Written by Tanya Terry, with photos by Tanya Terry
Featured photo: Jamaad Hasan and his daughter Nay’Am’e Hasan are part of one of several Flint families who recently enjoyed a visit to Flint’s Applewood Estate.
Although the Applewood Estate winding down its programming and closing for most of the remainder of the year, Applewood and all its programs are offered to the community at no charge until October 31, 2025.
Area residents and visitors are free to explore the grounds on their own.
Self-guided tours allow children and families to go through the Mott house at their own pace.
What’s in Bloom takes place from 12-1 p.m. Thursday, October 23. It will highlight different areas of the ground that are in bloom or exciting to look at at different times throughout the season. The horticulture team will also offer practical tips on what people can do with their own landscaping, home gardens or community gardens.
Additionally Storytime at Applewood will offer a time for kids and families to be involved with their communities from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday, October 24.
Jamaad Hasan recently toured the Mott house for the first time.
“I’ve always came here as a kid, and I got to take my kids; they’ve never been here before,” he shared. “…It’s nostalgic to take them somewhere I came when I was their age.”
Nay’Am’e Hasan, Jamaa’d’s 9-year old daughter, also shared she had a positive experience at Applewood, with touring the Mott house being her favorite part.
“I think it was very good because I love history,” she said. “I love to listen and watch history. That’s how I learned about Martin Luther King. I think it’s a very, very peaceful place.”
Flint Resident Deb Peterson and her daughter Melissa Peterson, who lives in Chicago, recently visited Applewood, as well.
“We had not been to Applewood before this time of year, so we came to see what the gardens look like,” Deb Peterson said. “I’m amazed at how good the roses look this time of year. There’s also a lot of petunias. It’s beautiful any season to come here.”
“Everyone should be here at least once,” Melissa Peterson added.
Flint Resident Ellen Yope recently visited Applewood for the first time, in part to take part in the recent Civic Matters program, which was dedicated to helping attendees prepare their homes for the winter.
“I have an old house and I am trying to do better at saving energy and keeping it warm in the winter,” Yope said.
In addition, Yope said she is very interested in civic engagement and loves being involved in the area, as well as going to events.
The whole idea of the Civic Matters program is to give people skills that they can take from their visit to Applewood and apply it to their communities and their daily life, according to Renee Saba, manager of education programs at Applewood.
“Regardless of what type of home people live in, to be able to have the skills to take care of that helps in their neighborhoods, helps with property values, gives people a safe place to live and enjoy their community,” said Saba.
During the session, Hollister Henry, collections technician at Ruth Mott Foundation, talked about what they have been doing for the Applewood house and why.
“We do all sorts of things to prevent a lot of the normal winter problems that might occur,” stated Henry. “Some things might include that when you put salt down on the roads to make them less icy, you track salt into your house. Salt can be very damaging to all types of flooring-wood, it will get stuck in carpet, and you will be finding salt for years. So, having a separate pair of shoes, having a different pair of house shoes and outdoor shoes will keep a lot of that salt from ruining the floors.”
Weather stripping is also done to the Applewood home, which has no central air, but has portable AC units installed in some of the rooms on the second and third floor. This helps preserve the Mott collection. Two different types of gasketing are used to seal the windows to the home and at bottoms of doors, which helps with insulation, as well as keeping water and bugs out.
Henry pointed out that the dollar store offers gasketing options with pictures on how to do it right on the packaging.
“A lot of it is just looking for little things – like making sure you have a mat at the front door that isn’t really necessarily your fancy, decorative mat, but a really functionable one,” said Saba. “If you have a lot of people coming and going, you can put shoe covers on to keep things safe.”
Other Civic Matters sessions addressed topics such as disaster preparedness, having inclusive museum collections to make sure everyone’s story was represented, caring for bricks in outdoor spaces and preserving photos and documents.
Another previous Civic Matters session was about pest management and addressed how keeping bugs out of homes helps with the property value.
Saba shared that Applewood staff talk a lot about how the space the Motts lived in was a spot where they could relax and be at peace. She said having a space one could enjoy without issues, whether at Applewood or their own home, helps with mental health and offers better opportunity to connect with others.
Applewood is generally open May-October.
Mindfulness Walks are one of the estate’s offerings
“With our Mindfulness Walks, being able to take care of ourselves allows us to be better engaged,” said Saba. “We’re part of community. So, we have to take care of ourselves as part of the community.”
Applewood will also be open the first Tuesday in December from 5-8 p.m. for the Flint Cultural Center’s Holiday Walk.
To learn more about the Applewood Estate, visit https://www.ruthmottfoundation.org/applewood/
