1865: Ypsilanti is a manufacturing center

Ypsilanti used to be famous for making something everybody needs. Can you guess what it was? Underwear! In the 1800s Ypsilanti was known across the country for the underwear produced here.

This is the factory that made the underwear, located on the corner of Huron Street and Forest Avenue. The factory was originally a woolen mill, built in 1865, and the owners began to produce underwear in the 1880's. You can see Frog Island on the right, which used to contain lumber yards and sawmills. What is on Frog Island today?

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