Martha Churchill is a member of the Milan Area Historical Society. She can be reached at 439-4055 or MilanHistory@yahoo.com.
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