One of Lake County’s First Villages is Now a Ghost Town: Forman, Michigan 1873-1914

Well, this is refreshing...For a town that seems to have nothing left, there sure is an ample amount of history written about it.

The place is Forman, considered a ghost town but was important for being one of the first villages in the entire Lake County in 1873. According to Michigan Ghost Towns of the Lower Peninsula, Forman set up shop with a lumber mill along the Pere Marquette Railroad, with a junior location called “Forman’s Mills", approximately two miles south. There were two sawmills and a shingle factory which also produced many farm products.

Forman grew, and eventually contained a barber shop, blacksmith, church, flour mill, foundry, general store, two hotels, post office, school, supply store, and a good number of shops and stores among the numerous residential dwellings.

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By 1885, Forman was the big shot village in Lake County. Even though the population never got any higher than between 125-200, the village had an enormous amount of popularity and many figured it would grow into a major city. Not to happen.

Thanks again to the depletion of lumber and the railroad being discontinued, it was the same old story you’ve heard about many other Michigan towns that shrunk down to almost nothing...the people began leaving for greener pastures elsewhere and the post office closed permanently around 1914.

So what’s left of Forman? Nothing. All the shops, stores, and businesses are long gone and demolished. At the four corners - as of the 2020s - there’s a Dollar General and a building that looks like it may have been a restaurant or gas station many years ago. And that’s about it.

The former Forman is located between Baldwin and Idlewild at the intersection of Forman Road and US-10. The photo gallery is below.

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