Concord, Jackson County: The Whole Downtown is an Historic Site
It’s not often that an entire town district is listed on Historic sites, whether state or national...but that’s exactly the case with the Jackson County village of Concord.
Before I get into details, here’s a little backstory on the town:
Concord was settled in 1831 along the Kalamazoo River, southwest of Reynolds Lake, Jackson County. John Acker was one of the first settlers to arrive and soon, thanks to his raves, more families came to settle, work, and raise families.
Another early settler, William Van Fossen, was the first to build a home in 1832; the community became known as 'Van Fossenville'. When a post office was applied for, the name ‘Concord’ was deemed a term that would accurately describe the atmosphere and bring more settlers. Many people think it was named after the grape or a person by that name, but no; it was so-named because of the unity of the community and their peaceful environment.
Look up synonyms for ‘concord’ and you’ll find words like amity, calmness, friendship, goodwill, harmony, peace, serenity, understanding….now those were things that perfectly described this community of residents. No wonder it didn’t take long for the town to grow!
Concord didn’t just sit around complacently. There was lots of activity here…not just farming and milling. In 1906, who should come to town but world-famous Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show, featuring crack shot Annie Oakley. There was a field behind the church on Union Street and that’s where ol’ Buff set up his tents and had his extravaganza. Nowadays, the field is gone, replaced by homes. Bill and his bunch arrived by train which was right next to the field, making easy on-and-off access.
Concord was also an instrumental part of the Underground Railroad, with its most famous hiding spot being the ‘Taylor the Tailor’ shop with a hiding spot thru a trap door and another under the stairs.
As for the Historic District, it includes many residences and the entire commercial area. Among the 100+ structures included are:
The Woodmen Hall/Opera House (108 South Main)
Paddock-Hubbard House (317 Hanover, 1846)
Hamlin Tyler House (205 South Main, 1847)
Goodwin House (214 Homer, 1850s)
Universalist Church (200 Hanover, 1854)
Spratt House (303 South Main, 1876)
Mann House (205 Hanover, 1884)
Chapple House (436 Hanover, 1890)
Farmers State Bank (101 South Main, 1900)
First Presbyterian Church (201 Hanover, 1911)
Joer's Farm Center/Mill (206 North Main, 1920)
So you now understand...there is MUCH more to Concord than you imagined...
