The Puzzle of Tomasik's Corners: Jackson County, Michigan

I have wondered about this intersection for decades….literally, decades. It always looked like it may have been a little village at one time, or maybe a postal stop, train station, or something similar. But so far, no definitive answer has arisen.

The intersection I‘m referring to is Berry Road at Lansing Avenue, between Jackson and Leslie, and a little ways west of Pleasant Lake.....practically in the middle of Rives Township. Many, many years ago, I recall a little party store on the corner, or it could have been a small gas station with a snack shop inside. Last time I drove down there, the old sign was gone, but the sign post was still standing.

So I did some researching of old maps and atlases, and guess what I found? Nothing. There are hundreds – maybe thousands – of places like this spread throughout Michigan, and most of the time they were listed as “(Something) Corners”.

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Recently, I was able to find help from someone who also remembered what that intersection looked like. The information she brought to the table was that it was believed to have been called “Tomasik’s Corners”.

In the early 1900s, there was a diner located on the southwest corner. Later, that was bought and turned into a little store. In 1930, the Tomasik family bought the store and added a gas pump. After 1932, came the first mention of the name “Tomasik’s Corners”. In 1952, the store was purchased by Tomasik’s son, and when he retired, the grandson took over. It has been closed for a while and turned into a home. There may have been another business on the northwest corner as well.

It’s an interesting/cool little footnote to Jackson County, but how accurate is the information? Memories get foggy over the years, and people who definitely know are probably gone by now.

I was excited to learn that the intersection did have its own name at one time, but I’m hoping someone will have even more details to share. If you know more about this place, let me know!