Civil War governor Austin Blair (1818-1894) came to Jackson, Michigan, from New York in 1841. In 1842 he moved his law practice to Eaton Rapids. At that time the area was made up mostly of farmers, and Blair was paid for his legal services with . . . — — Map (db m171841) HM
We Dedicate This Plaque
"To The Ones Who Served"
In The
Spanish-American War
1898
World War I
1914-1918
World War II
1941-1945
The Korean Conflict . . . — — Map (db m171845) WM
In 1853 Warren and Sophia Ford deeded land for a school to Eaton Rapids School District No. 15. In 1869 the land became part of Hamlin Township. This one-room school, erected in 1884 with decorative Eastlake details, replaced one built in 1873. The . . . — — Map (db m171840) HM
This island, owned and operated by J. D. McAuliffe from 1872, was hailed as “a shady retreat for pleasure seekers...(with) a fine collection of animals and a museum of rare specimens”. In 1897 Eaton Rapids bought it for a city park. From . . . — — Map (db m171678) HM
In 1896 dairy farmers Dennis and Mary Miller produced ice cream for the first time on this site, using a hand-crank freezer. The 111-acre farm grew into a business with 14 farms, 1,300 acres, 500 Holstein cows, and modern equipment. In 1936 Miller . . . — — Map (db m171851) HM
In 1839 New York natives
Deodatus and Sarena Wright
settled in Parma Township
along the Territorial Road
(present-day Comdon Road).
In 1870 the Wrights sold a
parcel of their farmland,
which included this site, to
School District No. 7 . . . — — Map (db m257059) HM
The Eaton Rapids Reform Club, under the leadership of Isaac N. Reynolds, built this temperance hall in 1878. Affiliated with the national Red Ribbon movement, over a thousand local men knotted red ribbons in their lapels after pledging to abstain . . . — — Map (db m171843) HM
Eaton Rapids became a popular health resort when mineral water was discovered in 1869. Attracted by advertisements boasting of its curative powers, thousands came for treatment. The water was also bottled and shipped across the country. In 1874 . . . — — Map (db m171848) HM
In 1923 the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) initiated a plan to build a national home for the families of deceased and disabled American veterans. The following year a Jackson, Michigan, cattleman made his Ingham County ranch available for the site . . . — — Map (db m171836) HM
