The Historic Small Town of Scotts: Kalamazoo County, Michigan
The town of Scotts lies split between two townships: Pavilion & Climax in Kalamazoo County, along the Grand Trunk Railroad.
Scotts got its origin in 1835 when Daniel Wheeler acquired the original deed. In 1847, Samuel Scott arrived, and soon the area was called 'Scott's Crossing'. A post office didn't become established until 1872, after Servetus Bathrick arrived and became the first postmaster. A respected community member, Bathrick platted the town in 1874.
In the early 1900's, electricity finally arrived in Scotts. Most of the town turned out for a huge parade in celebration of their newfangled power source.
At its peak, Scotts had a blacksmith, churches, creamery, depot, flour mill, general store, grain elevator, Grange Hall, hotel, livery stable, pickle factory, post office, saloons, sawmill, schoolhouse, and other various shops & stores.
On May 1, 1911, a fire blazed and practically destroyed the entire town. Many of Scotts' thriving businesses and residents packed up and moved to begin again in other nearby towns and cities.
Some of you may remember the earthquake that was felt by most of us in the spring of 2015. It was discovered afterward that the epicenter was a mere one mile northwest of Scotts; also discovered was a fault line that reached from Kalamazoo to Coldwater. The quake was felt from Wisconsin, thru Michigan to Ontario.
Today, Scotts has several businesses for you to patronize. The cafe downtown is the former Grange Hall and a place you should really check out - charming smalltown atmosphere in a classic, historic original building! Many other old buildings still stand, as you can see in the photos below; some empty, some not. Take a roadtrip thru Scotts soon...remember, small towns are especially cool to drive thru during the Christmas season!
Find out more facts about Scotts by CLICKING HERE.
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