The 1830s Town of Hickory Corners, Michigan
Hickory Corners is a decent-sized town in Barry Township, Barry County at the intersection of Kellogg School Road and W. Hickory Road. The cool thing about Hickory Corners is the downtown area. The streets are littered with a good number of old original storefronts and shops that gives the town a true 1800's authenticity.
The first settler in what would become Hickory Corners was a minister, Moses Lawrence, who, in 1834, made his home a half mile east of town. More settlers and surveyors arrived, and in 1837, the town was named after a huge hickory tree that stood near downtown.
The schoolhouse was built in 1837 and Solomon Hall built the very first Hickory Corners residential home in 1839; he became the town's first postmaster in 1844.
Over time, the town acquired a few blacksmith shops, cemetery, church, drug store, three general stores, two harness shops, hotel, millinery shops, and a few wagon makers. Nowadays, there are other things to visit in the Hickory Corners area aside from the cool old downtown shops: The Gilmore Car Museum, the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame and the Kellogg Biological Station.
Take a look at some then-and-now photos of Hickory Corners and add this terrific little drive-thru to your Michigan roadtrip itinerary!
HICKORY CORNERS, THEN-AND-NOW
MORE OLD MICHIGAN TOWNS!