This is an unincorporated village in the township of Fair Grove, located in the east half of southeast quarter of section 16. No plat of the village has been filed, and descriptions of lots sold have been made necessarily by metes and bounds.
Some ten years ago a small store of general merchandise was kept here by D. Lane and sold subsequently to S. N. Aldrich, who has largely extended the business. This was about all of the village until the year 1881, when the advent of the Saginaw, Tuscola & Huron Railroad gave this point prominence as a center of trade for the surrounding country. Since then the growth of the village has been rapid, numbering at present thirty houses, with others in course of construction. Its business enterprises consist of the sash factory of Liken & Bach, flouring-mill of Roby & Wylie, planing-mill of Trimble & Dougherty, wagon shop of Mitchell & Stanard, blacksmith shop of George Biles, general stores of S. N. Aldrich, R. C. Burroughs and R. Wakeman, drug store of Sprague & Stoddard, furniture, tinware and notion store of F. A. Rogers, agricultural implement warehouse of M L. Aldrich, Charles Puffer's meatmarket, J. D. Burlingame's livery stable, and J. S. Streeter's hotel. Just south of the village and undoubtedly at no distant day to be included within its limits, is the church of the United Presbyterians. The Methodist Episcopal society and the United Brethren are preparing to build houses of worship.
Twenty-six years ago a postoffice was established at Fair Grove Centre with Amzy Clay as postmaster. In March, 1881, it was removed to Fair Grove village, and D. E. Cranston, the present postmaster, was appointed to the office.
Extracted from History of Tuscola and Bay Counties, Mich., H.R. Page and Co., Chicago, 1883, page 136.
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