William E. Scripps / William E. and Anna Scripps Estate
Posted by: 
Dinoprophet
N 42° 44.997 W 083° 16.886
17T E 313288 N 4735571
Roadside marker outside the grounds of the Scripps mansion.
Waymark Code: WM8BVR
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 03/08/2010
Views: 21
This marker stands outside the grounds of the Scripps mansion on Scripps road, just east of Joslyn Road. It describes the mansion as well as some of the surrounding area, including the estate buildings that now are part of Canterbury Village on the other side of Joslyn. The marker is visible from the road. The mansion's private drive is adjacent to the marker but there is no official parking. Tours of the mansion are occasionally offered. See the site below for details and more information.
William E. Scripps
As Son of James E. Scripps, founder of the Detroit (Evening) News, William E. Scripps (1882 - 1952) was heir to a publishing fortune. He preferred engineering, and science to improve people's lives. Scripps was fascinated by early twentieth-century technologies. He built a motorized boat engine, formed the Scripps-Booth Motor Car Company with his nephew James Scripps Booth, and started the first commercial radio station in the U.S., Detroit's WWJ. He taught himself to fly an airplane in 1912 and was one of the first to own one. Using aviation to improve news delivery, he published some of the earliest aerial newspaper photos. Scripps was also devoted to conservation and land reclamation. In 1916 he began buying land for Wildwood Farms.
William E. and Anna Scripps Estate
Between 1916 and his death in 1952, William E. Scripps acquired 3,830 acres for Wildwood Farms. Detroit architect Clarence E. Day designed the Norman Revival manor house completed in 1927, and landscape architect Bryant Fleming planned the gardens and grounds. Scripps envisioned the farm as a model for demonstrating that modern soil conservation methods and the raising of livestock could renew nutrient-depleted farmland. Intent on improving the food supply, he assembled the finest stock for breeding cattle, dairy cows, sheep, and swine, as well as draft horses. Scripps also created a wildlife sanctuary at Wildwood. The house and 60 acres are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Historical Name: William E. and Anna Scripps
Description:
William E Scripps was the son of the founder of the Detroit (Evening) News and heir to his fortune. He used his interest in engineering and science to try to improve people's lives. He founded an auto company and the radio station WWJ.
Parking nearby?: no
D/T ratings: 
website: [Web Link]
Registered Site #: 711
Historical Date: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:Take a photo of your GPS at the marker. We'd prefer a photo of you with your GPS, but we realize that sometimes that's just not possible or preferable.
Also include a bit about your visit to the marker.
NEW: Instructions for logging Missing Marker Visits.
If the Marker is missing, but still listed here, you must provide a photo of you at the actual item historically honored. (This should be the waymark's "default" image). Indicate in your log that you took your photo at the Historical Location instead of the marker, because the marker was missing. Please also still include a bit about your visit to the site.