My next door neighbors and life long friends, Donald and Elizabeth Adams both died in
2007 at the ages of 94 and 95. Their Silver Lake home was full of historical papers, books,
photographs, and artifacts. I promised them that I would see to it that their lifelong
collection was appropriately distributed as they desired. We were able to accomplish this
primarily by giving many cases of items to the Oakland County Pioneer and Historical
Society and to the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library. Betty lived to witness
the gifting and I believe that she died peacefully in the knowledge.

I stored about 50 boxes of these items in my house and the two recipients came to pick up
the boxes from me. Dr. Geoff Brieger, retired chemistry professor at Oakland University,
asked my question when he came for a second load of boxes in his car, "Scott, do you
have any idea where Oliver Williams' first homestead was located at?"

I pointed across the lake to where Fran Anderson lives and told him that I thought that he
had first built the first pioneer home in Waterford in about 1820 "right there!" He then asked,
"Do you think we could organize a dig and see if we can locate that actual location?"

Fran Anderson spoke at Betty Adams' funeral and delivered her usual energetic and well
versed presentation. Afterwards I told her what Dr. Brieger had asked and her response was
that she thought that Oliver Williams was buried under the oak tree in her yard and that if
we wanted to dig, go ahead and dig up the whole yard!

It so happened that Carol Egbo and the Waterford School District had applied for and
received a history grant with which the intent was to mesh the curriculum with local history.
When I mentioned this possibility to Carol she was very excited and did all that she could
do to include such a project in the school curriculum.

Dr. Richard Stamps and Charles Martinez, archeologists from Oakland University and the
Oakland County Pioneer and Historical Society respectively, had conducted other digs,
including locating Thomas Edison's boyhood home in Port Huron and after several meetings
with residents and knowledgeable people, the Digging History project was launched and
becoming well known.

As of June 19 it is possible that the actual site has been identified along Dixie Highway
near where Scott Lake Road enters Dixie. A barn beam has been located as a support
beam in a house that may be 180 years old, which could well be from the first barn in
Waterford. A History Channel grant has been applied for and approved for funds to be used
to pay for a ground radar system to help locate underground foundations.

I am excited and happy to have been a participant of this very cool project. I hope that in
one year from now, test digs will have occurred and the actual site discovered. America is a
young country still and it is important that we pay attention to our own history.