I saw this old store somewhere between Howard City and Grant. It seemed like it was out in the middle of nowhere since there was not a name of a town listed on the map. Surrounded by farmland it looks as if it has been a long time since this old store was open to customers.
Lost In Michigan Books are ON SALE at Amazon. You can see more by clicking HERE
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
When I was a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s we would hang out at the mall in the winter since there was not a lot to do on a cold Michigan day in the suburbs. You could put some quarters in Galaga and check out the CDs at the music store and get a snack. I saw this old General Store at the Sanford Centennial Museum and it got me thinking about what It must have been like back then. That must have been a big deal to go to the store with the horse and wagon. Inside the clerk with his white shirt and apron was stocking the shelves. A couple of old farmers in overalls sitting around a barrel next to the pot belly stove playing checkers talking about what crops they are going to plant in the spring. If we’re lucky maybe mom will get us some penny candy.
This was L.P. Larson’s General Store in Olsen. It was moved by the Sanford Historical Society to its current location at the Museum. To check out the old photos of the store and the history of the building at the society’s website click on the link HERE
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
Northeast of Ann Arbor on Plymouth Road is the small town of Dixboro. In 1824, retired sea Captain John Dix purchased about 500 acres of land. He built a house and a sawmill and then plotted a section of land that became the town of Dixboro. The little village was growing quickly until the railroad decided to lay tracks through Ypsilanti instead of Dixboro.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
There is not a whole lot in the small Upper Peninsula town of Covington. Some houses, a post office, a beautiful church, and an old general store can be found in the town located near the junction of M-28 and 141. John Lyons was the first postmaster in 1895 and he named the town for Covington Kentucky where he came from.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
Near the point of Old Mission Peninsula is the town of Old Mission. This old building sits at the north end of the town. I am not sure what it was but it looks like an old general store. If you visit the lighthouse at the point be sure to take a side trip through the historic town of Old Mission. There are a lot of historic places to see on your trip through the old shadow town.
Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
This old General Store stands in the town of Glen Haven. It is kind of a ghost town in the fact that no one lives there anymore. It is part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I have seen this old store many times. Maybe someday I will get a chance to go inside and check it out. I tend to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes out of season when everything is closed up for the winter. I like the peace and quiet when nobody is around but that means a lot of places are closed to tourists.
Lost In Michigan Books are ON SALE at Amazon. You can see more by clicking HERE
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
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.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
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.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
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.
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
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.
Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.