One of Michigan’s Best Ghost Towns: Central, Keweemaw Peninsula

You may think Fayette is our state’s best ghost town. Sure, it’s an interesting place to visit, but there are too many tourists and it doesn’t feel “ghostly” with all those people walking and gawking. However, if you want to get more of a real “ghost town” experience, you need to visit the former mining town of Central in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

BACKGROUND:
In 1854 an ancient mining pit had been found on land in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Old mines like these usually meant there were veins of copper-rich rock to be found; so, the newly-formed Central Mining Company bought up 320 acres and began their search.

In the summer of 1855 a Central stockholder named John Robinson (yeah, that's right) directed a small group of men to open the ancient pit. Going down 600 feet, they uncovered rock that was rich in copper and huge pieces of almost pure copper. Before the year was out, 83,836 pounds of copper was produced.

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By 1864 Central employees totaled 146 miners, 28 mechanics/engineers, and 64 laborers. By 1867 the mine employed 268 men.

By 1870 the town had a population of 950 and was still growing.

On Monday, April 22, 1872, thirteen men were on their way to work, riding the rail car down No. 2 shaft. The rope holding the rail car gave way, and all men were killed. It was the first accident in many years and was the precursor to the town’s decline.

Work continued, and the copper began to run out no matter how much deeper the mine went, with fewer amounts of ore being found. On August 1, 1894 work was halted and very little copper came out of the mine between 1895 to 1898. The mine finally closed on July 20, 1898, the post office shut down in 1906, more and more residents looked for work and homes elsewhere, and that was the end for Central. It was now a legitimate ghost town.

CENTRAL IN THE 2020s:
The town (what’s left of it) welcomes visitors. It never seems to be overwhelmed with curiosity seekers, so your exploring will be more fun. A couple of the old houses and a church are available to tour, and the old abandoned mine sits back in the woods that you can also check out.

Visiting Central (also known as Central Mine) is one of the most memorable times you will ever have in Michigan. Scroll down and see some photos below and see what I mean...