The Bunker

The hardware and carpet stores were both part of a Napa Auto Parts the last time I was there. To the west is the township hall. A very long time ago, it was the site of Almy's department store.

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DeKok was formerly Finkbeiner Elevator. The building undergoing facade renovation was the Middleville Sun & News until the printing room burned. It is now an ice cream shop and hair salon. Phil's Pizzeria is where the high school kids went after football games, mostly because it was the only restaurant in town open that late. 40 years ago, Phil's was the Blue Ribbon Grill, and the bar was called Gene and Joe's. The bar burned at least twice. Between fires, the building looked much like a barn and was called Cow Patties Saloon.

The village hall was built on land once occupied by the St. James Hotel, which burned at least 3 times. Condominiums and a park are now located along the river where the Featherbone corset factory once stood. The park commemorates the stagecoach stop at the hotel with a miniature version. The history of said stop is not part of the display.

Dr. Shumway was our family doctor. This is the south view of the Thornapple River near the bridge. The bit of land jutting out is where one has to pull out a canoe when coming from Hastings.

There are five pizza parlors within the village limits. Across the street, the building on the left was part of Baby Bliss, an infant clothing manufacturer. It is now condemned. On the right, a t-shirt shop, previously a party store.

The hydroelectric plant is running again, having been dormant for decades. The north bank has been a park at least 20 years, but was once occupied by the White Lily flour mill. The first fire department was next door. The train tracks also ran through this area until the early '80s.

This t-shirt shop is the oldest building still standing. It has been many things, including a pharmacy, post office, gymnastics studio, and meeting place of the Freemasons. The parking lot next door was a movie theater and bank before it burned down. The theater and flour mill are still standing on a c. 1970 slide.

The same buildings, though the decorative details are gone and the Freemasons have moved down the block. A long time ago, the smaller commercial buildings were a hat shop, Alberta's dress shop, and a shoe shop.

The bait shop is the only building left between the railroad tracks and river. It was a hair salon not long ago. Another use has yet to be found for the train station.

The new location of the Thornapple Emergency Services parking lot is where the tracks were to the north. The lawn used to be the Seif and Sons mill.

United Methodist Church, home of the living nativity on Christmas Eve. Most Holy Rosary was initially a baptist church, and once served as the village hall. The basement was known as "the cop shop" because students expelled from public school attended GED classes there, supervised by police officers.

Calvin G. Hill park, dedicated to the village founder. The plaque explains that Hill donated this land for the Union School in 1854, which served the village until 1932. Lovey's is a little party store across the street from the Bradford White water heater factory. It was called Sinky's when I was young and spent all my money on candy.

This was originally the site of the high school, though when I went there it was the middle school. It was demolished recently, and the elementary school next door expanded to fill the lot. Housing developments are popping up all around, and a new $29 million dollar bond request for adding on to to all the schools passed two weeks ago. The lawn of McFall Elementary is barren now, but used to be home to the most dangerous playground equipment ever constructed.

View from Mt. Hope cemetery at the eastern village limits. Final resting place of Calvin G. Hill.

North on M-37, Midvilla bowling alley and banquet hall. The rest of this area is mostly strip malls. The village resisted developing on M-37 in an effort to force businesses to locate downtown. They located in Caledonia instead.