In October 1919, nearly a year after World War I ended, a group of Plymouth citizens banded together to form the Plymouth Home Building Association (PHBA). The purpose of the organization was to help people get loans to build new houses. It was organized to aid those who sought a home, which then helped Plymouth grow and prosper.

At the end of four years, the PHBA had financed the construction of 49 new dwellings. The association was “teaching thrift by systematic savings and encouraged people of small means to own their homes instead of paying rent.”¹

While new residences were being built, new businesses were encouraged to come to Plymouth after the creation of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce in 1921. A joint effort between Plymouth Village Manager Sidney Strong and the Chamber produced a new design for the seal of the village.

According to Strong, “The motto – ‘A Village of Homes’ – was the picture the Plymouth citizen had of their present-day community and indicated the type of development they hoped would continue.”² The Plymouth Village Council adopted the seal on April 7, 1924.

By 1930, the PHBA had financed more than 100 new homes in Plymouth and was in a strong financial position. That year it changed its name to Plymouth Savings & Loan Association to allow the public to better understand its purpose.

The Plymouth seal that was adopted in 1924 was updated and readopted when Plymouth became a city in 1932.

After World War II ended, housing once again became an issue. At least one contractor, William Birt, concentrated on building homes for veterans in Plymouth. Some of these were built on Sunset, Arthur, and Auburn streets and were priced between $6,800 and $7,500.

In 1946, the U.S. government put drastic restrictions on construction and repair of most types of buildings to focus on meeting the goal of providing 2.7 million dwellings for veterans by the end of 1947.

That same year, one of these veterans, former Plymouth resident Robert J. Lorenz, won an award for his artistic poster, “More Homes for Vets,” at a Veterans Administration sponsored GI art exhibit in Los Angeles. This was especially meaningful because he and his wife of five months had to live with her parents because they could not find their own place.

One hundred years after adopting the motto “A Village of Homes,” Plymouth continues to be a thriving residential community.

The Plymouth Historical Museum will open its new special exhibit, “War’s Over…Now What?” on Wednesday, February 12. The exhibit will run through July 6. The Museum is located at 155 S. Main Street in Plymouth and is open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 1-4 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children aged 6-17.


¹ Plymouth Mail, January 11, 1924, p. 1.
² Sidney D. Strong, “The Seal of the City of Plymouth,” 1937.