The ghost town of Volney is located in Beaver Township within Newaygo County at the junction of 10 Mile & Dickinson. It doesn't even show up on most maps; when it does, the print is so small, you may miss it!

The area got it's first post office in 1880 but it was without a name; the suggested names "Olney" and "Viola" were turned down, thanks to existing towns with those names. So, the postal service in their wisdom took the 'v' from Viola and added it to Olney, making it "Volney" and the town & post office now had it's name.

The building that housed the post office was also a general store; the post office ceased operation in 1909. The town also included a church, cemetery, schoolhouse, and creamery. The store/post office, schoolhouse and creamery are all gone; the rest are still standing along with the Beaver Township Hall. There are some kind of ruins back in the woods near the site where the creamery once stood; it could be the old creamery or maybe an old barn (SEE PHOTOS).

After Volney's decline, there was talk of rebuilding & revitalizing the town as some kind of religious community, using the name 'Gracetown'. This never occurred, and Volney's remains still stand among the very few people who still live near the area.

Take a drive-thru and take some pics during your Michigan roadtrip. As always, treat these places with courtesy and respect and seek permission to investigate any abandoned structures you may find.....have fun!

MORE MICHIGANIA:

Unidentified Ruins in Newaygo

Abandoned Sugar Factory Ruins, Bay City

Skull Island and the Ruins of the Alkali Plant, Bay City

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