The first trading post in Kent County was located on trail 44 rods to the south of this spot
Established about 1800, by Joseph La Framboise, kept by him until he was killed in 1809, and by his wife until bought by Rix Robinson and moved to Ada . . . — — Map (db m216760) HM
The Cabin This interpretive cabin is located on the site commemorated by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1921 as the site of "The first trading post" in Lowell. The large stone marker gave directions close to this location. The . . . — — Map (db m216758) HM
Joseph LaFramboise Sr.
1765-1806
The first trading post in the Lowell area was built by Joseph LaFramboise who traded along the Grand River as early as 1793. While its exact location is not known, it was built on the north bank, west of . . . — — Map (db m216759) HM
In the early 1830s the settlement known as Alton grew up in this vicinity. A log schoolhouse, the first in the township, was built on this corner in 1839. In 1842, Gideon Hendricks and Newcomb Godfrey organized the Christian Church Society, and . . . — — Map (db m55251) HM
Broadway was a busy street in early Lowell. The first
school in Lowell was a log cabin built in 1838 near the
north edge of the current parking lot. The inside was
furnished with long benches made of split logs and desks
made of boards along . . . — — Map (db m216904) HM
This block has been an important block on Main
Street from the earliest days of town. Daniel Marsac,
local fur trader and early landowner, built a log cabin
tavern around 1840. The tavern served stagecoach
passengers on their way through . . . — — Map (db m217476) HM
There was a thriving business in Lowell based on
freshwater clams harvested from the Flat and Grand
Rivers. (1907 to 1948)
Clammers plied the rivers in flat bottomed boats with
a pole mounted on top. As the pole was dragged along
the . . . — — Map (db m216765) HM
The earliest settlers came to Lowell from eastern states. Forty four relatives of local fur trader Rix Robinson were the first to arrive in the Grand River Valley in the spring of 1835. Some of them settled along the Flat River. Other settlers . . . — — Map (db m216762) HM
John W. and Silas S. Fallas settled here in 1837, founding a village which soon boasted a chair factory, sawmill, and gristmill. About 1840 the first of several wooden bridges was placed across the Flat River, but all succumbed in a short time to . . . — — Map (db m55253) HM
(side 1)
Fallasburg was settled in 1837 by two brothers from Tompkins County, New York. In 1839, John Wesley Fallas purchased the northwest quarter of section 24 and laid plans for a village. His brother, Silas S., also purchased land at . . . — — Map (db m55255) HM
The large Native American population at the Flat River made this area important to fur traders. French and American traders came to this area to trade in the winter, returning to Mackinac Island and Detroit in the summers.
The LaFramboise Post . . . — — Map (db m217480) HM
During the late 1800s there were two hotels, one on
the south side of the street and one on the north side.
It was a prime location next to the businesses in Old
Wooden Row. The Lowell & Hastings Railroad depot
was erected nearby on . . . — — Map (db m217475) HM
The island in front of you was once a popular summer
destination know as Island Park.
"The large island in Flat River, south of the railway trestle,
often refered to as Island Park, was enjoyed by many people
during the summer months. . . . — — Map (db m216766) HM
John Wesley Fallas House
John Wesley Fallas built this house in 1842 in the village which bears his family name. Fallas platted the village on land he purchased from the U.S. government in 1839. That year, after a bridge had been built . . . — — Map (db m55254) HM
Dedicated with respect to all those men and women from the Lowell area who have or will serve our country in all branches of the military in "police actions" and "armed interventions" -- who froze in a guard shack on the 38th parallel in Korea, . . . — — Map (db m216767) WM
G.A.R.
Erected
by citizens of
Lowell & vicinity
in honor of the
soldiers & sailors
who served in the
War of the Rebellion.
1861-1865. — — Map (db m216907) WM
1990 - 1991
Dedicated to the Lowell area servicemen and women who served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Vietnam
Korea
World War I
World War II — — Map (db m216772) WM
The first sawmill in Lowell was built in 1856 by Seth Cogswell on the creek south of the Grand River. However, from the 1840's-1870, most of the logs went through Lowell on log drives which continued on down the Flat and Grand Rivers to sawmills in . . . — — Map (db m217479) HM
Pioneer Cyprian Hooker opened the wooden hotel,
The Franklin House on Christmas Day, 1855. After the
railroad came to Segwun, south of the Grand River, in
1858 the hotel advertised that "a good hack w:il run to
and from the depot." The . . . — — Map (db m216905) HM
325 West Main - Robert Graham built this duplex
as a residence for his family (west side) and his in-laws
(east side) in 1873. His wife, Emma, died of pneumonia
soon after moving in leaving three young children.
Graham then married . . . — — Map (db m216903) HM
The Odawa were the people living in the Lowell area when white settlers arrived. They would have said they were Anishinabe, meaning the first people or the original people. The area was heavily forested with an abundance of wild animals such as . . . — — Map (db m217481) HM
Looking across Main Street:
Negonce Block
The block across the street was the location of the first
frame house. It was built in 1846 by Cyprian Hooker. The
house was later moved to make way for a business block.
In 1905, fire . . . — — Map (db m217472) HM
This block, once known as the Old Wooden Row, was
the first business block in the village of Dansville
(Lowell). Built between 1846 and 1870 it contained 11
wooden buildings. Mrs. Julia Hiler's Millinery, located in
the westernmost building, . . . — — Map (db m217477) HM
North Side
At one time buildings nearly filled the north side of
the Bridge except for a small opening east of Mainstreet
Inn. The most prominent building is the old Post Office
building, built in 1884 after a fire destroyed the . . . — — Map (db m216763) HM
In 1873 Robert W. Graham designed and built this Italianate structure as a two-family residence. A native of England, Graham settled in Lowell in 1858. Here he worked as a brick mason, a farmer and a merchant. Graham's son Ernest, an architect, . . . — — Map (db m55252) HM
This has been an area of intense business activity and
commerce since the Pere Marquette railroad was
extended to Saginaw via Lowell and Belding and a new
depot was built between S. Broadway and Hudson.
Lowell Mfg. Co. would load sprayers . . . — — Map (db m216901) HM
The Union Block was built soon after the Civil War.
Many of Lowell's social events were hosted in the 3rd
floor ballroom of Train's Opera House, located on the
east end of the block. Seating in the Opera House was
increased to 600 after a . . . — — Map (db m216906) HM
In 1843 a group of twelve emigrants from New England and western New York State founded the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Vergennes. Originally part of the circuit running from Grand Rapids to Boston, Michigan, the group first met at the log . . . — — Map (db m182790) HM
The Flat River has provided water power for
numerous industries. Little evidence remains today of
the large factories that once lined the east and west
banks below the Main Street dams.
Hooker Grist Mill (Forest Mills) was built on . . . — — Map (db m216764) HM
This block had only a dwelling house, blacksmith shop,
and some sheds until the 1880's. Then Jarvis C. Train
built his second Lowell hotel called Train's Hotel,
containing two business fronts and one front for hotel
purposes. The hotel had a . . . — — Map (db m216902) HM
The Lowell Area Historical Museum invites you to explore the history of Lowell. Look for interpretive boards throughout town. Learn about different events, people and places that have shaped this community.
Imagine a landscape covered with . . . — — Map (db m216761) HM
