I recently had a free day and decided to make a quick stop in Marshall and then explore some small towns south and east of there.
After picking up a few tasty donuts at the legendary Leo’s (since 1959) in Marshall, I headed south on the winding Homer Road past the Eaton Proving Grounds and stumbled upon the interesting Wilder Creek Conservation Club. This small park has some great trails along a lake and stream with small waterfalls and a castle, complete with moat and drawbridge. The castle was built by the WPA in 1934, using over 100 tons of stone. Over the years, the castle has been a private residence and a haunted castle during the Halloween season.
Heading south through the small village of Eckford, I met a man who had converted an old grain mill and silo into a home that he resides in.
My next stop was Homer on Highway 60, where I chatted with the publisher of the Homer Index newspaper who gave me the lowdown on the town full of great old brick buildings. The newspaper has been publishing since 1872.
Bernie’s Main Street Tavern is known for great burgers and Cascarelli’s is the place for great pizza and Italian food.
A few miles south is Litchfield which has more great classic brick buildings and lots of traffic through town but not many reasons to stop.
My next stop was Jonesville, a few miles south on the historic US-12 (known as the East Chicago Road). Jonesville has a vibrant downtown with a great bakery, movie theatre, restaurants and more. I could not pass up a glazed donut at the Jonesville Bakery which has a very large and reasonably priced selection of baked goods. I ate breakfast east of downtown at Spangles. Their “Blue Plate” breakfast was very tasty. Next door is the classic Coney Hut Drive In, which I look forward to stopping in my next time through town.
Moscow is further east on US-12 with a few old buildings. I was told later that I should have stopped at Special Ed’s Donuts but I was all “donutted” out by this point.
My favorite stop on this trip was at McCourtie Park in Somerset Center. I love roadside attractions and this is one of the best. The park was once the farm and home of Herb McCourtie. In the 1930’s he transformed the land into a rich man’s summer place. He made major additions to the original house and brought in tons of cement from nearby Peninsular Portland Cement Company. McCourtie created two spring-fed ponds, 14 feet deep and 100 feet long by 60 feet wide that were once used as a swimming pool and a stocked trout pond. His greatest creation was seventeen bridges, all made in the style of Trabajo Rustico, which is the use of cement, sculpted to look like wood. These walk-able bridges are amazing and were once equipped with lights.
Two chimneys sculpted to look like trees stand above an underground apartment built into the side of a hill, hidden from the highway. Rumor has it that it was used as a rathskeller, (an underground speakeasy) during prohibition. Somerset Center is on the main road between Detroit and Chicago and was a stopping point for mobsters, traveling between the two cities.
Next, I headed south on 127 to Hudson, about 35 miles south of Jackson. Hudson has a great downtown chocked full of classic brick buildings.
Hudson’s claim to fame is its Hudson Tigers high school football team. The Tigers put together a 72-game winning streak from 1968-75. This achievement still stands in the Michigan High School Athletic Association record books 50 years later and stood as a national record for nearly 25 years. The streak began on Sept. 20, 1968, with a 33-0 win over Clinton and didn’t end until Nov. 22, 1975 with a 38-22 loss to Ishpeming in the first-ever MHSAA state championship game. The streak was covered by newspapers and magazines across the country.
During my visit, I met the publisher of the Hudson Post-Gazette which began in 1858 and is one of oldest newspapers in the state.
I noticed an old abandoned stone railroad bridge crossing the Bean Creek and pulled over, behind the movie theatre, to check it out. Across the parking lot was another section of the old bridge with a few goats playing king-of-the-hill at the top. They appeared to be a part of an outdoor child care area full of small animals.
My last stop before heading back north was in Morenci, about 20 miles south of Hudson on the Ohio border. I had previously read about the restoration of the hundred-plus-year-old Rex Theatre and wanted to check it out. It had been closed for over 10 years when a local resident purchased and renovated the theatre. It was closed when I was in town, but I would love to come back and enjoy a movie there someday.
My final stop for this feature was to the historic Dairy Depot, for an ice cream cone. They not only have delicious ice cream, but are well-known for their great food.
