20 Historic Places In Ingham County

There are hundreds of historic locations throughout Ingham County, and it's difficult to choose twenty from such a vast list. So keep in mind, the following 20 places are not the Top Places - just a tip of the iceberg of all the history this little Michigan county has to offer.

ABANDONED COAL LOADER
This old abandoned coal loader still stands over the Grand Trunk Railroad, on the outskirts of Crego Park, off N. Aurelius Road in Lansing. It was built in 1925 by the Ogle Construction Company, and was large enough to fill four locomotives with coal on four separate tracks, two main and one siding on each end. Pictures found HERE. 

ALAIEDON
How many times have you driven past a sign that mentions "Alaiedon Township"? Have you ever wondered about it? Or if there ever was a town called "Alaiedon"? The land was surveyed in 1827, in a location that came to be called "Alaiedon Center," and settled by mostly Germans in 1836. More HERE. 

AURELIUS
Hidden away, not too far - south of Holt and west of Mason - out in the countryside is the 'town' of Aurelius. The township of Aurelius is a place well-known to all who live in this area...but how much do we know about it and why did it shrink and almost vanish from what it once used to be? Finding any coherent (or chronological, for that matter) history is not that easy. Article is HERE. 

BELL OAK
Bell Oak's first settlers arrived in 1839; the first schoolhouse was built in 1845 and named "Pinkney School" after Tom Pinkney, one of the settlers. Between 1857 and 1862, the Locke Post Office began operation; the name "Bell Oak" wasn't given to the town until after the Civil War. Find out more HERE. 

BURNING BED
It was on March 9, 1977 that the events in Dansville took place which became known throughout the country as “The Burning Bed.” Read the tale HERE. 

BURNING OF THE KERNS HOTEL
On the corner of Ottawa and Grand, between the Radisson Hotel and the Grand River, lies Wentworth Park. Back on December 11, 1934, it was the location of an historically tragic event: the burning of the Kerns Hotel. It’s been labeled as “the 6th worst deadliest hotel fire” in the 20th Century. Photos & story HERE. 

CAPITOL BUILDING
The current capitol is actually our third capitol building. The first was a brick building in Detroit; the second was a small wood building in downtown Lansing. More technicalities HERE. 

CHIEF OKEMOS
Info on the legendary Chief Okemos can be read HERE.

DELTA MILLS
Okay, I'm cheating a little bit with this one...In the northeast corner of Eaton County (not Ingham), lies Delta Township. Near the upper right-hand corner of the township is an area that was – and still is – known as “Delta Mills.” History is HERE. 

JEWETT HOUSE
This Munster-ish mansion was built in either the 1830's or 1840's (depending on which source you wanna believe) by an unknown lumber baron and inhabited by the Jewett family beginning in the 1920's, eventually becoming a funeral home. See for yourself HERE. 

KINNEVILLE
Kinneville was platted in 1849 by Steven Van Kinney. He gave this land the name “Nova Scotia” after his homeland. He constructed a grist mill and saw mill on the Grand River and was soon making enough feed, flour, and meal for other settlers and respective livestock. The saw mill provided the community with the materials they needed for building homes and other businesses. Details HERE. 

LAKE LANSING AMUSEMENT PARK
Lake Lansing Amusement Park meant so much to so many people, endlessly enjoyed by those who remember this place. It was a place to have fun without the tedious drive to Cedar Point. Lake Lansing was originally called Pine Lake and thanks to the large number of fish and wild game, was an Indian hunting and fishing ground for centuries. Burial mounds were found around the lake with remains that pre-date the Chippewas and Chief Okemos. Photos, info and more are HERE. 

LYNCHING IN INGHAM COUNTY
The appalling story of the only lynching in Ingham County is HERE. 

MERIDIAN BASELINES
This could be the most historically important place in Michigan. Cool trivia HERE. 

POLLOK
Pollok, or Pollock, was the name of an Ingham County settlement that just didn't get off the ground. Pollok sits quietly secluded in the lower left corner of Wheatfield Township. It was named after early settler M.J. Pollock and his family, who came from New York to Michigan in the early 1850s. Info HERE. 

SEVEN GABLES ROAD
This legendary Mid-Michigan Haunted Location is frequented by amateur ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, TV crews, newspaper reporters, thrill-seekers, and even senior citizens who go there for daytime walks. The legend is HERE. 

STOCKBRIDGE’S FORGOTTEN GRAVEYARD
Oaklawn Cemetery began operating in 1889 when Stockbridge's population was under 500. So, since Stockbridge was founded in the 1830's, where were the deceased being buried? That is, other than in backyards and fields? More fine points HERE. 

TEASPOON CORNERS
The Ingham County area known as Teaspoon Corners has always been considered a part of Leslie. But reading scant histories (and there aren't many) about this 'village' leads one to believe some of the residents there wanted the area to be separate. Particulars are HERE.

TROWBRIDGE
The community of Trowbridge only had a handful of people and an old hotel that was later converted into a home for a couple and their six kids. Other than that, there wasn't much more except for the railroad towers. Trowbridge was also called “Trowbridge Station” or Trowbridge Tower” and sat on the 'diamond' where the two railway tracks met & crossed each other: the Grand Trunk and the Pere Marquette. If a PM train was coming through, the GT had to wait, and vice versa. Specifics HERE. 

WHEATFIELD ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSES
There are still a nice handful of old one-room schoolhouses standing in Wheatfield Township in Ingham County. What towns are in Wheatfield Township? Well, currently, there's.....uh.....ummm....well, none I know of (although the township officials live in Williamston, and the township hall has a Williamston address), but the array of schoolhouses spread throughout shows the area was busy at one time, with possible settlements and unincorporated communities that have become lost through time. Photos are HERE. 

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