County note shelf
Cass County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Cass County. This shelf has 5 practical notes and 13 local stories.
18 notes
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- History and cultureThe day kitty litter was invented in CassopolisCat litter was invented in Cassopolis in 1947 when Edward Lowe handed a neighbor a bag of absorbent clay instead of sand — the start of a billion-dollar industry.
- History and cultureEdwardsburg started as a cabin where two trails crossedEdwardsburg grew from Ezra Beardsley's 1826 cabin at the junction of two Indian trails, on the Detroit-to-Chicago road, and lost the 'h' off its name by a postmaster's order in 1845.
- OutdoorsSister Lakes: a Chicago resort town that grew a monsterSister Lakes, a cluster of resort lakes straddling three counties near Dowagiac, drew Chicagoans by rail from the 1880s — and made global headlines in 1964 over a Bigfoot scare.
- OutdoorsDr. T.K. Lawless Park's international dark-sky designationDr. T.K. Lawless County Park near Vandalia earned an International Dark Sky Park designation after upgrading its outdoor lighting and documenting night-sky conditions. Check current park hours before visiting after dark.
- OutdoorsFred Russ Forest, and the 40 acres that never met an axeFred Russ Forest near Decatur is an MSU research forest and Cass County park that protects Newton Woods, a rare old-growth oak-hickory stand in southern Michigan.
- History and cultureThe Newton House: a farmhouse that forgot to changeThe George Newton House in Volinia Township, built in 1844, is a Michigan State Historic Site run as a museum by the Cass County Historical Society.
- OutdoorsDiamond Lake's island, and the barge that serves itDiamond Lake near Cassopolis covers 1,020 acres. Its private 40-acre island has 99 cottages and houses, with a private barge carrying authorized vehicles across.
- History and cultureMarcellus: the village named for a Roman, made by a railroadMarcellus in northeast Cass County was named after a Roman emperor in 1843 — its second choice — and only became a real town when the Peninsular Railroad arrived in 1870-71.
- History and cultureThe college Cass County voted itself into existenceSouthwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac opened in 1966 after Cass County voters approved a $1.5 million tax levy in 1964 to build a community college of their own.
- History and cultureWho Cass County is named for, and what he was known forCass County and Cassopolis are named for Lewis Cass, Michigan's territorial governor from 1813 to 1831, who negotiated vast land-cession treaties with the region's tribes.
- History and cultureDowagiac and the Pokagon Band of PotawatomiDowagiac is the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi's home base and the namesake city for Four Winds Dowagiac.
- History and cultureDowagiac: Heddon lures, Round Oak stoves, and the first orphan trainDowagiac turned Heddon lures and Round Oak stoves into major businesses, and it received the first trainload in the orphan-train movement in 1854.
- History and cultureCass County and the Underground RailroadCass County was a major Underground Railroad haven, with Quaker and free Black communities centered around Calvin, Penn, Porter, Vandalia, and Cassopolis.
- OutdoorsThe Painted TurtleThe painted turtle became Michigan's state reptile in 1995 — chosen by a class of Niles fifth-graders, which might make it the most Michigan symbol of all.
- Home and propertyBuying on (or near) a Cass County lake? A few things to knowCass County lake homes can come with managed lake levels, special assessments, lake associations, and lake-specific boating rules.
- Home and propertyOutside town, most Cass County homes are on a well and septic — inspect before you buyMost Cass County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and the county does not require a sale-time inspection.
- 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.