Lowell in Kent County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Alton Pioneer Village
In the early 1830s the settlement known as Alton grew up in this vicinity. A log schoolhouse, the first in the township, was built on this corner in 1839. In 1842, Gideon Hendricks and Newcomb Godfrey organized the Christian Church Society, and in 1868 the society built this structure. The Honorable Walter White, justice of the peace for the village, served as the area's first postmaster from 1851 to 1866. W. H. Keech and his wife, Jenny, (Carver), ran the general store that later served as the post office.
Alton was a thriving village in the years following the Civil War. Porter's flour mill was built in 1865. By 1870 Edmund Ring had a sawmill a half mile west of Alton Corners. There he made wooden farm wagons and rakes until around 1900. In 1880 the community boasted a cooper, three blacksmith shops, two carriage repair shops, two shoemakers, a general store, a cabinet maker, and a machinery dealer. Alton began to lose population around 1900 after the Pere Marquette Railroad, which ran to nearby Moseley and Lowell, bypassed the village.
Erected 1988 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number 1580.)
Marker series. This marker is included in the Michigan Historical Commission marker series.
Location. 43° 1.002′ N, 85° 21.1′ W. Marker is in Lowell, Michigan, in Kent County. Marker is at the intersection of Lincoln Lake Avenue NE and 3 Mile Road NE, on the right when traveling north on Lincoln Lake Avenue NE. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2780 Lincoln Lake Ave, Lowell MI 49331, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. White's Bridge (approx. 2.7 miles away); Fallasburg Covered Bridge (approx. 2.8 miles away); John Wesley Fallas House / John W. Fallas (approx. 2.8 miles away); Fallasburg Pioneer Village (approx. 2.8 miles away); Smyrna (approx. 5.4 miles away); Robert W. Graham Home (approx. 5.8 miles away); Pere Marquette Railway Depot (approx. 8.4 miles away); Belrockton Dormitory (approx. 8½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lowell.
Also see . . .
1. Alton Pioneer Village Informational Designation. Center for Geographic Information (Submitted on May 11, 2012, by Cameron Zwart of Belding, Michigan.)
2. Village of Alton. Common Corners (Submitted on May 11, 2012, by Cameron Zwart of Belding, Michigan.)
3. Vergennes Township. Vergennes Township (Submitted on May 11, 2012, by Cameron Zwart of Belding, Michigan.)
Categories. • Settlements & Settlers •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on May 11, 2012, by Cameron Zwart of Belding, Michigan. This page has been viewed 544 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 11, 2012, by Cameron Zwart of Belding, Michigan. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.