THE HISTORY OF THE ROCHESTER HILLS MUSEUM AT VAN HOOSEN FARM

The Rochester Hills Museum is a 16-acre complex located in Stony Creek Village, a rural historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The complex includes the 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse, 1927 Calf Barn where we’ll have dinner, 1927 Dairy Barn where our program will be, 1850 Red House, 1848 Stony Creek School, and agricultural land bordered by Stony Creek.  An optional guided tour – complimentary for Benefit guests and including the main residence – will be the perfect start to your Fall Benefit fun!

The story of Stoney Creek Village begins in 1823 when Lemuel Taylor, followed shortly by his son-in-law Joshua Van Hoosen and his daughter, moved from upstate New York to the area. Others followed, and the families quickly established themselves into a prosperous farming community.

Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones (1892-1982) became the community’s best-known figure as a woman achieving early academic distinctions.  After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, Sarah pursued a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Wisconsin awarded in 1921. Her specialized knowledge became the cornerstone of the Van Hoosen Farm’s transformation after she inherited it in the 1920s. 

She applied scientific principles to her dairy operations, genetic selection, milk production, and sustainable practices.  In 1971, she decided to donate the farm to Michigan State University, Michigan’s Land Grant University.  The property eventually came under the stewardship of the City of Rochester Hills in 1989. This marked the official establishment of the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, reflecting the life’s work of Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones.