Old Town (Lansing, Michigan)

Last updated
Old Town
Dickens Village 2008 019 (Small).jpg
Coordinates: 42°44′49″N83°8′35″W / 42.74694°N 83.14306°W / 42.74694; -83.14306 Coordinates: 42°44′49″N83°8′35″W / 42.74694°N 83.14306°W / 42.74694; -83.14306
Country United States
State Michigan
County Ingham
Area
  Total0.44 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation
860 ft (262 meters) ft (228 m)
Population
 (2000)
  Total1,654
  Density3,708.5/sq mi (1,431.9/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
48906
Area code(s) 517
FIPS code 26-80700 [1]
GNIS feature ID1615125 [2]
Website http://www.iloveoldtown.org/
North Lansing Historic Commercial District
LocationE. Grand River Ave. and Turner St.,
Lansing, Michigan
Area11 acres (4.5 ha)
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Vernacular Commercial
NRHP reference # 76001029 [3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 30, 1976
Designated MSHSJune 18, 1976

Located in the northern end of Lansing, Michigan, Old Town overlooks the Grand River and a winding bike trail. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the North Lansing Historic Commercial District, the district was established in the mid-19th century.

Lansing, Michigan Capital of Michigan

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2010 Census placed the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan. The population of its Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was 464,036, while the even larger Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population, which includes Shiawassee County, was 534,684. It was named the new state capital of Michigan in 1847, ten years after Michigan became a state.

Grand River (Michigan) tributary of Lake Michigan in southern Michigan

The Grand River is a river in the southwestern portion of the southern peninsula of Michigan, United States, that flows into Lake Michigan's southeastern shore. It is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan running 252 miles (406 km) from its headwaters in Hillsdale County on the southern border north to Lansing and west to its mouth on the Lake at Grand Haven. Native Americans who lived along the river before the arrival of the French and British called the river O-wash-ta-nong, meaning "Far-away-water'", because of its length.

National Register of Historic Places Federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Contents

History

The first settler in North Lansing, later known as Lower Town and now Old Town, was John W. Burchard, an attorney from Mason. He built the first log cabin in Lansing in 1843 on land purchased from James Seymour. He built a dam across the Grand River later that year and hoped to build a mill, but drowned at the dam in 1844 while inspecting a break. A mill was built there later by James Seymour. [4]

The North Lansing area grew when Lansing became the capital of Michigan in 1847, adding commercial and industrial businesses. By the 1870s, North Lansing was thriving. Franklin Street, now Grand River Avenue, was the "main street" of the commercial district, sporting banks, shops, groceries, churches, mills, a passenger and freight railroad station, manufacturing, and a sturdy middle class to support the commerce. By the mid 1900s, however, Upper Town and Middle Town were attracting more people and business; North Lansing lost its status as a commercial/industrial powerhouse. The North Lansing Historic Commercial District, which included 44 buildings, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. [4]

In more recent years, the area now known as Old Town has sought to revitalize itself through programs like Michigan Main Street. [5]

Cultural events

Old Town hosts a number of annual cultural events, including:

The Old Town BluesFest is a free music festival that takes place each year in the early autumn in Lansing, Michigan. It showcases nationally, regionally, and locally known blues artists such as W. C. Clark, Grana' Louise, Byther Smith, Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, A.C. Reed, Jan James, and Lady Sunshine and the X Band, Calvin Cooke and Sacred Steel Ensemble, Mojo Phoenix, Those Delta Rhythm Kings, the Automatic Blues Band, Root Doctor, Doug Deming and the All Stars, J.R. Clark, and more. The festival welcomes nearly 20,000 attendees over the weekend of the festival.

The Lansing JazzFest is a free music festival that takes place each year in the summer in Lansing, Michigan. It showcases nationally, regionally, and locally known jazz artists such as Marcus Belgrave, the Professors of Jazz at MSU, Eric Reed, Michael Kaeshammer, Straight Ahead, Don Phillips, Lisa Smith and Mike Skory, Sunrise II, Jazz Doggs, Tyrone Johnson, the Claudia Schmidt Quartet, Dick Fizzell & the Dixieland Express, Tim Cunningham, Francis Kofi, Betty Joplin, Sheila Landis, Ritmo, Patti Richards, Los Gatos, and more.

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References

  1. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Old Town (Lansing, Michigan)
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  4. 1 2 Community Design Center (August 11, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Places Inventory - Nomination Form: North Lansing Historic Commercial District" (PDF). The National Archives Catalog. National Park Service . Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  5. "Old Town". Michigan Main Street Center. Retrieved January 28, 2016.