Community Organizations

Society of the Automotive Historians, Inc.

Heritage through our Ancestors

Goodrich Hospital

Mae (Pearson) Sigler

Goodrich Memories 

by June VanKirk Fox

Hi-----just couldn't let the Goodrich thing pass without telling you  about some of the people I grew up with around Goodrich.

 

I worked at that little telephone company.  Alice Davis taught me all there was to know about THAT switchboard.  Started out at $4.00 a week.

 

My dad had Van's Feed Store. And my brother was responsible for all the geese that made the area a sanctuary years ago.

 

As I grew up there I got to know all the "fellas " that use to come to Vans gas station  and have the morning discussions about the world as it was !

 

To this day I can tell you who lived in just about every house on the M15.

 

I just have had so much fun thinking about all these things.

 

I now live in Antioch Ca. I just  moved here in November.  My children wanted me closer.  I had lived in Lake Havasu City, Az., and when my husband died -----they wanted me closer .

 

Oh---my husband and I met in high school there---married there. His father was one of the best teachers they ever had.  Beryl B. Fox

History

In 1835, the Goodrich brothers, Enos, Moses and Levi, bought 1000 acres here and built a cabin.  The next year they brought their families and settled.  A Post Office named Atlas opened in 1846.

When Reuben Goodrich became the postmaster in 1849 the name was changed to Goodrich.  Incorporated as a village in 1957. 

Above informational excerpts from Michigan Place Names, by Walter Romig, L.H.D.

Goodrich/Atlas Historical Society

The following information is provided by the Goodrich/Atlas Historical Society.

GOODRICH LIBRARY

Twenty-one pioneer ladies organized the "Goodrich Ladies Association" and started a library on May 26, 1877. By 1883 the Ladies Association raised enough money to by an old house for a permanent library. A fire destroyed the east wing of the house in 1902 but the books were saved. Restorations on the building were made in 1903. State assistance was needed due to lack of funds and interest, so the Goodrich Library became part of the Genesee County Library in August, 1952.

GOODRICH BANK

The first banks organized under the banking laws of the state were called "Wildcat Banks", and they issued their own currency. Goodrich had its first bank in December 1836. The bank closed in the Spring of 1838 and did not reopen until October 1, 1908. The doors were shut during the banking holiday of 1933. The banking business came back to Goodrich September 25, 1957.

TOWNSHIP HALL

The Township Hall was built in 1893. Through the years, it has been used by the people of the community for many functions. Carrie Horton played the music for silent movies shown to the people during the 1920's. For many years dances were held on Saturday nights for the public. In 1980 the library was transferred from their previous location to the first floor of this building. The second story is still being used by the community for meetings.

MASON BUILDING

This building has been here before the turn of the century, it was built in 1838. The Masons have owned the building for many years, and they have held their meetings on the second floor. The first floor has been rented to different businesses.

DALBY GROCERIES

The Dalby brothers, Ralph and Court, owned a grocery and meat market for many years. The business was started in 1913 and continued until Ralph's retirement in 1962. For many years the property has been an empty lot. The area was turned into a parking lot to serve the local businesses this year.

TELEPHONE COMPANY

Mr. Steve Hegel started the telephone company in 1896. The last owners were a brother and sister named Alice and Howard Davis. They operated the telephone switchboard until the Wolverine Telephone Company purchased the business in 1961. It took from 1961 to 1964 to complete the hookup of manual dialing for this area.

GOODRICH MILL

The Goodrich brothers started clearing the land for the mill in 1844, and it was completed in 1846. M. A. Jerome purchased the property in 1918 and built a small power plant adjacent to the mill. This small plant supplied lighting for the village until Consumer Power extended its lines in Goodrich. During W.W.II, the S & F Tooling Company used the mill to produce gun parts. A fire destroyed the mill in 1970 with the Goodrich Manufacturing Company as its last owners.

GOODRICH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The church was organized in 1884. The first building was built on the property where the old Goodrich General Hospital (Greenview Apartments) now stands. In 1921 a church in Metamora was torn down and brought piece by piece on team and wagons to Goodrich. It was rebuilt by the side of the pond. Plans for a new building was started and construction began in the Spring of 1976. The new church was built on the east side of M-15.

HEGEL BUILDING

A fire in 1916 destroyed the wooden buildings that were located on this site. S. M. Hegel built the brick building in 1917. The Hegel Building has been the home to many businesses throughout the years. Fire again struck this location in the summer of 1998, and the building is under repairs.

DAY-SCHARLAND BUILDING

The building was constructed in 1852 and has been used by different businesses. At one time it contained the Day-Scharland Mercantile, Wilder's Shoe/Clothing Store, Post Office, and Sefa Brothers Market. For many years the building was vacant. Recent renovations have been done to the building, and it is being used for business purposes as well as housing the Goodrich Village offices.

HOTEL

Many years ago, Goodrich had a hotel to serve the early travelers. It was built by Mr. Haskins around 1846. The hotel contained a dining room, bar, and rooms for sleeping. It was a very popular spot for drummers (salesmen) to use as they toured the area peddling their wares. Through the years, the hotel has had many different owners. The building is now used as apartments.

CREAMERY

The first settlers to Goodrich were farmers. At one time there were many dairy farms in this area. The creamery was used to prepare the milk for shipment on the D.U.R. In 1939 the Goodrich Assembly of God Church bought the creamery. The building was renovated into a church and living area for the minister's family.. The old building was torn down in 1952.  However, the lumber was salvaged to help rebuild the church.

ATLAS TOWNSHIP FIRE HALL

The old fire hall was built in 1952 on the site where the Free Will Baptist Church stood (1867 to 1950). The Building housed the equipment that the volunteers used. Township Board Meetings and firemen's meetings were held at one time in this building. When a new fire hall was built in the early 1990's, the property was sold to a private individual and now houses the new owners private collection of firetrucks.

DETROIT URBAN RAILWAY (D.U.R.)

In 1900 the Detroit Urban Railway known as the D.U.R. came to serve this community. The railway route ran from Detroit to Saginaw and Bay City. The train was scheduled to leave every hour, and it made stops about every half mile. Milk from the creamery was shipped to Detroit in the railroad cars. People could flag down the D.U.R. with a torch at night to get a ride on the train. The D.U.R. was discontinued in 1931.

GOODRICH GENERAL HOSPITAL

Dr. A. S. Wheelock's dream for a hospital was realized on October 4, 1916. He built the facility on the site where the first structure of the United Methodist Church stood. Due to the growing needs of the area, Dr. Wells C. Reid was added to the staff in 1919. The doors were closed in February, 1961, and the new hospital was built on M-15. The building was renovated into apartments.

GOODRICH CEMETERY

The first person to be buried in this cemetery was Nathaniel Fairchild on May 26, 1850, at the age of 54 years. The cause of death was lockjaw and blood poisoning due to a cut on his hand from a horseshoe nail. Soldiers from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Mexican War, War of 1812, W.W. I , and W.W. II are buried there.  Located at the end of Seneca St. and Pontiac on Cemetery Drive.  Thank you Carol S. for location information.

GOODRICH HIGH SCHOOL

A one-room schoolhouse was built in 1850. It was torn down and replaced by a two-story frame building in 1870. This building was demolished in 1913, and a brick school was constructed. Ten years later remodeling was done to the building. Wheelock Auditorium was added to the school in 1939. Reid Elementary was built next to the high school in 1954. The old high school was tom down in 1965 when the new high school was built; however, the auditorium remained.

GOODRICH COMMONS

On the high east bank of the Kearsley Creek, Enos Goodrich cleared the land and built a log cabin in September, 1836. This was the beginning of Goodrich. It was used for a dry goods store, and grocery and provision store. Also the Atlas Debating Society met in it. The land where the cabin sat is now used by the community as the Goodrich Commons. The land for the park was also where the Goodrich Mill Stood.

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