FIRST BUILDINGS IN PENTWATER- The founders of Pentwater were E. R. Cobb and Andrew Rector. In 1853 they built two buildings - a boarding house near the current water tower and a lumber mill, both on the south end of Hancock.

CHARLES MEARS- Charles Mears came to Pentwater in 1855 and built a mill, a boarding house and a storel He brought men from Chicago to be lumberjacks. He soon owned much of Pentwater, including everything west of Hancock Street, and he called it Middlesex. He als built the channel connecting Pentwater Lake with Lake Michigan, to ship lumber to Chicago. The pier at that time extended only as far as the shoreline. Carrie Mears, the daughter of Charles, later donated the Land on Lake Michigan to the Village of Pentwater. This area is now Charles Mears State Park.

NATIVE AMERICANS - In 1857 there were approximately 800 Ottawa, Chippewa, and Pottawatamie Native Americans in Pentwater. Carl Schrumpf discovered Indian Mounds near Pentwater, and the valuable collection that resulted from his find is now housed in the Kent Museum in Grand Rapids.

THE HARBOR -In 1867 The Federal Government provided a wider and longer channel. A lighthouse was built on the south pier with a catwalk leading to it. so that the lighthouse keeper could keep the kerosene light burning. Pentwater's Coast Guard Station was built in 1880. There is a picnic area there now and the lookout tower is only a shell of the original platform. The crew had weekly lifesaving drills. The Pentwater Station became inactive after shipping decreased around 1935.

THE BRICKYARD - The Middlesex Brick and Tile Company was incorporated in July of 1883. They made many of the bricks that built Pentwater, including the Village Hall, the Methodist Church, Gustafson's, Sally Dicks, and many homes. The brick factory was located on Lake Road near the present dead end sign.

THE FIRE OF 1889 - A destructive fire of 1889 started in a cigar store on the West side of Hancock Street. Nearly all the stores were made of wood, and were only one storey tall, and they all burned. The volunteer fire department had been formed on March 1, 1872.

THE FURNITURE FACTORY- The Pentwater Furniture Factory was built when the lumber boom ended. Furniture was shipped to all parts of the United States. The company employed 50 to 100 men. Later it was sold to the Sands and Maxwel Lumber Companyand was renamed the Pentwater Bedstead Company. In 1898 the boiler exploded in the middle of the day, killing three men and injuring several others. The roof of the factory was said to have lifted right into midair. Bricks flew as far away as three blocks.

THE FERRY- The ferry was a wooden scow on which one could ride across the 150 foot harbor channel to catch the train or visit friends in Frenchtown. The ferry ran from the Village of Pentwater, which grew up around the Cobb & Rector Sawmill on the east shore of Pentwater Lake, to the Village of Middlesex, which had its beginning around the Charles Mears Mill on the north shore of the lake. It cost five cents for a person, ten cents for a man with a horse, 25 cents for a team and wagon, two cents each for cattle, sheep, and pigs. The ferry operated from 1858 until some time in the 1920's It ran on a heavy wire cable stretched across the channel from shore to shore. The ferry man would pull the big scow across the channel with a large wooden mallet slotted to fit the cable.

THE BRIDGE - In 1924 or 1925 a bridge replaced the ferry. It was a former railroad bridge moved from Elk Rapids, and given to the Village by the Pere Marquette Railway Company. Its installation across the channel was celebrated as the Village's greatest civic improvement of the century. It was a swing bridge, requiring a day and a night attendant to let water traffic in and out of the harbor. A favorite pastime for people was to dive off the center supports of the bridge when it was in the closed position. A diving board was installed tor the purpose. It was the Village's most expensive public utility, needing constant repair to keep it in service. In the early 1950's the bridge was swung open for the last timeand it was removed from the channel.

GUSTAFSON'S BUILDING - Gustafson's was originally built to serve as a large general store on the main floor, with offices and a large combined meeting and dining room on the second floor. During construction, Charles Mears, a dedicated Mason, became concerned that a newly-formed Masonic Lodge lacked a permanent hall. With the support of others, he decided to add the third floor, designing and furnishing it as an elaborate Masonic Temple. The Masons occupied the third floor until the early 1960's when the estate of Charles Mears' daughter was being settled. The Masons decided to accept the offer of a smaller, street-level building in trade for the third-floor temple.

VILLAGE HALL - The Village Hall, or Community Hall, as many still call it, has changed little since it was built. There have been alterations along the eaves, the windows, and the door on the first floor. Next door to the Village hall was the G. T. Sands General Store. It burned in 1920 or 1921, and was never rebuilt. The space that the building once occupied is now the Library lawn.

THE VALERIA HOTEL - The Valeria Hotel stood atop the hill we now refer to as the Village Green, and it extended to the corner of Second Street. Construction was begun in 1891. Pentwater leaders felt a need for a large summer hotel, but it cost so much to build that they completed only one storey at a time. Periodically, they had to stop building in order to accumulate enough money to begin again. In fact, it was never completed entirely, and it was never used as a hotel. It stood empty for a long time, and it soon came to be known as the "White Elephant." Eventually it was purchased by Mr. Gardner, who used it for many things: Council rooms, the American Legion Hall, a place to eat, a cobler's shop, and a candy store. The corner by the tower was used for office space. The second floor had apartment-like living quarters, and in the area behind the tower there was a large room with a stage and balcony. This room was used for social functions, basketball games, a roller skating rink, movies, and plays. Around 1927, 36 years after it was begun, the "White Elephant" burned, never to be rebuilt. It was torn down. A new theater was built almost immediately. That building is now the Hancock Building, which explains its slanted floor from the entrance to the rear.

FIRST NEWSPAPER - April 20, 1861. By this time there were three stores, two steam saw mills, one printing press, several fisheries, two lawyers, one pastor, and 300 residents. Pentwater was still the only village in Oceana County. March 16, 1867 Pentwater became incorporated, but the area west of Hancock Street was still called Middlesex for a long time.

CHURCHES - The Centenary United Methodist Church is the oldest in Pentwater, built in 1867. It burned down in 1875, and was rebuilt with bricks from the Pentwater Brick Yard. The Catholic Church was built in 1868. There is no record of its completion or dedication. The Baptist Church was built in 1883, but it burned the night before Thanksgiving in 1893. The present church was built in 1895, with Pentwater bricks. St. James Episcopal Church held its first service in September, 1883, and is located near the Baptist Church, and a few blocks away from the Methodist Church. All three have side walls that face a street that was never called Church Street - but is named Lowell.

Shingle Mill Eldred's Shingle Mill was the Largest mill in the State of Michigan, and some say in the whole Country. It was located on the South side of Pentwater Lake, in Frenchtown. It burned on May 6, 1872, and was never rebuilt.

TELEGRAPH - In December, 1871, the first telegraph message was transmitted to and received from Manistee, Michigan.

Pentwater Trivia Did You Know...

...that the name "Pentwater" was probably given by the Indians? It presumably means penned-up waters.

...that land in Pentwater was first purchased for $1.00 or $1.25 per acre?

...that the smoke from the Chicago fire could be seen in Pentwater?

...that Weare Township, to the east of Pentwater, is named for Dr. D. G. Weare, the first doctor in Pentwater?

...that ice was harvested from Pentwater Lake to keep everyone's ice-box cool?

...that Pentwater Lake is two miles long and one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More information can be found in the archives at the Pentwater Historical Society, located just behind the Village Library. A History Book with more details is available for $10..
New Website for PentwaterHistoricalSociety

pentwaterhistory.org