County note shelf
Jackson County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Jackson County. This shelf has 6 practical notes and 17 local stories.
23 notes
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- History and cultureA donated farm became Blackman's working airportWiley and Sara Reynolds gave 160 acres for a Jackson airport in 1927; Reynolds Field still uses New Deal-era buildings and serves more than 100 aircraft in Blackman Township.
- History and cultureA farmer's organ habit that filled a whole high schoolA Hanover farmer's collection of antique pump organs grew so large it now fills the village's old high school — more than 100 reed organs, most of them still playable.
- OutdoorsDahlem: 300 acres of woods that pay no taxes and ask nothing of youA nearly 300-acre nature preserve on the south edge of Jackson, with five miles of trails and a barrier-free path, run entirely on donations rather than tax dollars.
- History and cultureElla Sharp gave Jackson her farm — all 530 acres of itA childless widow left her Jackson farm to the city as a public park; her hilltop farmhouse is now the Ella Sharp Museum, anchoring a 560-acre green space.
- OutdoorsFalling Waters Trail: 10 miles of railroad turned into a flat ribbon to ConcordA 10.5-mile paved rail-trail runs from Jackson out to Concord through spring-fed lake country, on the bed of an abandoned Michigan Central line.
- History and cultureGrass Lake's stone depot, and the novel that named its parkAn 1887 stone railroad depot in Grass Lake survived a fire down to a shell, then took its second life from a hometown author's best-selling novel, Whistlestop.
- History and cultureSpringport was Oyer's Corner firstThe village of Springport in northern Jackson County grew up around one New York transplant's store, mill, and hotel — and went by his name before it got its own.
- History and cultureThe farm the state forgot to tear downA German immigrant's 1850s farmstead near Grass Lake survived being swallowed by a state recreation area, and now stands as a museum of 19th-century farm life.
- Cars and drivingThe Jackson factory that put the honk in your carJackson's Sparks-Withington Company built the early electric car horn, branded it Sparton, and grew into a 7,000-employee plant whose owner later built the Cascades.
- History and cultureThe Michigan Theatre: the coolest room in 1930 JacksonDowntown Jackson's 1930 movie palace was the first air-conditioned building in town; saved from demolition, it still runs films and concerts as a nonprofit today.
- History and cultureTwo sisters who left their whole house to MichiganAn 1880s Victorian home in Concord froze in time when its two unmarried owners willed it — and everything inside — to the people of Michigan, now a state historic site.
- OutdoorsClark Lake and the Irish HillsColumbia Township is home to Clark Lake and part of the Irish Hills, a long-running resort and lake-country landscape.
- History and cultureHow Jackson's 1854 convention helped form the Republican PartyAt Jackson's Under the Oaks convention, anti-slavery delegates organized a statewide Republican ticket — one important step in a party taking shape across several places.
- Money and taxesJackson has a city income taxJackson is one of Michigan's cities with a local income tax for residents and nonresidents who work inside the city.
- History and cultureJackson's first state prison became a neighborhoodMichigan's first state prison opened in Jackson in the 1830s. Its old downtown grounds are now homes and workspaces, while part of the later prison campus remains active.
- OutdoorsThe Cascades: a glowing waterfall built by one man's dreamJackson's Cascades is a man-made illuminated waterfall in Sparks Foundation County Park, built from William Sparks's hometown dream.
- OutdoorsThe Lower Peninsula's biggest state park is right hereWaterloo Recreation Area is the Lower Peninsula's largest state park, with more than 20,000 acres, 11 inland lakes, camping, and a broad trail system.
- Home and propertyBuying on (or near) a Jackson County lake?Jackson County lake homes can come with legal lake levels, special assessments, lake boards or associations, and lake-specific boating rules.
- OutdoorsThe Lower Peninsula's biggest state park is near ChelseaWaterloo Recreation Area covers more than 20,000 acres in Jackson and Washtenaw counties, making it the Lower Peninsula's largest state park.
- Home and propertyOutside town, you're probably on a well and septicMost rural Jackson County township homes use private wells and septic systems, and sale-time inspections are something buyers need to ask for.
- History and cultureUnder the oaks and over the falls: two Jackson landmarksJackson's 1854 state convention helped organize the new Republican Party. Nearby, the Cascades has sent illuminated water down a hillside since 1932.
- 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.