MICHIGAN 'LOST' TOWN: The Postal Stop of Abbottsford

Another ‘lost’ town in Michigan’s Thumb is the burg of Abbottsford, in St. Clair County.

The genesis of Abbottsford goes wayyy back to 1816, when Ignace Moross came across this piece of land and built a sawmill along Mill Creek, a subsidiary of the Pine River.

Not long afterward, another mill was erected – a grist mill owned by Judge Zephaniah Bruce.

Then, along comes James Abbott, who didn’t waste time buying both Moross’ sawmill and Bruce’s grist mill. Seeing as Abbott was instrumental in the community’s business growth, the town was soon named “Abottsford” or “Abbottsford Station” in his honor.

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A post office opened up in 1892, making the town a postal stop along the Pere Marquette Railroad. The post office lasted 50 years, closing up shop in 1942.

When the post office and railroad both went kaput, business did too, and today Abbottsford is just a good handful of homes down back roads and dirt roads, with no businesses left.

Even so, now that you know about it, the town is one of those 'lost' communities that you should drive through on a Michigan roadtrip.