Nicodemus National Historic Site, 304 Washington Avenue, Bogue, Kansas

The town was founded in 1877, and former slaves were encouraged to resettle here in Kansas, a free state. Kansas was part of the Underground Railroad and was also home to John Brown. At its height, Nicodemus had roughly 700 residents. When the town failed to get the railroad to come through (it was built south of them), the town slowly died. According to the ranger on duty during our visit, there are 20 descendants of the original residents still living here. And five original structures still stand. The old Township Hall is now the Visitor's Center.

St. Francis Hotel is still there but crumbling.

The First Baptist Church looked like some work was being done on a newer addition to it.

The A.M.E. Church remains open to the public.

The District 1 School stands closed and distant.

This is the only remaining town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. The National Park Service states it is the oldest remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River. The railroad may have passed it by but the story of the town remains.

An Old Mill, A Small Dam, and A Railroad Depot ~ Saranac MI 48881

 Back in 1836 the Village of Waterville was platted south of what is now downtown Saranac, and a man named James Hoag built this mill in 1838 (he died in 1851, killed by a falling tree).

Today the town no longer exists but the mill still stands, a relic of times gone by.

Find it on MacArthur Road at its junction with Morrison Lake Road.

On our way to the mill (in between downtown Saranac and the mill) we spotted a small dam and a picturesque creek. Look for the guardrail where you can pull over and walk a well-worn path down to the creek.

The Grand Trunk Western Saranac Depot (138 N Bridge St) was built as a combination passenger and freight railroad station in 1906-1907.  It was one of three stations on the trunk with the Witch's Hat design (the other two were South Lyon and Corunna). These two old photos are from michiganrailroads.com/Station: Saranac, MI

Saranac has made a nice, little park on the depot property with a walk down to the Grand River.

Our last Saranac highlight is the First Roadside Table, that we visited in 2021.

Cheers to exploring old towns!