Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission (OCPRC) will discuss a preservation update for the Bailey House in Independence Township, Wednesday, June 6, at 1 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation Administration Offices, 2800 Watkins Lake Road.
Preservation Clarkston will present a proposal to save the home by restoring it to a privately owned residential dwelling.
The group recommends purchasing land adjacent to Independence Oaks to make an approximately one-acre parcel for the house to stay in its original location.
A building company would purchase the property and donate it to OCPRC. The commission would then provide it, or sell it for $1, to Preservation Clarkston, said Jennie DeNio of MLC Building Company.
It would then have no financial obligations to maintain it, and Independence Township would have the house back on its tax rolls, DeNio said.
Other options, which are not recommended by Preservation Clarkston, include moving the house, or creating another purpose for it.
The Bailey family helped settle Independence Township, and the house on Sashabaw Road is on the original U.S. Government land grant of 1856. According to a 1998 Independence Township inventory report, “This house is significant because of its high degree of exterior architectural integrity. It is a good example of the T-plan farmhouse style built within the township in the late 1800s.” Check www.oakgov.com/parks for more information.