MICHIGAN GHOST TOWN: The Last Remaining Building of Crawford

Here's a town that you could drive right through and never know it was there.

Well, it ISN'T there anymore. But it was, once upon a time, and there's only one building that shows that the town of Crawford did indeed exist.

Crawford was settled in 1863, and is located 6 1/2 miles south of Mount Pleasant. In 1877, Crawford became a post office station, and the town soon acquired a general/grocery store, steam sawmill, and shoemaker.

In 1884, the population was 37. The closest railroad depot/station was eleven miles away; this fact, plus the post office shutting down in 1903, didn't help Crawford's progress. By 1910, the population had deteriorated to 25, and that was it. Soon afterward, everyone left, except a few farmhouses scattered throughout the countryside.

In the photos below, you'll see - what looks like - the ONLY remaining building...the only evidence that shows there was once a town. It stands alone, possibly inhabited, on the corner of S. Crawford and E. Blanchard Roads, five miles west of Shepherd.