A Barn Off M-52

 As I said in my last post, I decided to head over to M-52 to head home.  I wasn't really in the mood to go over to Grand Haven but I wasn't quite in the mood to head home.  There was a barn on M-52 that I wanted to get a picture of, so I headed that way.

This wasn't the barn but I thought it looked pretty cool.  I like it when there is some growth around the barn.  One of these days, I should look up the history.

An Old Grain Silo

Just one of the random things you run across while out and about.

 I saw this as I was heading back for round two of the Wolverine.  It is at the corner of M-52 and some other street (I forget the name).  I thought it looked pretty cool, especially with the moon in the background.

 So I tried different angles of the building.

 I think this might have been part of the barn.

 I kind of liked the way the brush was gathered around it.

One more shot before moving on.

The Village of Stockbridge, MI

After stopping at Barton Dam, I decided to continue on Huron River Drive.  Then I found my way out to M-52 to continue on to I-96 to continue on to Grand Rapids.  Normally I don't find myself heading out that way, so I decided to stop in Stockbridge for a couple pictures.

 I will admit that it was this building that caught my eye.  This is the Stockbridge Town Hall.  It was designed by Elijah Myers and constructed in 1892.  It is a Romanesque structure and not only does it house the local government, it also was host to many cultural events.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.  It was restored in 1982 with the assistance of Federal Grant money.

 As I said, I was travelling along part of M-52 which was desginated in 1919 and as such is one of the first highways in the state of Michigan.  It stretches from the Ohio Border and ends just west of Saginaw at M-46.  It pretty much cuts through the center of the state.
Stockbridge doesn't look all that much different from many of the other towns along the way.  Its first settlers arrived in 1835.  The town was planned by Elijah Smith and he was going to name it Pekin.  Before he could register the town, he was bought out by Silas Beebe.  Mr. Beebe thought the railroad would be passing through and Mr. Smith knew that wasn't going to happen immediately.  The railroad wouldn't arrive until 1883.

 Pretty much the standard Civil War statue you find anywhere.  This is dedicated to the soldiers and sailors from the area who served in the Civil War.

 Like I've said before, I think there is a set of blueprints somewhere that is labeled "Standard Midwestern Town".

And a shot of the downtown area.  Even though this looks like many other towns and villages, I still it looks cool.