Vintage Photos of Laingsburg: Then-and-Now, 1900-2000s

Sitting comfortably in Shiawassee County, the town of Laingsburg was named after saloon owner and town founder, Peter Laing. It is the only town in the entire spectrum of Sciota Township.

Laing was a doctor who built himself a log house when he arrived. With the increasing amount of settlers and travelers coming through the community, Laing soon turned his home into a tavern and inn. Once the stagecoaches started coming through, even more people started coming to Laingsburg and Laing found it necessary to turn his home into a stagecoach stop.

Now, what else? Well, these travelers and settlers needed goods, right? So Laing started stocking dry goods and grocery items and his home also became a general store. What would the good folks of Laingsburg do about mail? Leave it to ol' doc Laing – he implemented a post office out of the same building that was being used as a tavern, stagecoach stop, inn, general store, and his home.

FAST FACTS:
1600s: The area was a native American village called Wassololo
1836: Tavern built at the corner of Fenner & Grand River
1841: Post office is opened
1841: The village was re-named 'Nebraska'
1860: The JL&N Railroad comes through
1860: Name changed back to 'Laingsburg'
1871: Officially becomes a village
1951: Incorporated as a city

In the 1920's, Round Lake Casino near Laingsburg was visited several times by Al Capone. In later years, it was a restaurant called the "Sweetwater Wharf" and later, "Jambalaya's." The restaurant even had a dining area in the back called the "Capone Room" as a way to capitalize on his notoriety.

The photo gallery below shows you some vintage photos of Laingsburg going back well over 100 years. There are also some “then-and-now” images that you can compare. Take a drive some afternoon and pay Laingsburg a visit!