Cottonwood Farm is a 5-acre parcel of land on Farrell Rd in Webster Township, right around the corner from the Township Hall. Recognized by Michigan’s Register of Historic Places, the Farm is part of land originally owned by John Williams (the first Township Supervisor) and was the site of the first township meeting, held April 1, 1833. The main house was built in 1828, and is a fine example of Greek Revival architecture. Members of the Williams family are buried in a small cemetery on the property. There are stories that the Farm was a way-stop for escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad, but this cannot be confirmed.
In 1939, the Williams’ property – all 200 acres of it – was purchased by Walter and May Mast, who named it Cottonwood Farm and started a farm-style residential summer camp for disadvantaged boys from Detroit. After Walter passed, May continued to run a private school on the farm for girls to learn horsemanship, until closing the camp in 1973. The granite mounting block still stands in the front yard next to the driveway. May was a prominent Washtenaw County figure until her death in April, 1999.
Much of the Farm’s acreage was sold over the next few years, but the 5-acre parcel with the 6 buildings on it stayed in the Mast family until 2013, when it was sold to a group associated with the Rudolf Steiner School in Ann Arbor. Teachers and friends of the school formed a community there for six years, living in the 7 residential units. When it came time for them to sell it, they wanted to find a group who would treat the property with respect for its unique history and form their own community and memories.
The large farmhouse on the property is almost 200 years old. It has been modernized with indoor plumbing and electricity, but still retains it’s 1800’s style and charm. The other buildings on the property are newer (built in the 1900’s), but are not new.