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Ypsilanti, Michigan is an area rich in American History. In fact, the historic district of Ypsilanti, Depot Town, is the second largest historic district in Michigan. Ypsilanti is also home to Eastern Michigan University, Domino’s Pizza, Iggy Pop and the last surviving Hudson Motors Car Company Dealership. With all of that history, there is a little something for everyone in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Like many small towns across America, Ypsilanti can credit the railroad for its growth and popularity. Ypsilanti’s historic district is even called Depot Town, because it was built around the original train station. The train brought immigrants, travelers, and most importantly, customers to the small business that thrived in the area, and the small community was able to prosper. The first trains started running between Ypsilanti and Detroit in 1838, and most of the historical buildings that still stand today were built anywhere from 1830 to1850. Trains ran faithfully until the 1980’s,when the final train came through. There was recently a movement however, to bring the train service back. The first returning train could come as soon as December of 2017.

As far as interesting history goes, Depot Town has a lot to offer. The tunnels built to drain water underneath the train tracks were also used as hiding places for escaped slaves. There was even a local abolitionist who housed escaped slaves as a part of the Underground Railroad. When the Civil War broke out, Mark Norris who founded Ypsilanti, allowed his three story shop and residential building, Norris Block, to be used as barracks for Union Soldiers. Norris was also an active member of the Underground Railroad and he was rumoured to have built tunnels under Norris Block to help smuggle escaped slaves.

Another interesting feature of Depot Town is Sidetrack Bar & Grill. Sidetrack is a restaurant housed in a building that has been a bar and restaurant since at least 1850. That building has survived a train crash, prohibition, and several owners. In 1929, a train derailed and crashed right into the side of the building. Remarkably, the owner who lived above the restaurant was unharmed, only one bystander was injured, and the building survived. Recently, owners found debris from the crash when they went to renovate the patio area almost ninety years later! The restaurant’s only other major renovation came when prohibition ended in 1931. A law stated that the entrance of a bar could not reside within 500 feet of a church, so the owners moved the front door from the east side of the building to the north side. Today, the restaurant is very popular and according to GQ magazine, it has one of the “Twenty Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.”

Ypsilanti tutors, want to help every student succeed. Whether they dream of become a historian or the owner of a popular restaurant, there is a Ypsilanti tutor to help them on their way.