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History & Culture

Porch Notes

History & Culture notes

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Harbor SpringsHarbor Springs is Emmet County's premium north-shore resort town, with a deep harbor, old summer colonies, and the Tunnel of Trees.
Harrisville: Alcona's county seat on the lakeHarrisville is Alcona County's tiny county-seat city, Lake Huron harbor, and day-to-day hub.
Higgins Lake's other story: the nursery that helped replant MichiganThe Higgins Lake Nursery and CCC Museum tells the conservation story behind the forests around Higgins Lake.
Mackinaw City, the Straits, and WildernessWawatam, Carp Lake, and Bliss townships anchor Emmet County's Straits end, from Mackinaw City and the bridge to Wilderness State Park.
Mio: the heart of Oscoda CountyMio is Oscoda County's unincorporated county seat, service hub, courthouse town, and practical center.
Omer: one of Michigan's smallest cities, and its spring sucker runOmer is one of Michigan's smallest cities, with the Rifle River and Suckerfest at the center of local life.
PetoskeyPetoskey is Emmet County's year-round resort hub, with the Gaslight District, Bay View, the Bear River, and Little Traverse Bay services.
Reed City and "The Old Rugged Cross"Reed City's heritage includes Reverend George Bennard, The Old Rugged Cross, logging roots, and the 1889 courthouse.
Rose City: a little lumber town turned trail townRose City grew from a lumber settlement called Churchill into a small outdoors town near the Rifle River Recreation Area.
St. Helen: a lumber town turned lake town (and the Bluegill Festival)St. Helen grew from a major lumber operation into an easygoing Lake St. Helen community with the Bluegill Festival.
Standish: the county seat and gateway to the Sunrise CoastStandish is Arenac County's county seat, crossroads, and practical gateway to the Sunrise Coast.
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse and museumsSturgeon Point Lighthouse, the maritime museum, and Old Bailey School sit on the Lake Huron shore in Haynes Township.
Tawas Point: the lighthouse and the "Cape Cod of the Midwest"Tawas Point State Park and its historic lighthouse define the Lake Huron shore in Baldwin Township.
The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris StateA sober look at Ferris State's Jim Crow Museum and its anti-racism teaching mission.
The Tawas twin cities: a Lake Huron resort townTawas City and East Tawas share Tawas Bay as Iosco County's resort and shopping hub.
The village of Roscommon: county seat on the Au SableRoscommon is the county-seat village on the South Branch of the Au Sable, with logging roots and the Michigan Firemen's Memorial.
The Wheatland Music FestivalWheatland Township hosts one of Michigan's best-loved traditional music festivals near Remus.
Tip-Up Town USA: Houghton Lake's winter on the iceTip-Up Town USA brings Houghton Lake's winter resort season onto the ice each January.
Walloon Lake and Hemingway countryWalloon Lake's clear water, old resort cottages, and Hemingway history shape Melrose and Bay townships.
West Branch: the county seat and I-75 stopoverWest Branch is Ogemaw County's county seat, I-75 stopover, and practical shopping and services hub.
"Franconian joy" — a sister colony to FrankenmuthFrankenlust Township's name and history come from a Franconian Lutheran farming colony tied to Frankenmuth's founding story.
A city of drawbridgesBay City's Saginaw River crossings still lift for freighters and sailboats, with a mix of free and tolled bridges.
A Claire Allen courthouse on the squareCorunna's Shiawassee County Courthouse is a Claire Allen-designed Classical Revival landmark on the public square.
A college town with an oil-boom pastMount Pleasant is shaped by Central Michigan University, its oil-boom history, and the Chippewa River running through town.
A German Catholic settlement since 1836Westphalia's German Catholic roots, St. Mary's Parish, and farming traditions still define the community.
A logging town named for a college founderVassar grew up on Cass River logging and shares its namesake with Vassar College founder Matthew Vassar.
A longtime prison townIonia has been a Michigan prison town since the 1800s, and corrections still shape local employment and population figures.
A railroad town and the Eastern Michigan State FairImlay City grew from a railroad depot and still hosts the Eastern Michigan State Fair.
A sugar-beet town since 1899Caro's operating sugar factory, Tuscola County Fair, and row-crop economy keep its sugar-beet heritage visible.
Adrian: where Michigan's first railroad ranAdrian's railroad origins go back to the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad, Michigan's first railroad.
Albion College and the forks of the KalamazooAlbion grew up at the forks of the Kalamazoo River and around one of Michigan's oldest liberal arts colleges.
Amish country east of ClareThe countryside east and southeast of Clare is home to a longstanding Amish settlement around Colonville.
Amish country in the southSouthern Hillsdale County is home to several mostly Swiss Amish communities around Camden, Reading, and North Adams.
An authentic Japanese tea house, in the middle of SaginawSaginaw's Japanese garden and tea house grew from its sister-city friendship with Tokushima, Japan.
An author's castle and a presidential candidate's hometownOwosso is the hometown of adventure novelist James Oliver Curwood and presidential nominee Thomas E. Dewey.
Antiques and old houses on the Chicago RoadThe old Chicago Road runs across northern Hillsdale County, connecting Allen's antique shops with Jonesville's historic houses.
At Ezhibiigaadek Asin, History Is Written in StoneGreenleaf Township holds Michigan's largest known collection of early Native American teachings carved in stone, a living cultural site cared for by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and the state.
Battle Creek, the Cereal CityBattle Creek became Cereal City after Sanitarium food experiments helped launch a cereal boom led by W.K. Kellogg and C.W. Post.
Bay City: sawmills, ships, and lumber-baron mansionsBay City's riverfront history runs from Saginaw Valley sawmills to shipyards, the USS Edson, and Center Avenue mansions.
Belding, the old "Silk City"Belding's Silk City nickname comes from the silk mills and company buildings that shaped its downtown.
Branch County's Amish communitiesThe Young Center's 2025 count lists three Amish settlements in Branch County: California/Montgomery, Quincy, and Kinderhook/Coldwater.
Charlotte's Courthouse SquareCharlotte preserves Eaton County's 1845, 1885, and 1976 courthouses. A Michigan historical marker says Eaton is the state's only county with three surviving county courthouses.
Cheeseburger in CasevilleCaseville's ten-day August festival turns the small Saginaw Bay beach town into a Jimmy Buffett-inspired party.
Clare's Irish Festival and "City of Festivals"Clare leans into its Irish name and festival-town identity with the annual Clare Irish Festival.
Coldwater and the old Chicago RoadColdwater grew up on the old Chicago Road, with a historic downtown and the restored Tibbits Opera House.
Cops & Doughnuts: the bakery the police boughtClare's police-owned Cops & Doughnuts bakery helped bring national attention and visitors back to downtown.
Dow's townMidland grew with Dow Chemical, and the Dow family shaped much of the city's architecture, culture, and civic polish.
Eaton Rapids, the Island CityEaton Rapids uses 'The Only Eaton Rapids on Earth' as a civic slogan, while its Island City nickname describes a business district set on an island in the Grand River.
FireKeepers and the Nottawaseppi Huron BandFireKeepers Casino Hotel in Emmett Township is owned by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, whose home is the Pine Creek Indian Reservation.
From lumber capital to car-parts townSaginaw's history runs from white-pine lumber capital to General Motors factory town, with the Castle Museum telling the story downtown.
From the Refrigerator Capital to the birthplace of MeijerGreenville's working history includes a century as the Refrigerator Capital of the World and the birthplace of Meijer.
Harbor Beach: a harbor of refuge and Frank MurphyHarbor Beach grew around a Lake Huron harbor of refuge and was the hometown of Frank Murphy, who served as Michigan governor, U.S. attorney general, and Supreme Court justice.
Hastings, the county seatHastings is Barry County's seat, with the Thornapple River, an old downtown, and the 1890s Barry County Courthouse.
Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale College is one of Michigan's oldest colleges, known for its early antislavery and coeducational charter and its modern independence from government funding.
Historic Charlton ParkHistoric Charlton Park is a Barry County park and museum with a re-created historic village on Thornapple Lake.
Historic MarshallMarshall's 1991 National Historic Landmark district connects its near-capital story, Honolulu House, and downtown magic museum.
How Bad Axe got its name — and survived the fireBad Axe's name comes from a damaged axe found by road surveyors, and the town rebuilt after the devastating Great Thumb Fire of 1881.
How Bronner's became Frankenmuth's year-round Christmas landmarkBronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland grew from Wally Bronner's sign shop into Frankenmuth's year-round Christmas landmark.
How 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.
Jackson'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.

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