County note shelf
Alcona County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Alcona County. This shelf has 4 practical notes and 12 local stories.
16 notes
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- History and cultureAlcona first appeared on the map as NegwegonThe county was set off as Negwegon in 1840, renamed Alcona in 1843, and organized in 1869. The replacement name's exact origin is less settled than many summaries make it sound.
- History and cultureGreenbush started as a fishery, then a homesick man renamed itThe Lake Huron hamlet of Greenbush grew from an 1848 fishery into a lumber-shipping port, and took its name to comfort a young worker far from home.
- History and cultureHow Mikado got a Gilbert and Sullivan nameFounder Daniel Bruce proposed Bruce's Crossing, but postal officials chose Mikado, the name of a popular Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.
- History and cultureHubbard Lake was the 'Bottomless Lake' until a geologist got it namedOne of Michigan's largest inland lakes was called the Bottomless Lake by early settlers, then renamed in 1867 for state geologist Bela Hubbard.
- History and cultureThe Alcona County Fair takes over a campground each AugustEvery late August the Alcona County Fair fills the Alcona Recreation Area in Lincoln — a fairground that spends the rest of the year as a public campground.
- History and cultureThe Lincoln Depot: the last of its kind in northeast MichiganThe 1886 Lincoln Depot is the last surviving railroad station of its type in northeastern Michigan and now serves as a local museum.
- OutdoorsWhy Harrisville keeps a 'harbor of refuge' on Lake HuronHarrisville's marina is a designated harbor of refuge — a built shelter where boaters caught in a Lake Huron blow can duck in off an exposed shore.
- Money and taxesNo city income tax in HarrisvilleHarrisville, Alcona County's only city, levies no city income tax; the nearest Michigan city that does is Grayling, roughly 70 miles west on M-72.
- History and cultureSturgeon Point Lighthouse and museumsSturgeon Point Lighthouse, the maritime museum, and Old Bailey School sit on the Lake Huron shore in Haynes Township.
- History and cultureHarrisville: Alcona's county seat on the lakeHarrisville is Alcona County's tiny county-seat city, Lake Huron harbor, and day-to-day hub.
- OutdoorsLiving on Hubbard LakeHubbard Lake is Alcona County's big inland-lake market, spanning Alcona, Caledonia, and Hawes townships.
- OutdoorsAlcona's forest interior and the Au SableAlcona's inland townships are Huron National Forest country, with the Au Sable, Alcona Pond, Alcona Park, and quiet public land.
- OutdoorsLiving on the Lake Huron shore in Alcona CountyAlcona County's Lake Huron shore brings harbors, beaches, parks, fishing, dark skies, and Great Lakes buyer basics.
- Home and propertyWell and septic in rural Alcona CountyOutside Harrisville, Alcona County buyers should plan on private wells, septic systems, and buyer-paid inspections.
- Money and taxesBuying in a township? Watch for special assessments on top of your taxesMichigan township buyers should check for special assessments that can add separate road, sewer, water, lighting, sidewalk, or drain charges.
- Money and taxesIn Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not oneMost Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.