History of the property through the years
The groundbreakers:
Johnathan and Sally Round first moved to the area in 1837, the same year that Michigan became a state. The family and their two children carved out a living in the wilderness and built a small wooden cabin to live in, similar to the replica currently on the property. Their family eventually grew to include 9 children, one of which, Oziel Hopkins Round, died as an infant. This was the first recorded death in the area. Legend has it that it is to him that the town of Hopkins owes its name.
The mill race, located on the side of the property was created by Johnathan Round as well as several others that pitched in to lend a hand on the project. The mill that the run ran to burned down, and was never rebuilt due to the nearby construction of the railroad in Hopkins.
Johnathan and Sally Round would live and farm on the land until health complications prevented them from doing so, at which point they sold the property and moved to the now town, then hamlet of Hopkins.
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The last private owners:
Johnathan Wise purchased the property in 1883 from the secondhand owner Egbert Owen for double the price he had obtained it for when the Rounds sold to him. Upon Johnathan's death, the land was divided into 4 shares for his sons. Under his son Franks ownership, the house, barn and corn crib were all added to the property, relocated from a nearby farm where Frank purchased the equipment for $300. That's roughly the purchasing power of $7,957.13 in todays currency. Since then, the majority of the land has been sold outside the family. The remainder of the property was preserved by Leslie M. Wise, Franks son, when he donated the remaining 55 acres of the property to the Hopkins School system in 1985.
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