The Old Kilmanagh General Store in Huron County, Michigan
The Huron County town of Kilmanagh has a few things going for it:
1) It's secluded out in the Michigan Thumb countryside
2) It has a handful of old buildings remaining, including...
3) One of the coolest old general stores in the state.
Francis Thompson from Ireland was one of the first to come here and settle in 1861. After the community was named “Thompson's Corners”, the creek which ran through the town was called 'Kilmanagh', a name that Mr. Thompson was fond of from his home country. The creek is now known as Shebeon Creek.
A post office arrived in 1873 and with it, the name 'Kilmanagh' became its permanent title. The post office closed down in 1904.
Today, there are some cool old buildings still in Kilmanagh, although some are empty. An old service station, bank, church, a couple of old shops that who-knows-what they once were.....and an extremely cool old general store.
Built in 1873 by John C. Liken of Sebewaing, the store survived the two major Thumb fires: the Thumb Fire of 1871 (because the store wasn't built yet!) and the Thumb Fire of 1881. The lumber trade was the source of income and the construction of the general store was necessary to meet the needs of the lumbermen, sawmill workers, and their families.
By the 1890s, the shop was now called the Rummel & Woldt store; John Rummel split for Sebewaing in the early 1900s and the store was left for Albert Woldt to operate. Woldt's son C.P. Continued to run the store until it closed for good in 1963.
The store stands majestically at the northwest corner of the intersection of Kilmanagh and Bay Port roads. It's exactly how you picture an old 1800s general store to look. You can imagine what it looked like on the inside just by gazing at the outside.
There has been an ongoing push to renovate the old store, but it hasn't been easy. The Building & Zoning Department deemed parts of it unsafe, including the porch, which needed new concrete, not to mention replacing all the wood that has deteriorated over the past (approximately) 150 years. You can take a look at the progress on their facebook page.
Take a look at the gallery below, showing the store in the late 1800s and how it looks now after some renovation. Then, take a roadtrip over there and see for yourself.
The Old Kilmanagh General Store
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