This gothic style home was built by Sarah (Cady) Yerkes and William Purdy Yerkes, children of early Northville settlers. William Yerkes was an extremely influential man in Northville’s history, eventually serving as Northville’s first mayor. The home originally stood on the south side of Cady Street between Church and Center streets. The nine-room house features traditional Carpenter Gothic style. The house is well known for its ‘floating staircase’ because the staircase has no visible supports.

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In 1975 the Yerkes house was scheduled for demolition  The land was owned by the Northville Downs, and the owners donated the building to Mill Race before it could be torn down, and the Yerkes house was moved to its current location soon after.