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In 1985, the three two-story building facing East Grand River in the southeast quadrant were photographed for the following year's 150 celebration in 1986. This picture was used in a special edition of the newspaper and I also used it in my book, The Fowlerville Chronicles. In 1985, Ruth's Resale used the first two buildings from the right and the bank was using the far left building.

One item of note, is the bank sign at the far right. When that was no longer needed, it was moved to the southwest corner as a welcome sign for the village. Tomorrow's squint shots will show 'then and now' pictures to wrap up this series of matching old with current day photographs.

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In the continuing series of 'then and now' squint shots (through July 1st), I remembered this 1988 photograph of Utter's MensWear before the smoke damage occurred the following year from a fire in The Penny Pincher, located where Shear Image now operates out of. The storefront on the left doesn't look too different but the one on the right has definitely been changed. For your viewing comparisons:

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In 1995, the building which now houses Lucky's Pub was being renovated. Unfortunately, work was delayed due to the north wall starting to buckle and crumble. It was bad enough at one point, a portion of North Grand Avenue was blocked off. Following are 'then and now' squint shots:

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Someday I am going to get myself in trouble. Back in ca. 1902, a person could probably stand in the middle of the road for pretty much however long they wanted to without fear of being run over. Not in today's world, but I still try. As I crossed South Grand Avenue the other day, I made sure there were no cars coming and I did pause long enough to point and shoot; hoping it was somewhat focused.

Fortunately, the result was pretty accurate as far as the angle, just not all of the old hotel.

If you look closely in the center of the old photograph, there is a stage coach-style wagon parked in front of what was then the Lockwood Hotel. The buildings on the left side, as mentioned in yesterday's 'then and now' shots, are long gone. The 1902 picture is part of the "Walking Tour" you can read by clicking at the far right of the bar just below the header for this website. There will be a brochure, with abbreviated descriptions, available at the temporary museum in about a week. As a side note, I will also be conducting a guided tour of the 39 sites on Monday, July 4, at 10 am -- meet me on the southwest corner of the main four and we can walk it together. To see the entire tour, it is about a 1.5 miles-long walk, ending at the Lutheran church, which then means a few blocks to walk to get back to the beginning. Hope to see you there.

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The following two shots have basically nothing in common but they are the same view, just 98 years apart from each other.

In 1913, 'Merchant Day' was being celebrated and the streets were lined with cars and shoppers. Looking northwest from about the corner of Church Street and South Grand Avenue, the old photograph shows all of the buildings -- some one-story and most two-story -- that no longer exist. The two-story buildings at the left side of the picture were the last to be removed when additional parking was needed for Frank's Foodliner.

The current-day photograph shows open spaces, a parking lot, and what used to be a gas and service station at the southwest corner of South Grand and West Grand River. Something you wouldn't have seen in 1913 -- even if you could have looked through the buildings -- would be the back end of the old Ford garage. The Ford garage was completed in 1917 by Roy T. Sprague. Currently, a store marketing indoor gardening products is at the front of the building (where the flag is) and Jeffrey's Automotive operates at the rear of the building.

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Yesterday's 'then and now' squint shots showed a very similar but closer picture of the 'old hotel' from 1980 and today. Heading back in time another 40 years, here is the Hotel Sumner as it looked ca. 1942. A barber shop used to be about where you can see the sign for 'meals, rooms, beer, lunches.'

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In 1980, the 'old hotel' was known as Ye Olde Hotel where you could get 'liquor' as the sign indicates. There was also a Chapman Realty Company, a flower shop, a small sign that reiterates 'rooms, beer,' parking meters, and a portico across the front of the building. Awnings over the south portion at the ground level also gave the building a different look.

Now it houses a photography studio, hair salon, an empty storefront which used to serve coffee, and The Treasure Chest, a secondhand store similar but not as crowded as Ruth's Resale which closed a few years ago.

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In 1978, a devastating fire occurred in Frank's IGA store on South Grand Avenue. The building was destroyed and by the following year, this old photograph shows what replaced it. That building still stands and is now Curtis Grocery.

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There have been at least two buildings on the site where the depot is located at the railroad tracks -- the current building which is now used as an office and a wooden building that burned in the early 1900s. On the current building, it would appear also there have been at least a couple different roofs -- the current one, where the ends are more squared off, and then the one shown in the older photograph, ca. 1954.

The two biggest changes that are noticeable are the water tank is gone as well as the portico. The roof of the tank actually caught fire, buckling into the tank, resulting in the removal of this water tank. The portico was removed a few years after this picture was taken as it was deemed too close to the tracks for the passing trains.

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If you check out yesterday's 'then and now' squint shots, you will see a ca. 1957 photograph of the northeast quadrant looking westward and a current day one.

After I had taken yesterday's squint shot, I walked farther eastward on East Grand River and looked back to take a similar shot of a ca. 1923 photograph. As with the previous photographs, it is almost difficult to tell these are the same blocks, except for the skyline shown. So many things have changed -- especially from 1923 until current -- with storefronts, telephone and light poles, trees, even the roadway.

Oh, and the guy talking on his cell phone in front of the red brick building -- certainly different from 90 years ago!

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Looking westward on Grand River Avenue from about Second Street . . . . . . . and looking at both the 'then' and the 'now' pictures there doesn't appear to be anything the same! So much has changed in the ~50 years since the old picture was taken.

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Today's 'then and now' squint shots show the northeast quadrant, looking westward from about the corner of East Grand River and South Second Street. In particular, on the right hand side of the old photograph, it is interesting to note the long one-story storefront housing Detroit Edison, a restaurant, and a millinery. In today's Fowlerville, one-third of it is Save-On and the east third is the Bloated Goat.

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In 1975, the Launderama building was battered with bricks as a wall came crumbling down from the building just south of it. Thirty-some years later, the one-story building is still used for cleaning clothes.

A driveway is now located where the crumbling bricks fell from the two-story building, to be used by residents occupying the upstairs apartment. Yesterday's squint shots showed two windows at the front of the red brick building. Currently this building is up for rent since Maria's School of Dance moved a year ago.

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Although I've been doing a 'then and now' series of squint shots lately, every now and again I notice something on the buildings worth noting.  We will get back to the other series soon.  Today I just wanted to show a couple of close-ups of the upper windows on the red brick building on the northwest corner of East Grand River and North Second Street.  This building used to house Maria's School of Dance up until a year ago. 

I started looking at the treatment over the windows and began to wonder what the larger stones on each side of the curved bricks may possibly have been at one time.  They may have always had this bumpy effect or maybe a carved look has worn away from time and weather. 

Any thoughts?

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Early in my research for my book, The Fowlerville Chronicles, I found a reference to a Mormon Church located in the Fowlerville area.  Under the year 1868, I added the information, "One such case (referring to religious services) was from the years 1840 to 1842, apostles of the Mormon Church would hold meetings in a house known as the "Mormon Schoolhouse."  As other religions began to flourish though, the 13 families of the Mormon Church eventually relocated in Nauvoo, Illinois, with other families of the same persuasion."

At the time I was working on the book, I never thought about where they may have met.  But, recently, while speaking with a friend here in the area, she mentioned the old Mormon church, south of town, being used as a house now.  Of course . . . and you know the rest of the story . . . I had to take the long way home to go find this building.

So, for today, instead of a 'then and now' set of pictures, I have three pictures showing the north side, east exposure, and south side of the old Mormon church now being used as a house.  Enjoy . . .

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For today's squint shot, this is a slightly different 'then and now' concept -- basically, both are from 'then.'  The first photograph is ca. 1940 of the southeast quadrant, when the Standard Station was located at the corner of South Second Street and East Grand River.  The first building to the west of the gas station was a dime store at the time -- Line's, to be exact. 

This storefront was a satellite of the main store located in Howell.  I never really gave it much thought about where the store might have been in Howell but a couple of weeks back, when we were in Howell to check out a Mexican restaurant as well as Main Street Winery, an etched stone caught my eye.

At the southwest corner of Grand River Avenue and D119, the brick building which houses Mr. B's Tavern on the ground floor, look up to the roofline facing Grand River Avenue.  There, etched in stone, with lines and flourishes, you will find 'Line's.'  Was the whole building their dime store or just the ground floor?  If anyone remembers Line's in Howell, it would be fun to hear from them.

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In the late 1800s, most of the buildings along the east side of South Grand Avenue were wooden as shown in this old black and white photograph.  The back corner of the brick building right at the corner can be seen, and the second one south of it might have been brick, but the remaining appear to be wooden.  By 1901, the Lockwood Exchange, which is the one with about eight awnings across it, had burned.  A brick building replaced it. 

As I've checked out this photograph, I have come to the conclusion it was taken from either the second or third floor of the Harmon building -- known then as the Palmerton block.  Once again, I made a pest of myself and asked Paul Harmon if I could go upstairs and get more pictures.  He unhesitatingly said yes so, the other day, that is exactly what I did.  I went to the second floor and snapped a picture of the same angle, only getting more of the brick building at the corner.  Enjoy . . .

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The Orr Theatre was located, up until April, 1956, in what is now the west half of the Fowlerville Hardware store.  Doug Burnie has allowed me to check out the basement of the east portion of their store, and if inspected very closely, the floor for the theater can be seen in how it used to slope down to the screen.  The stone foundation slopes downward from south to north for where the seats would have been located, with the screen at the north wall of the building.  Does anyone have memories of being inside this theater?

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The following two pictures are not the same building.  But . . .

From all indication, where there is now an alley next to Aleta's Flower Shoppe, a mirror-image of that building used to stand, and in 1912, it was L.F. Herning Meat Market. 

As I keep doing research, I may find something to confirm my suspicions but for now, enjoy a 1912 'then' picture and a current day 'now picture of two very similar one-story buildings.

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As many still call it -- the old hotel -- still stands but it is not used as a hotel any longer. Currently, there are apartments on the second floor, and on the ground floor, a photographer, beauty salon, a closed-up coffee shop, and an antique store.

The 'then' shot was found in an issue of the Fowlerville News and Views, labeled in the early 1920s. At that time, it was Hotel Sumner and inside was a lunchroom.

Enjoy checking out and comparing how this building looked the same yet different 'then and now.'