Green Space Challenge Stories Day 7
“My husband and I moved to Romeo shortly after we married in 1978. We lived on Pleasant Street and started our family. I loved living in a caring community where we made many friends. Watching neighbors and visitors walk our streets today reminds me of all those days when I walked my own children in the stroller, singing songs and admiring each and every home. While we eventually left Romeo to be closer to work, we always hoped to return. Now retired, we live in the 1844 home on the corner of N. Fremont and Church. Restoring this little Greek Revival Cottage so that it is here for another 200 years is our dream come true. Welcoming friends and celebrating life with our children and grandchildren back in Romeo feels so right.
Green Space on Prospect matters to us for a couple of reasons.
First, my husband and I are retired teachers. I taught history and Kevin taught math and coached at Chippewa Valley High School. Our Romeo home was also built by a teacher. Rufus Nutting came to Romeo to open a branch of the University of Michigan on Church Street. We know the Romeo community has been supporting education since it was first settled. The ground on Prospect Street holds the memories of the many children that attended schools here since Mr. Dickenson dedicated this land for academic reasons so many years ago. It is important to maintain this space for our community to enjoy as a place of learning for many years to come.
The second reason this space matters to me is that it represents a genuine opportunity to raise awareness as well as experience the peace nature offers us. Many people understand that Romeo was once a winter encampment of the Anishinaabe people but they may know little of the culture of these indigenous people. Green Space on Prospect can be preserved as a place that embraces all of the people who ever lived here. As a member of the Sault Saint Marie Chippewa tribe, this opportunity is dear to me. The memory of my own grandfather, who was removed from his parents’ home as a young boy to be “Americanized” during the boarding school movement, inspires me to remind us all that everyone and everything deserves to be understood and valued. What better place to ponder how the ways of living and learning here in Romeo is part of the American story?
Please contribute to the GSOPS fund to make it possible to preserve our land on Prospect Street for the generations.”
Photo credit: Kim Voss