General Store Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Old General Store in Watrousville

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Thumb .

If you have ever driven down M-81 in the Thumb you have probably gone past this old building in the small town of Watrousvlle. The historical marker next to the building reads:

Aaron Watrous and his crew of loggers came here in the thumb in 1852 to cut the virgin pine of the Cass River Valley. In 1860 he platted the town naming it Watrousville, and a few years later constructed this building as a general store. The flagpole in front is thought to have been erected during the 1864 presidential campaign. Watrous died in 1868, and in 1882 the building became the Juniata Township Hall. Since 1972 it has been a museum of the Watrousville-Caro Area Historical Society.

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The Forgotten General Store

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, General Store .

Bracing itself against the wind and snow for several years the remains of this old general store still stand in the small forgotten town of Dighton. Located a few miles south of Cadillac, the town was named after Dighton Marvin. At one point it had over 1000 residents and three sawmills. Not much remains of the old sawmill town today. A store and a few houses are all that is left of the once bustling community.

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Good Harbor

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, General Store, Ghost towns .

The town of Good Harbor once stood along the shores of Lake Michigan between Glen Arbor and Leeland. In the 1860s H. D. Pheatt built a dock in Good Habor Bay to supply passing steamships with firewood. Over the next few decades, a couple of sawmills were built. The town had grown in population and had a hotel, general store, school, and some saloons. The interesting thing is Centerville and Cleveland townships boundary lines ran down the middle of Main Street in Good Harbor. Centerville did not allow saloons, so Good Harbor’s saloon was built on the Cleveland township side of the street.

In1905 the last remaining sawmill caught fire and burned down. Because most of the timber had been cut in the area the sawmill was not rebuilt. in the 1920a the old wood buildings still standing in the empty town were dismantled and the lumber used to build them was sold.

Not far away from where the town once stood, I saw this old building that looks as if it was a store at one time. I am not sure if it was standing in the time that Good Harbor was prosperous, but there is nothing left of the town. This old building is nearby and reminds me of the old sawmill town.

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The Store in Stalwart

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, upper peninsula .

In the southeast corner of the Upper Peninsula, near what’s left of the town of Stalwart, I came across this old store. It looks like it has not been occupied for a while. Yellow flowers and green grass are growing all around it without any foot traffic to impede their growth.

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Lost In Columbiaville

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, small towns .

I was going through my archive of photos from my travels because I can’t or will not travel right now. I came across this pic of an old building in Columbiaville that I never posted. I am not sure what this place is or was but it looks like an old general store at one time.

In 1848 a sawmill was built by George and Henry Niver, on the bank of the river. The town became known as Niverville until 1857, when the first post office was established. A town named Niverville existed in Michigan, so a new name was needed. Columbiaville was suggested by the Nivers, after their native county Columbia, NY.

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The Ghost Town of Damon

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Ghost towns .

Not much remains of the town of Damon but an old general store and a few houses. In the late 1800’s it was a booming lumbering town with a hotel and school for the children o the lumberjacks. The town was the inspiration for the town in James Oliver Curwood’s book Green Timber. Located about 10 miles north of West Branch The town was first settled in 1878 and named for George Damon owner of the firm Cutting & Damon. It was given a post office in 1880 then closed in 1907. The post office was briefly reopened in 1911 but closed two years later in 1915. I only assume most of the timber was gone and there was little work for the residents and they moved on.

P.S. I still have yet to read Green Timber. I have a few other James Oliver Curwood books but I have not found a copy of Green Timber yet. I am sure I could get one from eBay but that is not as much fun as looking for one in a used book store.

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Deerfield General Store

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, upper peninsula .

On my way to visit the Peninsula Lighthouse HERE near Little Bay De Noc in the Upper Peninusula, I passed this old general store. The sign above the door reads Deerfield and that it was built in 1902. I am not sure if Deerfield was the name of the proprietor since the village of Deerfield is located southwest of Dundee. I was not able to find any history about it but I thought it was a nice looking old building. The sun was shining on it so I thought I would stop and take a photo of it and share it with you.

P.S. I see a lot of old building and houses in the U.P. if walls could talk I wonder what stories they would share.

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The Famous General Store

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store .

In an area filled with fancy vineyards for wine lovers to explore is an old general store a little ways off the main road. Near the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula is the small almost forgotten town of Old Mission. That is where you will find the Old Mission General Store. Many people recognize it from the Pure Michigan commercials. When you visit the Old Mission Lighthouse the general store is a few miles away on the east side of the peninsula and it is a nice place to stop for a snack. The town is interesting with a lot of history, but that is a post for a different day.

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The Good Hart General Store

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store .

This cute little general store is on M-119 along the famous “tunnel of trees” route. It is between Harbor Springs and Cross Village and it’s a nice place to stop and get a snack while you are out enjoying a nice drive in northern Michigan.

The Native American chief in the area was Black Hawk and his brother was named Great Heart or Good Heart. The Indian agent marked it down as Good Hart and that is where the name of the town came from.

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Bach Michigan, but not that Bach

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Thumb .

Southeast of Sebewaing is the little town of Bach which is home to this old general store. If you are like me and think the town was named after the famous composer than you would be incorrect. You know what they say about assuming, you make an ass out of you and… well I guess I better get back to the town of Bach. The town was named after Fredric Bach who founded it in 1889. The little town even got a station on the Michigan Central Railroad and a post office in 1912.

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