We visited this historical village in March and again in April after snow was gone.
Other than the church, which is a replica, all of the old structures were moved here from their various original locations. The farmhouse was built between 1862 and 1865.
The barn is from the 1870s.
Tucked up on a hill behind the rest of the village is this log cabin from the 1870s.
The Barnes House was built in 1849 and was the first frame house built in Okemos. It served as a home, and later a hotel, inn and tavern.
The "brick" house was constructed in 1827, originally to be used as a blacksmith shop but was set up as a village store with a small concert hall on the second story.
The Randall one-room schoolhouse was an operating school from 1883-1975.
Built in 2008, the church adds to the ambience of the village but it is not historic.
My favorite part of this village is the plank road tollhouse. Plank roads were popular all over the U.S. beginning in the 1840s, and a plank road between Lansing and Howell was opened around 1852. That road originally had seven tollgates. This one, built around 1850, is the only one still in existence in Michigan.
Here's to learning about our history, wherever you can find it.
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