Going To Hell, Michigan: Then-And-Now

Here's a Michigan place I'm sure most of you are aware of: the town of Hell in Livingston County.

This is possibly the only Hell that is enjoyable to visit. On your Michigan roadtrip, this makes a fun little out-of-the-way stop with enough photo-ops...you can also be "Mayor of Hell" for a day.

Why is little burg named 'Hell'? Possibly from visiting Germans in the 1830's who referred to it as "so schön hell,"  meaning "so beautifully bright." Others claim it was dubbed by founder George Reeves - when asked the name of his new town, he exclaimed "you can name it Hell for all I care".  And still others say the town was so overridden with mosquitoes and swampland that the unbearable living conditions caused the town's name.

The origins of Hell go as far back as 1841. There was a group of people from New York on their way west via the Erie Canal; they stopped in this area and made the decision to go no further. They took over an already-existing sawmill and soon constructed a new flour/grist mill. Then they went a step further and built their own distillery, providing alcohol to the local Indians. With everyone getting smashed, plenty of fights broke out among the Indians and townspeople...enough of them that the town was therefore referred to as “Hell”.

So whichever explanation of the town's name you find the most plausible, go for it.

Today there's not much there except a store that has weird, hell-ish gifts, knick-knacks, etc. and another little party store. Lots of 'hell' joke signs around for photo ops. It's a fun little stop that will probably take you anywhere from a half hour or more just enjoying this very small Roadside Michigan stop.

See all they have to offer on their website by CLICKING HERE.

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