Our Roots
Yates Cider Mill ~ The Oldest Cider Mill in Michigan
Born in 1863, Yates Cider Mill is the oldest cider mill in Michigan. With six generations and a 160-year history, it remains a treasured part of the fabric of the Oakland County community.
To truly understand the Yates experience, it helps to know where Yates came from, what drives its spirit, and how it has evolved over the decades.
Back when the nation was in the middle of the Civil War, back when Abraham Lincoln was president, Caroline and William Yates made a decision that would chart the course of the future for generations.
The Transition
The Posey Family
Charles M. Posey was a skilled machinist, mechanic, and owner of a snack shop just across Dequindre Road. Harry Yates frequently called upon Charles for assistance with anything mechanical. They became fast friends, and when it came time for Harry to retire, Charles and his wife, Ruth, were the perfect fit, as they both had worked with the Yates family for nearly 20 years. They took over in 1959.
Charles and Ruth Posey’s son, Les Posey, who grew up working at the mill, took over ownership in 1975.
Yates Cider Mill received the Earl Borden Historic Preservation Award from the Rochester Hills Historic Districts Commission in 1991.
The Present Day
The Posey-Titus Family
With full support from Katie’s grandfather, previous Yates Cider Mill owner Charles Posey (1919-2013), the couple took over the business and are the current owners.
Both have carried on the family legacy, the traditions, and the spirit that has made Yates what it is today.
Yates Cider Mill celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2013, and at that time, Katie and Mike Titus accepted the Michigan Milestone Award from the Historical Society of Michigan.
A Michigan Historical Marker was placed at the site in 2013.
And that water turbine that was installed in 1894? It’s still there. It’s still being used to generate power to press that amazing apple cider. And it’s still an essential part of what makes Yates Cider Mill so unique.
The patriarch of Yates Cider Mill, William Henry Yates, was born in the state of New York on December 10, 1820, to John G. Yates and Catherine Sipperly Yates. He married Caroline Heymer, and the couple had one child, Frank William Yates, who was 9 years old in 1863 when the family moved to Michigan from New York. William Yates died on January 30, 1911.
Frank Yates lived from 1854 to 1935. His son, Harry Yates, lived from 1889 to 1979.
