Shirley and Frank Dick stood behind the plow before Arthur Snyder and his horse team broke ground Aug. 4, 1980. The ceremony was at the site of the Society’s new Home Office.
was increased to about an acre and a half in 1953, one year before the district was consolidated with the Adrian schools. This was the “Jackson property” purchased by the Society and added to the Snyder farm.
The new headquarters was completed in the summer of 1981 and occupied by the office force on Aug. 14. The transfer of 87 years’ worth of records and sophisticated computer equipment was difficult, but it was done with a minimum of disruption.
The Maynard cabin was abandoned when U.S. 223 was improved as a “plank” road. A new homestead was located on the new road. The buildings, then known as the Snyder Farm, were still standing when the Gleaner Board of Directors bought the property.
The Gleaner building is a symbol of the Society’s progress. The colonial design connects the Society to the country’s history while housing a modern, up-to-date business enterprise. The building has become a landmark in Adrian, sitting on a hill behind a pond adjacent to U.S. Route 223.
In the 150 years between the raising of the Maynard log cabin and the Gleaner building, the land changed very little. A 10-minute walk down the hill and along Wolf Creek revealed a scene John Maynard would recognize at once.
New Directions The Society experienced strong growth after Frank Dick became president. In 1980, the first full year of his presidency, assets grew by a record $5 million. That was only the beginning. In 1983 assets increased by more than $10 million, followed by $22 million in 1985, $48 million in 1989, and $75 million in 1992. Every year through 1992 was a new record. It was the kind of growth never before seen by the Society.
Plans for the new home office proceeded rapidly. Buehrer and Stough, Toledo architects, were employed to design the building. Plans were completed and bids opened in July 1980. The Krieghoff-Lenawee Company of Adrian was awarded the contract and work started immediately. Financing was arranged through the issuance of $3 million in Lenawee County Economic Development bonds.
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