The Ghost Town of Clifton Mills: Macomb County, Michigan
The village of Clifton Mills never got its due.
The area sits in Macomb County's Washington Township, near Stony Creek. It was named after a mill that was built along the creek in the early 1800's.......it burned down in 1840.
Then, in 1855, the Gray brothers, Hugh & Neil, built another mill on the site and re-named the area Gray's Mills.
Soon, thanks to the sawmill and the lumber trade, the little village soon had, along with the sawmill, a blacksmith, inn, schoolhouse, and store. A rarity for the day, the village actually had sidewalks, but made of boards. As with most Michigan lumber towns, when the timber depleted, the town diminished.
Just east of the village, around a mile and a half, lies the secretive town of Thoringtonville. An old schoolhouse still stands there and you can read all about that area HERE.
Today Clifton Mills remains an unincorporated community, with no shops, stores, gas stations, or eateries. Just a few homes and the ghosts of what it once was.
CLIFTON MILLS
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