County note shelf
Midland County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Midland County. This shelf has 6 practical notes and 17 local stories.
23 notes
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- History and cultureThe architect's house that sits in its own pondAlden B. Dow built his Midland home and studio in the 1930s with a studio room sunk into the water; it is now a National Historic Landmark you can tour.
- History and cultureMidland's Tudor courthouse has glass-bright muralsBuilt in 1924-25 and occupied in 1926, Midland County's Tudor Revival courthouse carries Paul Honoré murals made with a Dow-developed stucco mixed with ground glass.
- OutdoorsThirty paved miles from downtown Midland to Clare, on an old rail bedThe Pere Marquette Rail-Trail runs 30 paved miles west from Midland's Farmers Market through Sanford and Coleman to Clare, laid on an abandoned railroad corridor.
- OutdoorsA hill of 3,000 dahlias that started with a Mother's Day giftDahlia Hill is a terraced Midland garden where volunteers plant about 3,000 dahlias each spring, grown from one art teacher's accidental obsession.
- History and cultureA whole pioneer village, saved one building at a timeSanford's history museum is a campus of eight rescued 1800s buildings on the Tittabawassee River, born from a one-summer centennial exhibit that nobody wanted to take down.
- History and cultureColeman, named for the man who drew it on a mapA land buyer named Seymour Coleman platted the village in 1868, and the Pere Marquette railroad and a wall of sawmills did the rest.
- History and cultureMidland's Santa House and the Santa school that meets thereThe downtown Santa House is a county-owned holiday landmark. Each October, a nonprofit school founded in 1937 holds its three-day session there.
- History and cultureThe building Alden Dow designed to make art and science argueMidland's arts center, designed by Alden B. Dow and opened in 1970, deliberately puts a science museum, art galleries, and a 1,500-seat hall under one roof.
- History and cultureThe nonprofit foundation behind Midland's Dow DiamondThe Michigan Baseball Foundation owns and operates Dow Diamond while supporting regional youth, recreation, and economic-development projects through grants.
- History and cultureEdenville: named for the Garden of Eden (really)Edenville Township's first postmaster looked out at the meeting of two rivers in 1869 and decided the view deserved the name Eden.
- History and cultureDow's townMidland grew with Dow Chemical, and the Dow family shaped much of the city's architecture, culture, and civic polish.
- Home and propertyMidland's three rivers, and when to check the flood mapsMidland sits at a river confluence where flood maps and flood insurance can matter for buyers near low ground.
- Home and propertyThe 2020 dam break and the lakes that are coming backThe 2020 Edenville and Sanford dam failures reshaped the Four Lakes area, where lake rebuilding and special assessments matter for buyers.
- History and cultureStyrofoam Was Invented in Midland (and What You Call 'Styrofoam' Probably Isn't)Dow invented Styrofoam in Midland in 1941 — and here's the twist: the foam cups and coolers you call 'styrofoam' aren't actually Styrofoam at all.
- Home and propertyThe Tittabawassee floodplain and a long cleanupDownstream of Dow's Midland plant, buyers near the Tittabawassee River floodplain should know about dioxin cleanup records and advisories.
- OutdoorsTwo thousand protected acres outside MidlandChippewa Nature Center protects 2,000 acres near Midland, with 19 miles of public trails, river access, exhibits, and an 1870s homestead.
- OutdoorsThe Pere Marquette Rail TrailDowntown Clare and Farwell connect to the Pere Marquette rail-trail system for biking, walking, running, and skiing.
- History and cultureSanford's comeback: the lakes are filling againSix years after the dams gave way and emptied them, the mid-Michigan lakes are returning — Sanford Lake began refilling in April 2026, with the rest on a published schedule.
- Home and propertyOut in the county, you're on a well and septicRural Midland County homes often use private wells and septic systems, with county permits, soil checks, and buyer-requested inspections.
- OutdoorsDow Gardens and the treetop walkDow Gardens and Whiting Forest give Midland a public garden, historic home, and nationally noted treetop canopy walk.
- History and cultureThe TridgeMidland's three-legged Tridge crosses the Chippewa and Tittabawassee confluence and anchors downtown trails, parks, and markets.
- 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.