Everything old is new again

With the on going financial trouble of Michigan school districts, talk of consolidations and the announced cuts and building closings in Grand Ledge, it is interesting to look back at some of the history of our district. As you can see, some ideas are not new after all. It reminds me of the old song, “everything old is new again”.

After the end WWII, the district started to plan for expected enrollment growth, and they began to acquire land for future expansion. They purchased the 80 acre Kent Farm on Jenne Street.  Twelve acres off Jones street was purchased as well as a large parcel across Jenne Street, now called Marsh Field. An 80-acre farm was also purchased on Willow Highway in Delta Township.

The Kent farm came along with the brick Kent farmhouse which stood at the corner of Jenne and Lovell Streets, where the Neff playground is now. Union and Old Greenwood schools were always short of space, so the house was used as the Kent Kindergarten for all the children in the district for several years.

By the 1950's the Grand Ledge Schools served not only local students but also 39 Affiliated Rural Districts. A 1954 study recommended consolidation of most of the 40 districts into one regional School District. Superintendent Kenneth T. Beagle oversaw this expansion of the district and closing of the country school buildings.

Parents wanted to keep younger children as close to their homes as possible instead of sending children to a few centralized schools. A new Greenwood School was built in 1950 next to Old Greenwood, which was later torn down. In 1953 West Elementary was built on the Jones Street parcel. This was later renamed for T. Carl Holbrook, a long-time school board president. In 1954 Clarence W. Neff School was built on Jenne Street next to the Kent Kindergarten and named in honor of the benefactor who gave $160,000 to the schools. Mulliken came into the school district in 1956 with their school which had been built in 1951. In 1958 the Delta Mills School was built. In 1959 Delta Center School was completed.

During this time a new high school was also needed. Originally Marsh Field was the proposed site for the school, but instead the larger parcel behind Neff at the corner of Spring and Kent was chosen. The new Grand Ledge High School was dedicated in 1959. The old high school was renamed in honor of Jonas Sawdon as the Sawdon Junior High School.

In 1967 the Hayes School was built on the Willow Highway property. Nixon Road was extended from the corner of Saginaw Road through to Willow Highway at this time. The Hayes School housed both a middle school and an elementary school and was named in honor of Leon Hayes, a school board member for many years.

In 1975 two new schools, a new Wacousta Elementary and the Beagle Middle School, were completed. Beagle School was also built on the old Kent farm at the end of South Street. It was named in honor of Kenneth Beagle who had recently retired as Superintendent.

Spencer & Tabor

Two men were vital in the development of the local tile factories. They also were business partners and friends for over forty years.

James Spencer was born in 1845 in New York and at the age of 21 came to the wilderness of Michigan. Four years later he married Nancy Jones and they farmed in Eagle Township until coming to Grand Ledge in 1874. He then joined in a men’s clothing store called Capwell & Spencer. During this time he and Nancy became friends of Frank and Anne Tabor.

The year of 1877 was exciting for the couple. They built a new home at 622 Jenne Street and James left the clothing business and bought out the interest of Chester Benton in the Taber & Benton meat market. The new Tabor & Spencer meat market soon moved one door south to 223 South Bridge; a new brick building that was built especially for them by S.B. Granger.

The business and friendship both prospered. So much so that within a few years the Spencers left Jenne Street and moved to the corner of Scott and Jackson Streets, right across from the Tabors who lived at 327 Jackson.

At about this same time the partners became instrumental in the promotion of the business opportunities the local clay deposits could offer. In 1886 they were among the founding partners in the Grand Ledge Sewer Pipe Co. Frank Tabor became Secretary-Treasurer of the new firm.

In 1890 the partners sold the meat market and with the profits James Spencer soon moved his frame house to a side lot on Scott Street and built a fine new brick home on the corner at 328 Jackson, where his old house had been.

In 1901, after raising the value of the firm by 400%, the clay factory was sold to an Ohio company. By contract the founders were barred from engaging in any clay related activities for four years. However as soon as the time limit expired Spencer and Tabor began recruiting local businessmen for the formation of a new clay works. In 1906 Grand Ledge Clay Products was born. Again both men took management roles in the company, positions they would hold the rest of their lives.

As stated previously, Clay Products was initially formed to produce clay conduit tile. Aside from its intended use to burry electric lines, it was also used as a building material, substituting for brick. Many utilitarian buildings and even some homes used the less expensive clay conduit. Several of the factory workers used the material to build their own homes near the factories. James Spencer built his carriage barn behind his home from the conduit tile. This can still be seen at 312 Jackson Street, although now painted white.

James Spencer passed away in 1919 and Frank Tabor died in 1924. The Tabor legacy did not end however. Management of the company would pass to his son-in-law Fred Decke and then on to grandson George Decke and finally his great-grandson Brian Decke who would have the sad task of wrapping up at the end when the factory finally closed in 1986.

The Grand Ledge Clay Lion

One fascinating aspect of the clay tile factories was the tradition of clay folk art. In their spare time, workers would use excess bits of clay to create works of art for themselves. The most common and best known are the Grand Ledge Lions. These were made using molds to get the basic form, and then the worker would add his own touches to make it unique. Long-time Clay Products worker, Harry Poole described the process:

“Just before noon some fellows would take some clay and pack the molds tightly. We would then set the molds aside until the next day when we would take the lion out of the mold and smooth it all over by licking your thumb. Some guys put tongues in their lions by using a knife to make the mouth open and then rolling molding clay. The paws, tail and mane were fixed by using a knife or pencil. Then the lion was placed on a sand-covered board and put in the kiln with the tile.”

Each worker would add his own touches to the basic lion shape. Some were left simple, while others had tongues or textured manes. The bases were often decorated with flutes or the makers name or initials and a date. Some lions were turned into banks or bookends.

Beyond lions, a wide variety of other animals were also made. The Historical Society has a wonderful collection of these. Snakes, alligators, lambs, mice, dogs, bears, turtles and frogs all show the creativity of the worker-artisans.

Sometimes we see practical items like ash trays or match stick holders. Indian Heads and Egyptian motifs were also seen. Every now and then, a worker took an entire wet clay tile and embellished it. These tiles were most often turned into umbrella stands made to look like tree trunks with the addition of wonderful bark and even small creepy crawly creatures.

Clay was so important in the lives of these workers, that some made large clay urns or other objects to be used as grave markers. These can still be seen in Oakwood Cemetery today.

Grand Ledge Lions and all of these objects are treasured and collected today. If any of these items are found for sale they bring good prices. Lions that once sold for 50 cents can sell for hundreds of dollars today.

The Clay Process

The clay factories in Grand Ledge all used a similar process to produce their tiles and bricks as noted in The State Journal in 1912:

“The American Sewer Pipe Co. is one of the largest of its kind in the country, and the largest in Michigan. It regularly employs 100 men. The Clay Products Company is almost as large and it gives employment to 90 men. The clay used for the manufacture of the tile by these two factories abounds in large quantities about Grand Ledge, and it is a most interesting sight to visit the pits and watch the fire clay being dug out by the men, loaded on miniature cars and drawn to the mixing machines over a narrow gauge railway. Each of these concerns have 12 large kilns in which the tiles are burned, and the completed product is shipped to all parts of the country.”

The raw material for clay was rock shale quarried from the local clay pits. This was loaded into small rail cars and transferred to the factories. In the early days, the tile plants used mules or horses to pull the cars, while the brick factory used a locomotive. The chunks of shale, some as big as a man, were ground into powder. This was put into a hopper and mixed with water to form clay.

The soft clay was then forced through casting dies to form long clay tubes. These were then sliced by thin wires into individual tile sections or bricks. The fragile wet clay or “green wares” were stacked in drying kilns to remove most of the moisture. If special shapes like “Y” branching tiles were needed, specialist workers called “Branchers” were employed. There job was to cut and paste tiles together by hand to form all special shapes and forms.

Once dried, the tile or bricks were then transferred to the kilns for final firing. Men called “Setters” specialized in stacking the kilns in certain ways to get the best firing of the products. Firing took 50 to 140 hours. For many years, salt was added during firing to create a glass-like glaze on the tiles that made them less permeable to water. After the conversion to gas firing, salt glazing was no longer needed. However, personally I think salt-glazed tile are the most beautiful; the glaze brings out the natural coloring in the clay.

Once the firing was over and the kiln has cooled, gangs of “Pullers” came along to empty the kiln. The tiles or bricks were then stacked in the yard until they were sold. Anything that broke, twisted or fired wrong in the kiln was considered a “clunker” and was removed as unsellable. Clunker tile was often crushed and sold as ground cover, while clunker bricks were thrown into heaps on the edge of the property, where they still remain today. Such deformed bricks would be seen as special “art” bricks today and sold at a premium price.

Grand Ledge Face Brick Co. 1914-1947

The third and final clay factory to form in Grand Ledge was the Baker Clay Company begun in 1914. Mr Baker was from Ohio, but recruited local businessmen to fund the enterprise.

The company purchased 50 acres of land from the John Walker farm at the corner of West Main and Tallman Road. A lane at the corner wound back along the river by the dam and continued on to the factory behind the farm. At the other end of the farm, a rail line was laid along the county line to reach the plant. The clay pit was located just beyond the dam, right across the river from the quarries of American Vitrified and Clay Products.

The plant featured a new kiln design called a “continuous kiln”. The first of its kind built in the United States; it was based on a Canadian design. Unlike the bee-hive style, this design featured a series of tunnel kilns built adjoining side-by-side. This allowed heat from one kiln to be used to preheat the next adjoining kiln. It was found to be a more efficient and cost effective.

Baker Clay was founded to produce glazed tile for farm silos. Many silos in Michigan and Ohio were made from these tiles. Examples can still be seen in the area. The Wynalda farm on Saginaw has a beautiful example. Another silo can be seen on Saginaw across from A & W. However cement silos replaced the tiles in popularity.

The plant soon switched to brick production and became The Grand Ledge Face Brick Company. Although their product was excellent, financing always seemed a problem for the firm and some years saw little production. Eventually the factory was sold to one of its major clients, the Briggs Company in Lansing. Many may well remember the company’s headquarters on Michigan Avenue in downtown Lansing. Located where Museum Drive is today, the tall building was built of Grand Ledge brick and had BRIGGS in tall brickwork in the façade. An additional 40 acres was purchased adjoining the plant in Clinton County for future expansion, although this never materialized.

In the mid-1940s the plant was sold to the Lincoln Brick Company who quickly closed the factory in 1947 to consolidate production in their Grand Rapids location. The factory lay idle and eventually the 90 acre parcel was sold to Eaton County in 1975 and is now the site of Lincoln Brick Park.

Grand Ledge Face Brick produced bricks of high quality and wide variety. Bricks were available in finishes from smooth to rough and from light tan to deep rich reds. Grand Ledge Brick was shipped far and wide. Many buildings at MSU were built using them, including Beaumont Tower. Our own important City buildings used our local bricks. The original Grand Ledge Library, The Grand Ledge Post Office, Grand Ledge City Hall (built as the Catholic Church) and Sawdon School all use the local bricks. Sawdon is made from a blend of bricks called "Old Rose Mission" that was extremely popular. Local bricks can sometimes be identified from behind as the back of the brick was often impressed with “GRAND LEDGE”.

Grand Ledge Clay Products 1906-1986

After the success of the Sewer Pipe Company and its eventual sale, many of the same local investors again decided to band together and form a second clay factory. In 1906 these businessmen, among them were John Fitzgerald and R.E. Olds of Oldsmobile fame, formed the Grand Ledge Clay Products Company.

They purchased a fine parcel of land at the corner of West Jefferson and Lawson Road which showed excellent prospects for rich deposits of shale. Over the years, the factory mined several clay pits, all of them along the river on Lawson Road. The new factory’s land was also right next to the Sewer Pipe Company’s parcel (today’s Fitzgerald Park).

At the time the Vitrified Sewer Pipe Company was going great guns in producing its clay pipe, but interestingly, the new factory was not planned as competition. At this time in history many large urban areas were rebelling against the forest of telephone poles and vines of electric wires that darkened their streets. As part of the new urban planning, such eye soars were going to be buried underground. Today we use plastic conduit pipe to run wires underground, but in those days they used clay conduit tiles. Grand Ledge Clay Products specialized in this new product and eventually shipped tons of clay conduits all over the nation. Chicago was a major market. The clay conduit was a tube, about a foot long and 3inches square. It was made in single tubes, or could be fused together into bundles of two, four or six. Ironically, in spite of local editorials calling for their use to bury our power lines, Grand Ledge was not one of the cities to use them.

Clay Products was one of the larger employers in town with around 90 men. They prospered making clay conduit until the 1930’s. During the Great Depression production slowed along with the nationally economy. Then in 1937 a great fire destroyed the factory and the dies used to extrude the conduit forms. The factory was rebuilt and the company used the opportunity to shift production to sewer tile, drainage tile and chimney flues.

By the late 1970s the work force shrank as competition from plastic pipes increased. In the 1980s the company tried to expand into floor tiles and other products. The efforts seemed to come too late however, and the Plant was closed in 1986. Sadly if the company had lasted a couple more years they might have been able to capitalize on the wave of historic restorations and the need for specialty products. For me, I will remember Clay Products as it was, with the large kilns huddled around the tall chimneys and the yard full of rows and rows of clay tile ready for shipment.

Grand Ledge Sewer Pipe Co. 1886-1966

For many decades, Grand Ledge was known around the country for its clay industry. Grand Ledge was the clay products capital of Michigan and some years produced more clay products than any city in the nation. The large industrial pottery factories began here in the 1880s.

Local investors decided to capitalize on Grand Ledge’s rich clay deposits found in the area. They purchased 40 acres on the south side of West Jefferson Street and founded the Grand Ledge Sewer Pipe Company in 1886. Shale was quarried in a pit on the site behind the factory. The clay was fired in 12 large bee-hive kilns to produce a wide range of sewer and drainage tile. After just a few years, with the clay pit was being exhausted, the plant was sold in 1898 to the Ohio-based American Sewer Pipe Company.

Ohio companies were the main competition to the Grand Ledge industry. Ohio workers also came along with the purchased and settled in the area. During this time 61 acres were purchased across Jefferson, along the River. A new quarry was begun near what is today the water treatment plant. Shale was put into small rail cars and pulled by mules along narrow tracks to the factory across the road.

The company became American Vitrified Products in 1912. It was the largest factory of its type in Michigan and one of the largest in the United States, employing about 100 men. Working with the hot kilns, fire was always a danger. The plant caught fire and burned in 1923 and was rebuilt larger in 1924. The Great Depression forced the closure of the plant from 1930-1937. “Vitrified”, as it was known, reopened and was in operation until 1966.

The following year the land was sold to the City. The 61 acres north of Jefferson were added to Fitzgerald Park. A few years later the 40 acres south of Jefferson were developed into the Ravines Mobile Home Park. The name “ravines” referees to the old clay pit on the property. Most of this pit was filled in during the construction process. The area of Valley Ridge Street was the storage yard for tile waiting for delivery. Fiddler’s Cove Street now occupies the site of the old factory.

Fitzgerald Family’s Long History

With the passing of Lorabeth Fitzgerald I thought I would repost my history of the Fitzgerald Family.

  (Read More about Lorabeth)

With recent elections, it put me in mind of our own local political dynasty, The Fitzgerald Family. Four generations have served our state in public office, this week I will discuss Governor Fitzgerald.

Frank Dwight Fitzgerald was born January 27, 1885, the son of John W and Carrie Fitzgerald. On June 28, 1909, Frank married Queena Warner. It was about 1913 when he served as clerk in the State Legislature. From 1919 to 1923 He was deputy Secretary of State. He served various positions with the Michigan Republican Party. In 1932 he was a delegate at the Republican National Convention and helped nominate President Hoover for another term.

In 1931, Frank was elected Secretary of State of Michigan. In 1934, Fitzgerald left his office to run for Governor of Michigan. He was elected Michigan’s 34^th Governor and served 1935-1936, a full two year term. As Governor he promoted a balanced budget, smaller more efficient government and the civil service system for State employees. Michigan did not have a governor’s residence at the time, so the Fitzgerald home at 521 E. Jefferson served as the official Governors Residence during most of his term.

In 1936 he campaigned for re-election against democrat Frank Murphy, but he was defeated. During this campaigned the family moved to 219 W. Jefferson. This stately home was built by the sister to Ransom E. Olds, of Oldsmobile fame. The house has remained the Fitzgerald Family Home ever since.

Two years later, the home’s dining room became campaign headquarters when he again ran for re-election against Frank Murphy who was running for his own second term. Fitzgerald won the election and became one of only two Michigan Governors to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.

As Michigan’s 36^th Governor he took office on January 1, 1939. Sadly within just a few weeks he became ill and the dining room went from campaign headquarters to a sick bed for the ailing Governor. It was there that he died on March 16, 1939. The only Governor of Michigan to die in office.

If you look round our town there is much to remind you of our Governor. His portrait prominently overlooks all City Council Meetings in the Council Chambers. Saginaw Highway from Grand Ledge to Lansing was dedicated as the Frank D. Fitzgerald Memorial Highway. His home on West Jefferson is a State Historic Site. During his first term in office the City dedicated the ball field down by the bridge as Fitzgerald Field. In 1940 after his death, the City renamed Riverside Park as Fitzgerald Park. Finally his gravestone, a tall white obelisk, towers over others in Oakwood Cemetery.

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1930s Campaign Advertisement

YOUR GOVERNOR – He kept his word. No new taxes, no new debts, and a balanced budget in two years. He converted a $6 million deficit into an $8 million balance, taking the State definitely out of the red and into the black. He did all this, without losing sight of the human side of government.

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As I mentioned last time, The Fitzgerald Family has long been involved in public service.

John Wesley Fitzgerald started it all. He was born in 1850 to Irish parents. He later married Carrie Foreman. John W. Fitzgerald lived at 220 E. Jefferson and was elected to the State House of Representatives for 1895-1896. He also served as Postmaster for Grand Ledge. His son, the future Governor worked with him as a mail clerk before joining politics.

John Warner Fitzgerald was the grandson of John W. and son of the Governor. John had his own long and esteemed public service career. He was born November 14, 1924. When just a freshman at Grand Ledge High School, his father died. John graduated in 1942 and went on to MSU for two terms before joining the Army during World War II. After the Army he returned to get a bachelors degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

After passing the bar, John return to Grand Ledge and opened his own law practice in 1955. That same year he also became the Legal Counsel to the State Senate. In 1957 John ran for State Senator for his district and was elected. He began serving in the State Senate in 1958. The Michigan Constitutional Convention of 1963 created the Michigan Court of Appeals and John Fitzgerald was elected as one of the first nine judges in 1964 and was named Chief Justice Pro-Tem of the Court. Justice Fitzgerald left the Court in 1974 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Michigan Supreme Court. He ran for re-election for his own term in the fall of that same year. He won the election for an eight year term. In 1982, the final year of his tern, he was elected Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Even beyond his work in the court system, John left his mark on Cooley Law School. In 1973 he taught the very first class in the new school. He also was a founding member of the Cooley Board of Directors. Justice Fitzgerald remained part of the School for 34 years. The graduating class of 2006 was even named in his honor.

While John was at MSU he met and married Lorabeth Moore. They had three children: Frank, Eric and Adam. Justice Fitzgerald pass away in 2006.

The fourth generation of the family to serve was Frank Moore Fitzgerald, son of John and Lorabeth. Frank was elected to the State House in 1987 and served until 1998. Governor Engler appointed him State Insurance Commissioner in 1999. From 2000-2003 Frank served as the State Financial and Insurance Services Commissioner. In 2003 Frank became a Managing Partner in the Clark Hill law firm. Sadly Frank died suddenly in 2004.

The Loveless Pottery & Brickmakers

Shortly after the closing of the Harrington Pottery, a new family came to town to mine the rich deposits of the area. The Loveless family were potters near Warren, OH. Their son, George, left the family pottery business when he heard about the clay deposits to be found here in Grand Ledge. George Loveless and his family settled on 12 acres at the corner of West Jefferson and Gulf Streets.

The Loveless Pottery was founded in the late 1850s .Although his farm was located near the clay deposits of Fitzgerald Park, the pottery was located on the east side of town in a hollow at about 205 Franklin Street. The clay was excavated from the large gully behind the shop in the 600 block of East Jefferson and fired in kilns on the property. The Loveless Pottery made household wares such as jugs, crocks and butter churns. They also were the first here to make clay tile which was used to line water wells. His son, George B. Loveless, was a peddler who sold his wares door to door.

In 1887 the railroad was building the trestle and laying the line to Grand Rapids. George Loveless had allowed the railroad graders to work on his property along Gulf Street but no agreement had yet been reached for the right of way. When the workmen were nearing the new trestle, they reached the Loveless property. They found the way blocked by a pile of railroad ties and George Loveless sitting on top with a shotgun. He threatened any that crossed onto his property. The Railroad soon settled payment to him. He was at the time 80 years old.

The first industrial clay products made in Grand Ledge were bricks. Although they were each made by hand, the quantities produced were on a larger scale then the wares produced by the family pottery shops. Due to fires, Grand Ledge underwent a boom of brick construction in the 1870s and local brick certainly helped the effort. Many of stores in the 200 Block of South Bridge date from this time.

The Tinkham Brickyard opened in the late 1860s. This was located on the J.C. Tinkham farm, where Burt Avenue is today. J.C.’s cousin Justice Campbell was a brick maker at the time and likely ran the business.

The Derbyshire Brickyard was opened in the early 1870s. Charles Derbyshire was a retired farmer from Eagle. His brickyard was located on the Harrington Pottery property. It is likely we still see his handmade bricks today. Derbyshire built his own very prominent brick house at 207 East Jefferson (the former Smith Bros Law Office, today the Davis Building.)

Herrinton Pottery

Grand Ledge has a long and illustrious history in the clay industry. Over my next several columns I will give a history of this important historic industry that lasted well over a century and shaped so much of our town.

Grand Ledge is blessed with rich natural deposits of high quality clay and shale. Scientific examinations have determined that deposits found here are of the best quality for making brick, tile and other baked clay items. Natural outcroppings along the river have made the minerals available for thousands of years. Yet most of the shale can be found sixty feet or more below the surface. Once quarried, the shale is crushed, blended into clay, shaped and then fired in kilns. Firing the local clays produces fine quality products infused with attractive natural iron spotting.

Settlers were not the first to be attracted to the clay deposits. Native Americans recognized the value of the clay that is so abundant in the area. The first settlers reported finding the remains of “ash kilns” left behind by the Native American potters. Such kilns were reported in the gully where the Log Jam parking lot is today, near the corner of West Main and Tallman Road, and near Fitzgerald Park.

With ash kilns, native pottery was stacked on the ground and covered with leaves, husks, twigs, straw, etc. After all these layers, a final thick blanket of ash covers the mound to insulate the kiln and keep the heat in. Once the fire is started, the straw burns away, letting the ash fall between the pottery wares, keeping the heat in and letting them bake. After several days, the firing process is complete. The ash remaining is then saved for the next batch of pottery to be fired.

Information about the first potteries in Grand Ledge is scant. However, from pioneer recollections, maps, and census records I have been able to put their story together.

Lewis Herrinton was a potter from Scipio, New York. In the 1840s he came with his family west and along with this partner Timothy Wellman, opened one of the first known potteries in Michigan in Springfield Township, Oakland County.

In the 1850s, hearing of the clay deposits to found in Grand Ledge, Lewis Herrinton moved here and purchased 10 acres off Lawson Road that ran down to where the dam is today. The Herrinton Pottery was born. In the kilns on the site he made practical household items like jugs, crocks, bowls and churns. It is distinguished as being the first pottery in Grand Ledge, and one of the very earliest in Michigan, however it was short lived. Lewis Herrinton died in the late 1850s. His widow, Sophia, would become a teacher and his son Edward a well known local painter.

Goodbye Mrs Lange….

Originally run June 2008

It is going to be hard for me to imagine the High School Choirs without Nancy Lange. With her retirement now eminent, I still remember when I first saw her long ago. Back in the mid 1970s, when I went to Neff Elementary, The Madrigal Singers came to perform for us. I can so clearly remember us all sitting on the floor “Indian style” in the gym and the Madrigals roaming around us and singing. It opened up a whole new world of music and song to me. The highlight of the show, and the one song I can remember, and even still sing, was “Dad’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow! (and we can stay all day)”

Years later when I entered Ninth Grade and went to Sawdon School, I again met Nancy Lange when I joined the Freshman Choir. On my first day, I couldn’t even find the choir room; it was beyond the cafeteria, tucked into a corner of the building. We had three guys in a choir of girls; needless to say we were vocally quite outnumbered. In those days, the early 1980s, we had five singing groups: Freshman Choir at Sawdon, then at the High School -Ladies Ensemble, Concert Choir, Madrigals Singers, and the Barbershop Quartet. I was lucky enough to be in Concert Choir and also later two years in Madrigals.

Nancy Lange had us do many things in those years, we recorded an album, we performed Handel’s Messiah, performed five musicals, and we took a trip to Washington D.C. to perform at the National Cathedral. Madrigals were also often in demand to perform at events around the area. One time in particular, we had to learn special lyrics someone had written to the tune of “You picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille” by Kenny Rogers. It was to honor Lucille Belen, the long time Lansing City Councilwoman. The new lyrics were all about the ins and outs of Lansing politics at the time. I can only assume they were quite clever, they meant nothing to us. Unfortunately, Ms. Belen was enjoying herself so much at her party, I don’t think she ever heard of word of the song!

Looking back now, I was certainly lucky to be in choir those four years. The old choir room became a place of calm for me in the whirl of High School and I spent all my free time there. I certainly was not a great singer, by any means, but I think Mrs. Lange understood it was the fun and interaction I really needed. When it came time for her seniors to graduate, she had a long tradition of letting us sign one of the walls in the choir room. Just a way of saying “we were here”. I don’t know how I would have gotten through High School without choir and Nancy Lange. I certainly wish her the best in her retirement.

First Flag & Fourth of July Cannon

In 1856 it was decided the village needed a proper flag and flag pole. So ladies of the town got together at the home of Frank & Harriet Kent. At the time the Kents lived in a cabin or rough shack near the corner of Madison and Front streets. Here the women sewed together a flag out of their own cloth with the 31 stars of the time. In the mean time, the men raised up a pole near the newly built store of Case & Turner at 202 Greenwood. Everyone gathered for the raising and the flag was soon flying!

In 1861, with rumblings of a Southern Rebellion being heard across the country, locals decided it would be dandy to have our very own cannon. Millwrights Kent & Hixon took a bar of iron 2 feet long and 3 inches wide, part of a mill wheel, and gave it to Reuben Wood. Wood had a machine shop and he bore a hole about 10 inches deep for a barrel. The gun was then placed on a wooded frame and cart.

Velorus Kent describes “We had a big celebration on the Fourth of July that year and Sylvester Krupp and Don Lazell took charge of the cannon…they fired that gun so much they were both deafened and so used up they had to lay around for several days to recuperate.”

About 1875 Velorus Kent himself got into the action. Along with his cousin Albert Kent, and Armon Hixon, Charles Reed and others. At about 2am on the Fourth of July morning, they congregated in between Peter Kent’s and Frank Kent’s homes. The brothers lived across from each other at the corner of Harrison and Jefferson. The Kent boys with the cannon and the rest with shot guns. Then the celebration would begin!

The cannon would be shot off several times, each time followed by a volley from the shot guns. Then the whole outfit moved down to the corner of Taylor and Jefferson and repeated the gun salute. Then it was over the bridge to the corner of Front and Bridge to let off another round. From there it was back to the corner of Harrison and Jefferson to start the circle again. And they kept this up until 8am in the morning! In the afternoon the whole performance was repeated from 5pm until 9pm.

Fifty years later Velorus Kent remembered: “The merchants always furnished all the gun powder we wanted to use. The wonder today is to me why everyone in town didn’t go insane. Talk about fun. O boy! I don’t believe the present generation knows anything of it.”

Early Fourth of July’s

The early settlers of Grand Ledge were always patriotic and willing and ready to show it.

We can even see this in our street names. They chose names from Presidents and Founding Fathers, as well as Liberty and Union.

July Fourth celebrations of the 1850s often took place at the Fair. The early settlers created a fair ground on Edmund Lampson’s land in what we consider downtown today. The Grounds ran along West Scott Street from Spring to Harrison, then over to Lincoln Street and back up to Spring and West Jefferson. The Fair Grounds included a one-third mile race track and horse racing was a common sight. The Grounds lasted a dozen or so years before the area was carved up into building lots for the growing town.

We may think war re-enactment is new, but for the July Fourth celebration of 1875 a re-enactment of the Revolutionary Battle of Bunker Hill was planned by the town. The men were divided into Colonial and British forces. A fort was constructed at the intersection of Madison and Front streets and this was base for the Colonial Force. The British Force gathered near our Masonic Temple today and marched over the wooden foot bridges that connected the islands to the Northside, then up the hill to Front Street. Once the battle began, our Colonial Boys drove the Red Coats to the fort and captured the whole bunch. Once the battle was won, both forces joined together and marched over the downtown bridge to women waiting on the Southside. Refreshments of lemonade, candy and peanuts were served.

For the Fourth of July 1899, it was decided a big show was in order. They held a re-enactment of the Cuban Navel Battle of Santiago from the Spanish-American War of the previous year. Men were divided into the Spanish Forces and the American Forces. Each side gathered boats launched into the river below the Opera House. With hundreds of spectators cheering on from the banks and the bridge, a glorious battle was fought with our American Boys winning the day!

Moving Depot

In researching the past, sometimes you come across information that you think can not possibly be correct. Memories can fade over time, so I am always somewhat skeptical and like to get contemporary references when I can. Once in awhile, I come across stories that seemingly just do not fit with what we know of the past.

One such story was of a train depot on the Southside. Over the years, while researching other things, I had come across brief references to a depot behind the Chair Co. off Perry Street. Frankly, I never believed them. First, we all knew where the depots were: one on Union Street and one on Washington Street. Second, the railroad didn’t even cross the river until 1887.

However, my conclusions were proven to be totally false when I purchased a copy of an amazing old photograph that actually shows the train depot being moved over the trestle. I was very excited but had many questions. Whenever I need advice on anything railroad related, I turn to my cousin Mark Hershoren for assistance. Mark, who makes trains his hobby, is very familiar with the trains that once served the Grand Ledge area. Together we have pieced together this history.

It is important to note that railroads changed names and ownership very frequently.

The Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan RR, The Ionia and Lansing RR, The Detroit, Lansing and Northern RR, and The Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit RR all served the area and eventually all became the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western RR. This railroad itself would be merged with several others in 1900 to form the Pere Marquette RR.

In 1887 the trestle or High Bridge was completed. Also that same year the new passenger depot, designed by Ionia architect Claire Allen, was built on the Southside. If we look at maps today, there is still a triangular parcel of land own by the railroad between Gulf Street and Perry Street that once housed the building. There were disadvantages to having the depot in this location. It was out of the way and far from downtown and the popular Resort. Also it could only service trains on the new line that crossed the river, but not the original 1869 line on the Northside.

Both of these issues were solved in 1890 when the building was moved. Using two DL & N flat cars and pulled by locomotive #3 over the trestle, the passenger depot was placed at its new home on Washington Street. In its new location it was only a few blocks from Bridge Street and could handle trains from all the tracks that came into the village.

The Berry Corner

The corner of East Jefferson and Taylor Streets has been one of the most prominent corners in the City for over 140 years.

In 1867 George N. Berry built his large home on the site. George Berry had come to Grand Ledge in 1865 at the age of 22 to visit relatives and friends from New York. The following year he returned with his new bride, Jennie, and they decided to make the town their home. George entered in the mercantile business and purchased several fashionable lots on East Jefferson. He chose the best lot on the corner for this own house.

In about 1871 Berry founded the Loan and Deposit Bank. At first this was run out of the back of his store, but eventually the bank grew until he became a full time banker. After the Great Fire of 1876, he built the Berry Block at 212-214 S. Bridge to house the bank

In 1888 Berry remodeled his own home, adding a front hall and dramatic four storey tower to the corner. About this time, he also began to sell some of his lots on Jefferson, giving way too many of the fine homes we see today. He was a great financier in the town, and in his later years became philanthropic. He donated land for both the Library and the Trinity Episcopal Church. Jennie Berry died in 1917 and George followed her in 1924. Their son Fred had his own grand home at 315 East Jefferson, so the Berry home was vacant for some time.

On February 20, 1930 St. Michael’s Catholic Church acquired the property. The building, with some remodeling was used for church services for the next ten years. In 1940 the fine house was demolished and a new church was built on the corner. To match the neighboring library and post office, the same brick was used from the local Grand Ledge Face Brick Co. After nearly 40 years on the corner, the Church moved to its current location on Edwards Street.

Looking for more space, the City purchased this visible corner in 1970. To make it look less like a church, the metal siding was added to cover up most of the church windows, including a large rose window that faced Jefferson Street. The front entrance was altered and the awning added.

In recent years the City Hall has expanded into 319 Taylor Street. This cottage was built in about 1880 and was home to the Brunger family for nearly 30 years. Russell Tinkham began his long tenure when he moved into the dwelling in 1936 after selling his much grander home on West Jefferson to Governor Fitzgerald.

Housing city government for nearly 40 years, City Hall makes this still one of the most important corners in Grand Ledge

Post Office and Naming Town

To any fledgling pioneering community, the establishment of a post office is a proud moment signifying your settlement is here to stay. That is how local pioneers felt when Grand Ledge was awarded its Post Office on July 20, 1850. It had only been a few short years since the first daring families came to the dense forest of the area. Now the handful of settlers, still living in log cabins, had their own official Post Office.

As part of petitioning the government for the Office, a name had to be decided on for the hamlet. Edmund Lampson, Henry Trench and John Russell met at the log cabin of George Jones west of the village, at the corner of Oneida Road and Grand Ledge Hwy. Several names had been suggested by the town folk – Lampsonville, Woodville, Russellville, Rockville, and Ledgeville among them. . It was George Jones who declared “let us have a local name” and Russell agreed with him. They convinced the men that “Grand Ledge” would make a fine name for the new settlement.

Henry Trench was appointed the first Post Master and the first Post Office was an Official Mail Bag hanging in his log shanty near where the Opera House now stands. Mail had to be picked up in Lansing. The journey to Lansing was a long trek through the dense, untamed forest and no one made a regular trip of it. The Mail Bag was given to whoever happened to be going to Lansing, and the Lansing Office knew that who ever showed up with the Bag was authorized to carry the mail.

After a few years, Trench gave up the job and it passed to a series of local shopkeepers. Thus there was no permanent Post Office Building, just a Post Office Counter in which ever store was run by the Post Master.

J.S. Holmes was appointed as Post Master in 1872. Originally he ran the Office out of his wooden grocery store on South Bridge Street until the Great Fire of 1876. He then partnered with Michael McMullen to build the Union Block at 208-210 S. Bridge. The newspaper noted “Postmaster Holmes removed the Office into his new brick block on Monday last.  The boxes are very conveniently arranged, both for the accommodation of the P.M. and clerks and the public.  We now have as good an Office as there is in the county, and as near fire and burglar proof as could be expected.”

Wanting to concentrate his efforts as Post Master and Express Agent, J.S. Holmes sold his stationary and bookstore business to B.S. Pratt in 1884. The Post Office no longer needed to share space with any store goods. In 1891 J.S. Homes built the Holmes Block directly across the street at 211-213 S. Bridge and moved the Office there. About 1905 The Post Office moved again to the newly built Alexander Block at 108 E. Jefferson, where the bank drive-thu is today. The Post Office remained there until our current Office was erected in 1938.

My Mentors

Many people have asked how I got involved in exploring in local history. I did not do it alone; I had mentors along the way.

Back when I was in high school the Historical Society ran a yearly essay contest. Students would research a topic of local history and write about it. I entered twice and one first prize both years. It was a wonderful program which I hope can be revived.

For both projects I had to learn how to do research in the historical achieves and old copies of The Independent. Most importantly I also learned to interview people who still had memories I could rely on. I started interviewing my own grandparents, who knew a good deal about the subjects I was working on. This helped build my confidence and then I was able to interview other people around town.

Once I had pulled my research notes together, I was lucky enough to have the assistance of Janna Page. Janna was a long-time member of the Historical Society, but more importantly she lived next door to my grandparents on West Jefferson, so I had known her for several years. She was able to show me how I could take my research and put it into a narrative. She guided me when I got stuck, pointing out where I needed more research, etc. She was a wonderful person, who helped me a great deal.

I also learned much from Lynda Trinklein. Lynda was a long-time fixture in Grand Ledge, serving on the City Council and even became our first female Mayor. For a few years, I helped her research the homes for the annual Holiday Home Tour. I learned not only by working directly with her, but by also reading the many home histories she had produced over the years.

Although we have somewhat different styles, Lynda’s writing taught me my most important lesson. Histories that just list dates and bland facts mean nothing. It is boring reading. History is all about people. What were their lives like? How did they live? What were their traditions, past-times, jobs, and social events? That is what makes historical stories interesting to me. Letting the reader look back and get a glimpse into their lives and how they lived.

Of course, my list of influences would not be complete without Marilyn Smith. For decades, Marilyn has been a community advocate. I can’t imagine what Grand Ledge would be like now without all the hard work she has put in over the years. When I was still in high school she saw my interest in local history and took me under her wing. She helped me volunteer with the Society and included me in all aspects, from the archives, to the museum, to the Home Tour, and whatever else needed doing. Marilyn always encouraged me to pursue researching history.

It just shows you that mentors can be found all over our town. We can encourage students today and develop our community leaders for tomorrow.

The Candy Lady

Do you remember the Candy Lady? The D & C Store’s candy counter was a frequent stop for kids and their parents for decades and one face was always there to serve them. If you said you saw the “Candy Lady”, everyone in town would know you meant Esther Haueter.

She was hired in 1944 at the age of twenty-one. She and her sister Ethel Peabody had worked together at Beedle Brothers, another dime store down the street at 308 S. Bridge, where Ethel was the manager. Both sisters left that store and went to work for D & C, but Ethel would soon leave to become an upholsterer at the Chair Co.

Esther remained working at the candy counter where most of the candy sold was in bulk. Customers would come to the glass counter and look over the wide selection. They sold wonderful candy like: chocolate stars, chocolate chunks, chocolate bridge mix, chocolate party mix, chocolate covered peanuts, jelly beans, sweet tarts, roasted peanuts, robins eggs, butterscotch and many more. When customers decided on what they wanted, the Candy Lady would scoop out the candy, and then very carefully drop the candy piece by piece into a scale. If you wanted 25 cents worth of chocolate stars, she would weight them out perfectly until it reached 25 cents worth. Your candy would go into a small wax paper bag and you would take it up to cashier to pay.

Employees at the Dime Store got a discount; she would buy yarn and crochet baby blankets and afghans for family, friends and VFW veterans. She worked Saturdays but had Tuesdays off. As kids we always knew we could count on her on Tuesdays to take us to appointments or drive us to Lansing. Esther remained with D & C until she turned 65 years old. She retired after 44 years of service as the town’s Candy Lady. At the time of her retirement, the State Legislature in Lansing passed a resolution honoring her for her years of service.

Esther Haueter, my great-aunt, was born just north of Grand Ledge on State Road in Eagle Township. When she was thirteen, her father Fred bought a farm on Tallman Road at the end of West Main Street. She would continue to live there for the next fifty years. She passed away in 2004 and would have been 86 years old this year on March 16^th.

Babcock Coal Mine

W.J. Babcock was a farmer, businessman and local entrepreneur. He owned land on both sides of the river, including parts of today’s Fitzgerald Park and Lincoln Brick Park. He also operated what may have been the largest coal mine in the area. The Babcock Mine was one of the largest and longest in operation.

A historian in 1880 wrote: “A fine quality of soft coal for use as fuel is mined near Grand Ledge. The vein averages from eighteen inches to two and a half feet in thickness, and on the farm of W.J. Babcock, north of Grand Ledge, near the county line; it has been found three feet in thickness.  Mr. Babcock has mined more extensively than any other person in the vicinity, and at one time shipped large quantities to Detroit, Ionia, and Grand Rapids. He says it will yield 6000 tons per acre on his farm. The coal on his place is about sixty feet below the surface, yet he does not have to shaft to reach it and a natural drainage is obtained to the river.”

W.J. Babcock owned 100 acres at the end of West Main Street on Tallman Road. Begun in the 1870’s, the Babcock Mine’s design was typical of most mines in the area. A cave-like entrance was begun at the river bank and quarried into the rock Ledge until the coal seam was reached. The mine shaft snaked back and forth, following the coal.

The entrance to the Babcock Mine is believed to have been near the north end of the dam. The coal was removed and put in small wooden carts on miniature rail track. It was then hauled up the river bank. Here the coal was stored until ready for sale.

The mining operation stretched far under the farm above. Eventually the coal being mined was so far from the river bank it became necessary to find a more efficient way to bring the coal out. A second shaft was opened to replace the river entrance. This new shaft was vertical and went straight down sixty feet to reach the mine below. The new mine opening was located near the barnyard, in the middle of the apple orchard. A hoist house was built over the shaft with a pulley to bring up the coal. A pump was used to help keep the mine dry as it was prone to flooding.

A dirt lane ran from the corner of West Main and Tallman Road along the river back to the dam and the mining shack and operation. This lane was extended in 1916 to access the newly built brick factory nearby. Later, a second road branched off and ran through the orchard to the barnyard and the new shaft and miners shack.

By 1936 when the farm was bought by Fred Haueter, the mine was owned and operated by a Grand Rapids firm. They continued working the mine until about 1943. Thus the Babcock Mine was in operation for around 70 years and was likely the longest running mine in the area.

Coal Mines

The same geological forces that produced our wonderful Ledges also left behind coal seams in our area. Eaton County is on the southern edge of Michigan’s coal basin which lies under Central Michigan. The coal is soft and of a lower quality, but being found locally was a cheap source for fuel.

It did not take the early settlers of Grand Ledge long to notice the coal outcropping as they explored the Ledges. By the 1870s coal mining operations were well underway here. The mines in Grand Ledge were found on both sides of the river, starting downtown and extending out past Lawson Road. From the 1870s to 1940s it is believed that as many as 30 coal mines operated in this stretch of the river.

Grand Ledge's mines included slope and vertical mines. Most mines were a slope mine along the river bank where the miners entered openings dug into the river bank and crawled into the mine to the coal seam. Some of the mines that were not near the river were entered down vertical shafts. When these shafts were later abandoned some filled with water and remain today as ponds with very deep centers.

Once the men were underground they lit lamps and followed the mine as it snaked haphazardly back and forth, following the largest deposits of coal. It was not a pleasant working environment- water pooled under their feet, the air smelled and was full of dust, despite attempts at ventilation. Miners had to walk stooped over or even crawl to the coal seam. Reaching the coal, they chipped and hammered it from the surrounding rock. Many times miners chipped away at the coal seam while laying on their bellies in wet mud that made up the floors of the mines. Timbers helped reinforce the mine as coal was removed.

One well remembered mine was the Tinkham Mine. This was located on the Northside near the Trestle. This often provided coal to local residents. One memorable photograph shows a teenage Bill Pearson Sr. hauling a bag of coal from the Tinkham Mine on a sled during the coal shortage in the winter of 1918. Young Bill was delivering the coal to his father’s Barbershop on North Bridge Street.