Sometimes we look at things, but we don’t really see them.

I tell this to my husband all of the time. Think of all the times you drive down the road and you don’t remember what you have seen or you missed something that has changed and not until someone reminds you do you remember seeing it. Well, this is how many of us view uptown Edwardsburg. We go through it everyday but we don’t realize what we have seen.

So let’s talk about what we look at but don’t see. For today and for all intents and purposes I am going to distinguish the difference between historic and old. I am old but not historic yet. At least I don’t think so. Anyway let me talk about historic.
Edwardsburg has some historic buildings left. Several fires in the more recent past have destroyed many of the buildings.

But there are a few left. You may think of them as just being old, but many of them have long histories in this town.

In a two-block area there are 13 building I declare are historic. There may be some question about some of these, but let’s identify those I think are historic and then the ones that are just old.

On US-12 there is of course the museum, which was a hotel around 1900. Down the street are two more buildings in the same block, the American Legion Hall and the Argus Newspaper office. ( I am only naming them by their old names, you have to figure out what their names are today.)

Across the street from the museum is the Claire Barber Shop from 1896. Going around the corner to Cass Street is the building that was once known as the Ford Garage from 1913.

Across the street are two buildings that housed  grocery stores built before 1910. Crossing US-12 there are two more buildings on Cass Street, the old township hall built in 1896 and the telephone office from 1923.

These are the historic businesses from early days. There are of course many businesses that were in homes in the two block area. Two more very historic buildings that are not in the four corner area are the two churches, the Edwardsburg Presbyterian Church and the Edwardsburg Methodist Church.

Edwardsburg with many fires over the years  have burned down entire portions of the town. But it has managed to survive and while it may be questionable about it thriving, it is still here.

There are many old buildings but they are not historic yet. Some day if they survive they will be classified as historic.

Before I finish this article I need to clear up misinformation that was included last week. I wrote that I work for the Edwardsburg Argus, not. The word not was left off of the end of the sentence. I do not work for the Argus. If I worked for the Argus and were being paid, you would probably get a more proficient and better columnist than me.

When I started writing this column 17 years ago it was to be a  one time article. My how time flies when you are having fun. So here I am, just someone who is interested in promoting the history of Edwardsburg.

 

Jo-Ann Boepple works at the Edwardsburg Area History Museum