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Category Archives: small towns

Lost in Silverwood

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

Silverwood School Michigan

O.K., I wasn’t really lost in Silverwood, that would be hard to do since there are only a few streets in the town.  The town sits in the Thumb between Mayville and Marlette. I found this building that looks like and old school house or a church, or probably both. There is an old store in town that I have tried to get a pic of a few times, but every time I am in Silverwood there was a truck parked in front of it, oh well, maybe on the next trip.

When the railroad was ran through the area in 1882, the residents applied for a post office. One suggested naming it something easy to remember, and the post office named “Easy” opened on April 13, 1882, with James R. Chapin as the first postmaster. The name changed to “Rollo” on March 27, 1890, and changed again on May 2, 1892 to “Silverwood”, after the nearby stands of white pine. For what it’s worth, I like the name Silverwood, it sounds like something from a Clint Eastwood western.

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The Water Tower in Elsie

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

Elsie Michigan water tower

I am not sure why but I like water towers, especially the old ones.  Almost every town has one, and they usually have the name of the town painted on them. that must be an interesting job to pain water towers, but I digress. I really like this old tower in Elsie. The name of the town was derived from the first born child in the town, which was Elsie Tillotson in 1857. Her father was the first postmaster.

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The Small Town of Palms

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

 

This old concrete building stands next to the railroad tracks in Palms. I am not sure what it was orginally used for but it looks as if it has been a long time since it was utilized.

You could possibly call Palms a ghost town but a few people still live in the small town located in the Thumb between Cass City and Lake Huron. I figured a name like palms it was named after the palm tree but as any astute Michigander will tell you there are no palm trees in Michigan. The village was settled in 1850 by Canadians John Smith & Michael Dyer. It was businessman Francis Palms who owned most of the land for timber, and when he brought the railroad to the little community in 1881 they named the town in his honor.

Palms owned the most land in Michigan in the mid-1800s in both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. After harvesting the timber he sold the land but retained the mineral rights. He made a fortune off the copper that was discovered under the property he once owned. He was the president of the Michigan Stove Company and vice president of the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad. At the time of his death, his estate and savings were worth over ten million dollars. The largest estate in Michigan at the time.

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Butternut

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns, small towns .

The small town of Butternut, or what remains of it, stands in central Michigan west of Carson City. It was founded in 1888 and believed to be named after a butternut cheese factory.  It was once a prosperous town with a population of over 200 people. The town’s prosperity came from its location on the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad, which allowed for the easy transport of lumber and minerals. However, the town’s fortunes declined in the early 1900s when the railroad was abandoned. By the 1930s, Butternut was a ghost town and today only a few buildings and a couple houses still stand in the area.

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The Library in Nashville

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Library, small towns .

The town of Nashville Michigan is about twenty miles southwest of Lansing. It was named for George Nash an engineer in charge of construction with the Michigan Central Railroad. Near the center of town is the Putmam Library. If it looks like an Italianate style house that’s because it was. Built in 1884-85, it was the home of Charles W. and Agnes Putnam. Mr. Putnam was a hardware merchant and banker; Mrs. Putnam taught music and was the first public school teacher in Nashville. Around the turn of the century, the Putnams hosted many elegant social events here. In 1921 they willed their home to Nashville for use as a public library. They established a ten-thousand-dollar trust fund to begin its operation. The Woman’s Literary Club launched the library in 1923.

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Vernon

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

Vernon was first settled in 1833 by Henry Leach of Detroit and soon followed by Squatter Jacob Wilkinson. The first permanent settler was James Ratan and he became the first postmaster in 1842. The Detroit and Milwaukee railroad came thru in 1856 and a station was built on the rail line. The town was named after George Washington’s home of Mt Vernon.

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The Building in Bitely

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I saw this old building on Main Street in the small town of Bitely. It stands next to the railroad tracks and looks as if it was a tavern or hotel at one time. It looks like it is a private residence now but It looks as if it has been standing next to the tracks for a long time.

Bitely is located in the Manistee National Forest near Bitely Lake. It was given a station along the railroad and a post office in 1889, It was named for Steven Bitely, who built a sawmill there, but due to a typographical error, the post office was initially spelled as Biteley. The town still has a few old buildings and one of my favorites is the log cabin church.

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The Winn Shopping Center

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

The sign on the side of this building reads THE WINN SHOPPING CENTER. It looks as if it has been a while since anyone has done any shopping at the shopping center. The small town of Winn west of Shepherd was started in 1867 and either named for Mr. Winn or for Wynn England. I have seen a reference to both. The Town was platted by Wiley Dush and he changed the name to Dushville. After Mr. Dush died in 1898 the name of the town was changed back to Winn.

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Downtown Rockland

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, upper peninsula .

The town of Rockland sits along US-45 near Ontonagon. It started in 1847 when the Rockland Mine opened.  It was a booming area at one time but after the mines closed the town dwindled in population. Today a few hearty Yoopers call it home. I went through town to get to the Old Victoria historic town site.

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Easy In Silverwood

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, Thumb .

The small town of Silverwood sits in the Thumb between Mayville and Marlette. I always thought the name sounds like something from a TV western or movie. It was not the first name of the town. When the railroad was built through here in 1882, the residents applied for a post office. One suggested naming it something easy to remember, and the post office named “Easy” and opened on 13 April 1882. I am not sure why but in 1890 The name changed to “Rollo” and changed again in 1892 to “Silverwood”, after the nearby stands of white pine.

P.S. There is a nice old building in town that is used as a store. For years I have been trying to get a nice pic of it but every time I am in the area, there are a bunch of cars parked in front of it. So instead, I took a pic of this building. I am not sure what it was but the stone at the top reads. H. C. BEARUP 1896.

 

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