Pieces of our distant, and not so distant, past. Real people, real stories that made local headline news, touched our hearts, made us laugh or cry. Several more will publish often. We'd love your suggestions of other memories to include on these pages.

FURNACEVILLE

In 1882, an organization by the name of "John Otis & Company" built a large charcoal furnace just south of Mancelona. The company also platted a town around the furnace, naming it "Furnaceville". Soon after, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad built a station here. The furnace flourished, and in 1886 a group of businessmen from Grand Rapids bought out the company, and renamed the company Antrim Iron Works and the town Antrim. Today, Antrim is still a small subdivision  on the south side of Mancelona, and one of the street names is Otis.