The Shadow Town of Hoytville, in Eaton County
In Eaton County, at the junction of Mulliken Road and Saginaw Highway lies the once-upon-a-town of Hoytville.
This former village is just 1 ½ miles south of Mulliken. Info on Hoytville is scarce, but here’s what we have so far: Hoytville once had a blacksmith, cheese factory, Grange hall, sawmill, and tin shop. The Grange hall was discontinued, and a grocery store/gas station began in its place. It stood on the northeast corner of Saginaw Hwy but unfortunately, the building no longer exists.
The old general store was down Mulliken Road south of Saginaw Hwy. The upstairs had a large hall where boxing and wrestling matches were held! In the southeast corner of the store was the post office. The store closed down many, many years ago, but remained standing up until the 2000’s. Now it, too, is gone…..but you can see pictures of it in the gallery below.
When the Pere Marquette Railroad was laid 1 ½ miles north, the town moved closer to it. Once moved, the town was re-named Mulliken. Mulliken was settled in 1888 and became an incorporated village in 1903. The original town location eventually kept Hoytville as its name, evidenced as both Mulliken and Hoytville appear together on old atlases.
The former community known as Hoytville now only contains a handful of residences. There are still a few great old structures to see here, so visit before they’re gone!