When is the past the past?

Sounds like a trick question doesn’t it? Well it is, sort of.

Some people say it needs to be 100 years ago. Others say 25. Recently there has been talk about yesterday being the past, so this week I am going to talk about the recent past.

Well, not yesterday but during the last maybe 10 years or more.

Edwardsburg was once a thriving town with ups and downs. Fire and demolitions have been a big part of the destruction of the area. All sorts of events have destroyed many businesses. Not just the building, but the business itself.

Edwardsburg still has plenty of businesses, they are just scattered around the area. Think of the State Line Dairy or Fat Cams, Stacys, Krupps snowmobiles or the Captains Pizza and the Little Store and many more. The old root beer drive inn is now a thriving restaurant.

Gone is Porky’s replaced by Mac D’s, Bungalow Restaurant replaced by a realty office and the old bait store that has been replaced by a photographer.

The marina and the Brothers Bakery and other large factories are still in the industrial park.

But others have completely vanished. The Ranch House Inn, which became the Legends motorcycle bar and grill and has been replaced by a credit union. The resale furniture shop is also gone. Veterinarians have left the area.

Either lack of business or the wrong products were presented.

A few new businesses have appeared: the pizza shop where the Starrs Academy once was and the new grocery store, dress shop and the pharmacy in the same area.

There are still a few survivors. The gas station uptown has become a used car lot. The old hardware store in  the shopping center is now Dollar General.

But the two biggest losses to this community are the grocery store Harding’s and  there are numerous reasons why they left, but that is not to be debated here. The other big loss was the closing of Lunker’s. It brought visitors from all over the country to our community.

To keep Edwardsburg thriving we need to use our local businesses and make them profitable. We are a thriving community. We just don’t show it.

This is our recent past.

 

Jo-Ann Boepple works at the Edwardsburg Area History Museum.