Maltby Livery

Maltby Livery. . , Antrim County sheriff Henry Stewart built a small barn here in 1887. It became a livery business, and George Stanley, who acquired it in 1900, made many improvements. In 1906, Edward Maltby took possession, and it became the most important livery in town., Maltby had eight teams of "driving horses" with carriages for ferrying customers, as well as draft horses and wagons for hauling freight. The livery also handled mail transfers between the post office and the depot. As they grew up, the Maltby sons did much of the driving. In 1976, Bill Maltby told an interviewer, "Bellaire had five sawmills and five saloons and that made for a nice time on a Saturday night. The lumberjacks would come in with the last load of logs. And they'd get loaded and then some poor old Maltby would have to take them back.", Improved roads and the automobile's arrival changed livery businesses in the 1920s. Maltby transitioned from horses to Model T's, and he became Bellaire's first Standard Oil agent. In 1927, his son, Harold (Pete) Maltby, took over. The site was eventually sold to Antrim County. It has hosted many businesses since., For more history of Bellaire, visit the Bellaire Area Historical Museum, 202 N. Bridge Street