Not far from Quanicassee stands the remains of these two old brick houses along the road. I did not know anything about these old houses at the time I posted a photo of them on facebook, but thanks to the comments from the current owners I learned about their history. They are not much today, but they were part of Nathan B. Bradley’s farm. Bradley was Bay City’s first Mayor. He grew up on a farm in Ohio and moved to the St. Charles working in the lumbering Industry. In the 1850’s he purchased a sawmill in Bay City becoming one of the most prominent citizens in the community. He went on to serve in Congress and after the lumber boom, he was instrumental in starting the sugar industry in the Saginaw Vally during the end of the 1800s before he died in 1906. I could not find information about the farm, but I assume he used the farm to grow some of the first sugar beets in the region. Sometimes an old house is more than just an old house, but also a history lesson. If you like this story Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this week with more in-depth stories from around the state. You can order them from my website HERE
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