Topic · Page 16

History & Culture

Porch Notes

History & Culture notes

1,143 notes

Lexington grew from county seat to lake resortSanilac County's earliest settlement served as its first county seat before Lake Huron tourism reshaped Lexington.
Lighthouse, shipwrecks, and the storm of 1913Port Sanilac's lighthouse, harbor of refuge, shipwrecks, and historic museum tie the village to Lake Huron's maritime history.
Metamora's horse farms and hunt-country historyMetamora's equestrian identity grew around open land, horse farms, and a hunt club that established its local country in the late 1920s.
Michigan's oldest working courthouseLapeer's 1845-46 courthouse is the oldest courthouse still in use in Michigan.
Mint City, U.S.A.St. Johns is known as Mint City, U.S.A., with Clinton County mint farms, muck soil, and the annual Mint Festival.
Olivet CollegeOlivet grew up around a college founded by Oberlin missionaries with early commitments to coeducation and race inclusion.
Potterville and the Gizzard FestPotterville is known for Gizzard Fest, a June small-town festival built around fried chicken gizzards and Joe's Gizzard City.
Scotland, USAAlma's Scottish identity runs through Alma College, its tartan, and the annual Highland Festival and Games.
Sojourner Truth made Battle Creek her homeSojourner Truth spent the last chapter of her life in Battle Creek, where a monument and Oak Hill Cemetery honor her legacy.
Sugar on the baySebewaing's sugar-beet factory and annual Michigan Sugar Festival keep the Saginaw Bay village tied to the Thumb's farm economy.
The "Queen of the Rails"Durand Union Station is a landmark railroad depot and the home of the Michigan Railroad History Museum.
The Calhoun County Fair's long Marshall historyMarshall's county fair traces its first gathering to 1839; after reorganizing in 1848, the agricultural society made it a yearly event beginning in 1849.
The Capri Drive-InThe Capri Drive-In west of Coldwater is a Magocs-family theater, a National Register landmark, and a southern Michigan summer tradition.
The county seat and its courthouseIthaca is Gratiot County's seat, anchored by its 1900 stone courthouse and historic downtown.
The Danish Festival CityGreenville's Danish Festival celebrates the Danish immigrant heritage that has shaped the city since the 1850s.
The fishing port behind Bay Port's fish sandwich festivalBay Port's commercial fishing district reached the National Register in 1977, and a working fish company and local festival still carry the story forward.
The Gilmore Car MuseumThe Gilmore Car Museum at Hickory Corners is a 90-acre campus of historic cars, red barns, vintage buildings, and partner auto museums.
The Middle of the MittenSt. Louis marks the geographic center of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and has a mineral-springs resort history.
The Real History Beneath Frankenmuth's Bavarian LookFrankenmuth's German roots date to 1845, but the Alpine-style Main Street visitors see today began taking shape in the late 1950s.
The real Polar Express lives hereOwosso's Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive inspired The Polar Express and still pulls excursion trains.
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, Soaring Eagle, and ZiibiwingThe Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, Soaring Eagle, Ziibiwing, and the Tribe's living culture are central to Mount Pleasant.
The Shepherd Maple Syrup FestivalShepherd's volunteer-run Maple Syrup Festival is a long-running spring tradition built around pancakes, local syrup, and community giving.
The swinging bridge and the sugar factoryCroswell is known for its swaying Black River footbridge and its Michigan Sugar Company beet-processing factory.
The Thumb's eight-sided barnNear Gagetown, the restored Thumb Octagon Barn preserves an eight-sided 1924 barn and a working farm museum.
The TridgeMidland's three-legged Tridge crosses the Chippewa and Tittabawassee confluence and anchors downtown trails, parks, and markets.
The Zilwaukee Bridge and the town with the odd nameZilwaukee's high I-75 bridge solved a drawbridge bottleneck and became famous for a costly construction mishap.
Vermontville and its maple syrup festivalVermontville's New England roots and Michigan's original maple syrup festival make it one of Eaton County's signature small-town stories.
Walker Tavern and the old road to ChicagoWalker Tavern preserves the old Chicago Road stagecoach era and the later US-12 roadside-attraction story in Cambridge Township.
Where five rivers are bornHillsdale County sits on a high ridge where five major river systems begin and drain toward Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.
Where the world bought its grindstonesGrindstone City's sandstone quarries once shipped huge sharpening stones around the world, leaving a historic district east of Port Austin.
Why Hillsdale Calls Its Fair "The Most Popular Fair on Earth"Hillsdale's county fair began in 1851. Its grand nickname is a piece of local identity, not a measured attendance ranking.
Why Pinconning calls itself Michigan's Cheese CapitalPinconning's shift from lumber to dairy set up Dan Horn's 1915 cheese formula and the roadside shops that made it a local identity.
Why the Ionia Free Fair is free at the gateThe Ionia Free Fair has no general gate ticket, but parking, rides, food, and many grandstand events still cost extra.
Yankee Springs and Gun LakeYankee Springs Recreation Area and Gun Lake make northwest Barry County one of southern Michigan's strongest outdoors corners.
Apple country: Sparta and the Fruit RidgeThe Fruit Ridge around Sparta is one of Michigan's strongest apple-growing regions, shaped by soil, elevation, and Lake Michigan.
ArtPrize: when downtown Grand Rapids becomes one giant art showArtPrize turns downtown Grand Rapids into a free, city-sized art show each fall.
Beer City USA: how Grand Rapids got the nameGrand Rapids got the Beer City USA nickname from national fan polls in 2012 and 2013. The poll is gone, but the brewery trail and passport remain.
Before the suburbs: when Reeds Lake was the place to beBefore East Grand Rapids became a quiet suburb, Reeds Lake was home to Ramona Park, the region's biggest amusement spot.
Benton Harbor and the House of DavidBenton Harbor's House of David colony became famous for bearded baseball, Eden Springs Park, and its miniature railway.
Benton Harbor is Whirlpool's hometownWhirlpool began in Benton Harbor in 1911 and still lists the city as its global headquarters.
Cass 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.
Cedar Springs: the 'Red Flannel Town'The Red Flannel Festival traces Cedar Springs' nickname to a 1936 newspaper exchange that turned long underwear into a lasting civic identity.
Centreville is Michigan's oldest surviving Amish settlementResearchers identify Centreville, founded in 1910, as Michigan's oldest surviving Amish settlement. The latest Young Center table also makes it the largest settlement listed under Michigan.
Chelsea's Purple Rose Theatre, founded by Jeff DanielsJeff Daniels founded Chelsea's Purple Rose Theatre Company to develop new American plays and Midwestern voices.
Colon: the Magic Capital of the WorldColon is known as the Magic Capital of the World, with Abbott Magic, the annual Magic Get-Together, and Lakeside Cemetery's magician graves.
Coopersville: a farm town, a tourist train, and the home of "Runaway"Coopersville's passenger train follows six miles of track first laid in 1858, while its former interurban depot keeps the town's railroad and Del Shannon stories together.
Dowagiac and the Pokagon Band of PotawatomiDowagiac is the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi's home base and the namesake city for Four Winds Dowagiac.
Dowagiac: 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.
Flint built the car — and helped build the American labor movementFlint is the birthplace of General Motors and the city where the 1936-37 Sit-Down Strike helped transform American labor.
Four Winds Casino and the Pokagon BandFour Winds New Buffalo is a major resort owned and operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
Four Winds Casino in HartfordFour Winds Hartford is a Pokagon Band casino and entertainment venue just off I-94 in the Hartford area.
Fowlerville's long-running fair and Charlie GehringerFowlerville's agricultural society dates to 1886, and Hall of Fame Tiger Charlie Gehringer grew up on a nearby farm and attended Fowlerville High.
George Custer's hometown — and the ongoing debate over his statueMonroe has long claimed George Custer, but the downtown Custer statue remains part of an unresolved local debate.
Gerald Ford is buried at his Grand Rapids museumGerald R. Ford grew up and began his political career in Grand Rapids. He and Betty Ford are buried at his downtown presidential museum.
Grand Haven: the first Coast Guard CityGrand Haven was the first community recognized as a Coast Guard City, and its waterfront traditions include the Coast Guard Festival and Musical Fountain.
How a train rescue in Mount Clemens launched Thomas EdisonA teenage Thomas Edison learned telegraphy after rescuing a child at the Mount Clemens train depot.
How Grand Rapids became the first city to fluoridate its waterGrand Rapids was the first U.S. city to add fluoride to its drinking water, a public-health experiment that began in 1945.
How St. Julian Found Its Home in Paw PawSt. Julian began in Ontario in 1921 and settled in Paw Paw in 1936; nearby Warner gives the village a second long-running winery.
Howell's Melon Festival and BalloonfestHowell's two big summer traditions arrive on different weekends: hot-air balloons in June and a downtown melon celebration in August.
Hudsonville: "Michigan's Salad Bowl"Hudsonville's Salad Bowl nickname comes from Dutch settlers draining muck fields into productive vegetable farmland.

Page feedback

See something wrong or unclear?

Send a note about this page. The page address will be included automatically.

Send a note