Last McDonald’s to Open During the 1900s is in This Michigan Town

Yep. The last McDonald’s restaurant that opened during the 1900s happened to be in the little, unassuming town of Hemlock in Saginaw County...and by gum, it’s still there.

In the 1800s, Hemlock began as an area loaded with pine trees that became a stopping point for travelers on their way to Saginaw. A hotel was necessary to house the ones who came through, so no one would have to keep traveling after dark. Besides, the roads were terrible.

A hotel was built and a village began to grow around it. Constructed in 1870, the hotel went through a series of names: the Beamish House, Bennets Hotel, Gosen House (photo seen in the gallery below), and Strobel House. During the mid 1900s the hotel kept changing hands, opening and closing many times. Finally in the 1970s, the hotel drew its last breath.

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Next to the old hotel was a car dealership - Hohman's Pontiac, built in 1937. Then on the night of January 14th, 1999, the dealership roof caved in. Not wanting to rebuild and just be done with it, the owner sold the building to the McDonalds Corporation. After buying the lot, McDonald’s figured the lot was too small for their needs...so after long deliberations, the owner of the old hotel next door sold the hotel to McDonald’s.

One night afterward, the hotel mysteriously burned down, causing suspicion of arson. Witnesses claim they saw ghostly figures dancing in the window as the flames took over. Even with a $5,000 award offered for any info leading to an arrest for arson, no evidence was ever uncovered.

McDonald's proceeded with their construction of their new restaurant, and finally on December 28, 1999 it opened to the public and became the last McDonald’s to open in the United States during the whole 1900s millennium.

The gallery below features images of Hemlock from over 100 years ago as well as the McDonald’s which is still in operation on the corner of Saginaw and Hemlock.