If you have traveled rural America you have seen farmhouses that look like this. The steep gables, cruciform shape, and corner porch typify American Gothic architecture, which was popular in the mid-1800s. This style was associated with the sacredness of the home and role of women in shaping their children’s values. Interestingly, women of the First Methodist Church of Troy oversaw the construction of this home, which served as the minister’s residence, or parsonage. The early ministers were assigned to multiple congregations, including churches in Romeo, Warren, Clawson and Big Beaver, the small community at Rochester and Big Beaver Roads. When the Troy congregation built a new church in 1963, the church and parsonage were sold to antiques dealers. In 1997 both buildings were purchased by the Troy Historical Society for the Village, although it took over a decade for the buildings to be moved and restored.
