Detailed History

Later History (1900 – 1985)

Despite the removal of the Keeler Brass Company to Grand Rapids in 1900, the industrial base of Middleville continued to expand during the early 20th Century. In fact, it can be argued that the establishment here of the Keeler Brass Company provided the impetus for future industrial growth and expansion in the village. Prominent industries in Middleville during the first decade of the 1900s included the Warren Featherbone Company (manufacturers of elastic featherbone material for garments who moved into the old Keeler plant in April of 1901), the R. T. French & Son’s Flouring Mill (manufacturers of the French’s Lily White flour brand), the Middleville Salting Station of the Williams Brothers’ Pickeling Works, and the Cold Springs Creamery Company (later renamed the Middleville Co-Operative Creamery Company in 1909). It was claimed that the products of these industries became well known throughout the United States. Among the smaller but growing industries of Middleville included the George H. Joslin’s Evaporator, E. R. Smith’s Planning Mill, and the Wagon Works and Blacksmith Shop of Dietrich & Bristow (Charles H. Dietrich and John L. Bristow).

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the settlement of Thornapple Township, The Middleville Sun newspaper published a special supplemental issue dated September 22, 1904 describing the past history and present ongoing of the industrial, commercial, educational, and professional activities in the Village of Middleville (the supplement was reprinted in 1976 by the Thornapple Heritage Association). In addition to the previously mentioned industries, articles with biographic sketches were included on the merchants and professional people (i.e., doctors and lawyers). Middleville businesses listed in 1904 included: general store – The Corner Store (E. F. Blake & Co.); grocers – J. E. Dibble, Hodge & Lee (Marcus M. Hodge and Frank Lee), H. S. Moore, Walton & Culver (Charles S. Walton, baker, and Frank N. Culver) and W. W. Watson (former owner of the Parmelee Station general store); meat market – Lloyd Clever (his father, Conrad Clever, purchased the meat market in 1884 from McKevitt & Severence); drug stores – Frank E. Heath and John W. Armstrong; confectionery/crockery store – Cobb & Scott (Lavern Cobb and Joseph Scott); clothing stores – John E. Ackerson and W. A. Quinlan; jewelers – Marion F. Dowling and Stanley Wildren; millinery shops – Mrs. E. Joscelyn, Mrs. Eva Talbott and Miss Anne Winters; second-hand store – Wm. P. Corson (known as “Sheany Bill,” he also worked as a drayman and junk dealer, and dressed-up as Santa Claus during the Christmas season); hardware and implement dealers – Edwin J. McNaughton and W. D. Gardner & Sons; furniture dealers and undertakers – Henry J. Chapman and Edward H. Lynd; barbers – N. C. Kraft and Bert Benton; hotels – St. James Hotel (Wm. C. Gingrich, landlord) and the Morgan House; lumberyard – Rosenberg & Forbes; dray office – Monroe A. Dietrich (also dealt in ice, coal, wood, baled hay, and straw, and owned a storage warehouse); livery – C. M. Hinckley; blacksmith shops – Walter H. German and Chris Schondelmayer; harness makers – M. J. Bugbee and G. D. Whitmore; and wagon shop – Henry Masters. Professional people in 1904 Middleville included law attorneys – William L. Cobb, Hartley E. Hendrick, and Milton F. Jordan; physicians – Dr. Amos Hanlon, Dr. Lizzie Hendershott, Dr. A. J. Sheperd, Dr. Birge C. Swift, and Dr. Asa L. Taylor; dentists – Dr. George W. Matteson and Dr. J. E. MacDonough; and veterinarian – L. D. Van Velsor, D.V.S. Officers in 1904 for the Farmers State Bank, organized April 21, 1903 when a group of local prominent farmers purchased the assets of the old State Bank of Middleville, were Simon C. Heist, president; W. J. Robertson, vice-pres.; John G. Nagler, cashier; and Heist, Robertson, R. T. French, W. J. Hayward, J. J. Wadd, H. E. Turner, W. R. Harper, T. W. Ronan, G. E. Gardner, and Nagler, board of directors. The Village President of Middleville since 1900 was the popular long-time drayman, Monroe A. Dietrich (1848 – 1925), who was the last stagecoach driver over the Middleville – Wayland stage route in 1869. The postmaster for Middleville in 1904 was Richard M. Johnson (1853 – 1946), a former clerk in Capt. S. B. Smith’s hardware/implement store before the 1883 devastating fire, and a former dealer with Fred Spangemacher in farm implements. The old wooden covered bridge spanning the Thornapple River in Middleville was replaced in 1906 by a steel and concrete structure.

The Prairie Literary Club was established in 1900 by a group of women, mainly farmers’ housewives, living on “Scales’ Prairie.” Farmers on “Scales’ Prairie” around the turn of the 20th Century included William Cridler 9 and son Arthur, David E. Pender, Charles Baker, Ebenezer Garrett, brothers Frank and Thomas Heany, Charles Guffin, Jacob F. Brandstetter, Eli M. Brown, Giles Hatton, Grant Whitlock, brothers William N. and George T. Coman, Hamilton B. Carveth, brothers William and Horace German, brothers George H. and Edgar W. Tolhurst, Elias Gray, Hiram M. French, Clark O. Kenyon, Edward Hubbard, brothers Ferd B. and Ashley C. Johnson, Henry Beck, Charles E. Harper, William R. Harper, brothers Samuel P. and James B. Campbell, brothers Samuel G., George W., and Charles H. Davis, Samuel Harvey, Andrew Wieringa, and Gottlieb Kaechele. Others who located on “Scales’ Prairie” farms during the early 20th Century included Emanuel Sharp, Andrew Finkbeiner, Fred Slagel, Charlie Baughman, Phillip Bender, and Vur Adams. The Thornapple Farmers Club and the Prairie Literary Club held its Fourth of July Celebration in 1908 at the Oscar White grove located two miles northwest of Middleville.

On March 25, 1908, fire again occurred in the downtown area of Middleville. The “Wooden Row” business district, consisting of old, wooden-constructed stores located on the north side of Main Street, extending from High Street westward down the hill to the Quinlan brick store (just east of the old Keeler Block), were completely destroyed by the fire, along with several nearby houses and outbuildings. Five years later, the brick two-story St. James Hotel on the south side of Main Street was destroyed by fire on March 16, 1913. In both cases, the buildings were soon rebuilt and business in the downtown area resumed to normal. The Congregation Church located on Broadway Street was destroyed by fire on January 3, 1909. It was replaced by a brick edifice built at the northwest corner of W. Main and Water Streets (this building, although now vacant, is still standing). A major train wreck occurred in downtown Middleville on March 11, 1913.

The second decade of the 20th Century saw the beginnings of the gradual shift from horse-drawn transportation to the automobile. This transformation in the mode of transportation was reflected in the changing business environment of downtown Middleville – automotive repair garages and dealerships soon replaced blacksmith shops, wagons shops, harness shops, and livery stables. Earlier automotive dealerships and garages listed in 1917 for Middleville were Bennett & Gooding Garage (later Bennett Auto Sales), E. L. Gonyer’s Garage (agent for Overland and Ford cars), and David Perrault’s Auto Livery, while Middleville businesses in 1917 associated with horse-drawn transportation included Dietrich & Bristow Wagon Works, Moses J. Bugbee’s Harness Shop, C. M. Watters’ Livery Barn, and the blacksmith shops of Charles Carlson and Edward Finkbeiner. In 1924, John Vanderkolk came to Middleville from Hamilton, MI and established Middleville Motor Sales, a Ford dealership and service garage. His business was located downtown on the south side of East Main Street at the site later occupied by the Keegstra IGA grocery store. In May of 1931, two of Vanderkolk’s auto-mechanics, James R. Polhemus (1896 – 1979) and Arthur E. Kenyon (1905 – 1992), formed Central Garage, first selling and servicing Overland and Ford cars and trucks, later switched in 1935 to selling Pontiac cars and GMC trucks. Their first garage was located beneath the old Leonard Opera House on the south side of East Main Street in downtown Middleville.

Harry E. Bennett (1875 – 1951) was one of Middleville’s most prominent and successful businessmen during the first half of the 20th Century. In 1912, Mr. Bennett, a farmer and thresher in nearby Irving, came to Middleville with his family to open a garage for horseless carriages (what early automobiles were commonly referred to). It became known as Bennett Auto Sales Company and was one of the earliest of all Chevrolet dealerships. His son Clayton W. Bennett (1901 – 1974) continued to operate the Chevrolet-Buick dealership and garage, located on the north side of West Main Street near the west bank of the river, until 1953 when it was sold to Beebe. In addition to the automobile dealership, the Bennett family also opened other businesses in Middleville, including The Ideal Theater, The Arcade Theater, J. I. Case Farm Implements dealership, The Lakeland Theater, and Bennett Jewelry.

Another prominent Middleville businessman and industrialist during the first half of the 20th Century was Glen E. Blake (1886 – 1962). He was the grandson of Fordice L. Blake (1838 – 1908) and the son of Edward F. Blake (1864 – 1953), owners of “The Corner Store” general mercantile in Middleville. Glen first worked for his father in the family’s general store, but in 1917, he became the manager of the Western (formerly Globe) 10 Knitting Works factory in Middleville. He also founded Blake Motor Sales, having the dealership for Oakland and Pontiac cars, later Ford automobiles, and built the garage later occupied in 1953 by Central Garage. After getting out of the automotive business in the early 1940s, he converted the garage into a factory and, in 1942, established the Blake Manufacturing Company, first producing ammunition casings for the war effort followed later by manufacturing furniture hardware. Following World War II, he became associated with the Keeler Brass Company of Grand Rapids, resulting in the establishment of the Keeler Brass Co., Blake Mfg. Div. plant in Middleville. Glen was active in this business until his retirement in 1955. He served as member and president of the Middleville Village Council, on the board of directors and as president of the Farmers State Bank, on the Thornapple-Kellogg school board, and as a charter member and president of the Middleville Rotary Club (founded in 1938). Glen’s son-in-law, Lamarcus “Marc” A. Squier (1908 – 1999) joined Blake Mfg. Co. in 1945 and continued to work for the Keeler Brass Company until his retirement in 1970. Marc served several terms during the 1960s and early 1970s as Village President and held the position of Thornapple Township Supervisor from 1974 to 1980.

The United States entered War World I (1914 – 1918) on April 6, 1917, and the citizens of Middleville and Thornapple Township joined the rest of the country in contributing to the war effort by providing both manpower and funding, the latter primarily through the purchase of “Liberty Bonds.” Three Middleville area men lost their lives while in the service of their country during the war: 1) Pvt. Charles D. Benaway (b. Sept. 12, 1889, Middleville; d. Nov. 8, 1918, France from wounds received in combat); 2) Sgt. Arthur C. Finkbeiner (b. June 16, 1890, Thornapple Twp.; d. Oct. 29, 1918, St. Mihael, France, killed in action); and 3) Cpl. Otho K. Hull (son of Dr. Frank S. Hull of Middleville; d. October 15, 1918 from pneumonia at Ft. Custer near Battle Creek). In honor of their three fallen comrades, the local Leo A. Miller VFW Post No. 25 in 1925 erected a World War I Memorial stone monument at Mt. Hope Cemetery.

The 1920s were marked by continued growth within the Village of Middleville. In 1923, the Congregational Church’s Ladies Aid Society donated $2000 to establish a combined public and school library in the old Union High School (the Public Library in Middleville is still to this day housed in the ThornappleKellogg High School, one of the few in the State to be so situated). Businesses in 1926 Middleville included four grocery stores – A & P Tea Co. (Lee M. Johnson, mgr.), Abel M. Gardner & Sons, Frank Lee (also sold shoes), and Jay Oberley Groceries and Meats; Thompson’s Meat Market (Merritt E. Thompson); two general merchandise/clothing stores – John J. Vanderveen and James L. Rugg; Faulkner’s Drug Store (Ellis E. Faulkner and son Paul M., purchased Nov. 1919 from J. W. Armstrong); two furniture stores – Herbert G. Benaway and Henry J. Chapman; two hardware stores – Chester D. Baxter and Edward H. Finkbeiner (he also sold farm implements); Dessert & Brown Lumberyard (Thos. J. Berry, mgr.); four barbers – Arthur Brace Jr., Max E. Lynd, Karl D. Rock, and Wilbur T. Sprinkle; two undertakers – L. Russell Beeler and Herbert G. Benaway; three automotive dealerships/garages – Bennett Auto Co. (H. E. Bennett, prop., Dodge & Chevrolet sales & service), Walter J. Hayward (sold Overland cars, also insurance dealer), and Middleville Motor Sales (John Vanderkolk, Ford sales & service); three gas stations – Brog’s Shell Service Station (Henry A. Brog, prop.), Middleville Service Station (Malon A. Hilton, prop.), and Miller Bros. Sinclair Gas & Oil Station (John H. and Levi J. Miller); R. T. French & Sons Flour Mill (millers included George Campbell and Morton Freshney); Farmers State Bank (R. T. French, Pres.; W. J. Robertson, Vice Pres.; Chas. Robertson, Cashier); Middleville Co-Operative Creamery (Fred O. Stokoe, mgr.); The Middleville Sun and the Caledonia News (Oscar H. Segerstrom, pub.); Western Knitting Mills (Glen E. Blake, mgr.); New Western Hotel (American) (U. R. Layman, prop.); a restaurant ran by Miss Minnie Barnes (her father, Wm. G. Barnes, was the former publisher of the Middleville Sun); W. P. Corson, junk dealer; Edward K. Lewis, drayman; Post Office (Edward F. Blake, Postmaster; Victor Freshney, clerk; W. H. Corson, mail messenger; rural mail carriers included G. O. Griffeth, Harold Griffeth, Wm. McKevitt, and Ray H. Serven); The Ideal Theatre (Photo Plays) – C. W. Bennett, prop., billed as “The Home of the Pipe Organ” (played by Nellie Gillette, later md. Schenkel); Michigan Bell Telephone Co. branch office (C. L. Hiar, mgr.); Arthur Brace Sr. real estate agent; Glenn D. Whitmore insurance agent; A. N. Smith & Company (Ernest Dunlap, mgr.); two physicians – Dr. Amos Hanlon and Dr. Birge C. Swift; and one dentist, Dr. Raphael M. Serijan. Village government officials listed in 1926 were 11 President – John W. Armstrong; Clerk – Clifford A. Gardner; Treasurer – Edward Talbott; Marshall – Edwin B. Lepper; Water Superintendent – James Rugg; Health Officer – Dr. Amos Hanlon; Supervisor – William Kronewitter; and councilmen Burdette Wadd, Clayton Bennett, Max Lynd, George Juppstrom, Frank D. Pratt, and Glenn Whitmore. Justices of the Peace were Charles B. Campbell, Amos Freeland, Aaron Sherk, and William E. DeGolia. The Board of Education in 1926 consisted of President – Court L. Boley; Secretary – Glenn D. Whitmore; Treasurer – Fred O. Stokoe; Trustees William E. Holes and William H. McKevitt. In 1929, State Highway Route 37 was directed through the downtown section, resulting in the concrete pavement of Main Street and the construction of the present downtown bridge by the State Highway Commission.

The population of Middleville in 1930 according to the U.S. Census was 804. Although the 1930s were the time of the “Great Depression,” when money in general was in low supply, the community infrastructure continued to grow, mainly through the availability of government and private funding. With the aid of $144, 655 from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek and $31, 654 from the Government PWA program, the Thornapple-Kellogg Agricultural School was built in 1931 on W. Main Street, one block west of the present M37 traffic light, at a cost of $251,790. That same year, the Thornapple Township rural school districts were consolidated into the newly formed Thornapple-Kellogg School District (thus ending the use of rural schools; former rural school districts in Yankee Springs, Irving, western Rutland, and eastern Leighton Townships were later annexed). The old Union School on the east side of town was demolished in 1935 (the site was later converted into the Calvin G. Hill Memorial Park). Municipal water and sewer systems in Middleville were also installed during the 1930s from Federal Government funding projects. A new fire barn was built on High Street in 1934. Also, at this time, the Consumer Power Company began naming the local township roads, mainly after local families.

During the first weekend in August of 1934, Middleville celebrated the 100th anniversary of the settlement of Calvin G. Hill in the area. Billed as the Middleville Centennial, the celebration was a three-day event that was well attended with people not only from the immediate local, but also from the rest of Barry County, neighboring Caledonia and Leighton, and even Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. The celebration kicked off with a big parade featuring many area bands, a circuit rider, automobiles (both vintage and new), horse riders and bicyclists, horse and oxen drawn wagons, a beautifully flowered Centennial Queen and attendants float, other local and area floats, and a float honoring the local Native Americans on which rode Mrs. Sarah Isaac, 108 years old, a member of one of the local tribes. Various programs and plays were held each night of the celebration. Miss Orpha Headley was crowned Queen of the Centennial, whose reign was inaugurated during the opening program following the parade. H. G. Benaway, the Village President, presented the keys of the village to the new sovereign; Justice W. W. Potter of the Michigan Supreme Court crowned the Queen, and then presented a brief oral history of the community. Edward F. Blake served as chairperson of the general committee for the celebration.

Middleville in 1940 had a population of 833 inhabitants. That same year, Gerald E. White moved his hot water heater manufacturing company, White’s Products Corp., from Lansing to the old Keeler plant located along the Thornapple River, which would soon prove to be the largest economic stimulus in Middleville’s long industrial history. Middleville Engineering & Manufacturing Co., a tool and die shop, was established by Fred M. Keller (later the founder of Cascade Engineering in Grand Rapids) on Main Street in December of 1945, and added a larger die-casting production plant on State Street in the spring of 1946. William H. McKevitt (1874 – 1970) retired in May of 1949 from the Middleville Fire Department after 60 years of service, the last 35 years as Fire Chief (he also was a rural mail carrier for 30 years, retiring in 1937).

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the United States entered World War II (1939 – 1945) the following day, joining the Allies against the Japanese, Germans, and Italians. During the war, Middleville industries White Products Corp. and Blake Manufacturing were converted to producing 20 mm cannon links and ammunition casings, respectively, for the military. Five young Middleville area men lost their lives during the war: RM.SCL Robert G. Corson (d. 1942 in the South Pacific when his ship, the U.S.S. Atlanta, was sunk by the Japanese); Lt. James P. Dibble (d. Sept. 9, 1943, killed in action); Pfc. Burdette A. 12 Fishcher (d. Apr. 16, 1945 in Germany); Ens. Donald G. Hall (d. Feb. 16, 1942 in Virginia plane crash); and Cpl. Patrick J. Reynolds (d. May 11, 1945 in Florida plane crash). Corson and Fischer were Middleville classmates, graduating from the Thornapple-Kellogg High School in 1937, while Ens. Hall graduated the previous year and Cpl. Reynolds in 1943. Old-timers will recall that World War II was the most deadly and destructive war in world history.

Middleville in 1950 had a population of 1,047. It was described as an incorporated village located on the NYC System Railroad and Highway M-37. It had a bank and a weekly newspaper, telegraph and telephone connections, and daily bus service. Prominent industries in the Village in 1950 were White Products Corp., Blake Manufacturing Co., and Middleville Engineering and Manufacturing. Village officials were Vinal V. Tabor, President (he also owned Tabor Pharmacy, purchased in 1946 from the Faulkner family); Mrs. Blanche H. Segerstrom, Treasurer; Mrs. Doris T. Myers, Treasurer; Assessor, James Rugg; and Councilmen Irving Lutz, Marc Squier, Earl VanSickle (high school principal at that time, he became the Superintendent of the Thornapple-Kellogg Schools in 1952); Don Stauffer, and Robert Frost. The Postmaster was Ivan J. Payne, while Vur Adams served as justice of the peace. The Minnie McFall Elementary School, west of the T-K Agricultural High School, was built in 1951.

On October 19, 1952, a fire started by an unchecked welding torch destroyed the brick double block building built in 1872 on the south side of East Main Street located immediately west of the hotel. The building at that time housed Central Garage, the Kaljer Manufacturing Co. (formed in May of 1951, producing aluminum die-castings), and the upper-story old Leonard Opera House (used prior to 1931 as the school gymnasium, since vacant). After the fire, Central Garage moved into the old Blake Manufacturing plant up the hill at 210 E. Main Street while the Kaljer plant was rebuilt on the east end of town.

In order to promote further economic growth and development in the community, the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce during the late 1950s campaigned Middleville as the “Nation’s Biggest Little Industrial Town” and “The Gateway to Yankee Springs.” Middleville in 1958 bragged of eight local industries: White Products Corp. (located in vastly expanded facilities on Lafayette Street with offices on E. Main Street); Middleville Engineering & Manufacturing Co. (located at expanded facilities on State Street); Blake Mfg. Div., Keeler Brass Co. (located on State Street); Michigan Electronics Corp. (fabricators of vacuum cleaner filter bags, started in early 1955, located in the old Keeler plant on E. Main Street); Vitroglass Corp. (porcelain enameling of water heater tanks and Plumbingware products, started in January of 1956); Pumblingware Manufacturing Co. (produced bath tubs, sinks, and lavatories, moved to Middleville in August of 1957); Kaljer Manufacturing Co. (then a subsidiary to the Jervis Corp.); and Getty’s Poultry Farm & Hatchery (located on Irving Road near the southeast end of town). Middleville businesses in 1958 included the Arcade Restaurant, Beeler Funeral Home, Bender Gulf Service, Bennett Jewelry, Blue Ribbon Grill, Brog’s City Service Gas Station (Clair Brog), Baumgardner Body Shop, Central Garage, Chuck Wagon Drive-In Restaurant, Crofoot’s Family Shoe Store, Dean’s Crystal Flash Service Station & Groceries, Dee’s Standard Service, Elwood Insurance Agency, Farmers State Bank, Finkbeiner & Brog Food Locker and Grocery (Ralph Finkbeiner and Fred Brog), Ed Finkbeiner Hardware, Finkbeiner Implement Co. (brothers Emory and Lloyd Finkbeiner), Oscar Finkbeiner & Son Elevator and Feed Mill, Fish Insurance Agency, Georgiana Beauty Shop, Geukes Meat Market, Harold & Marion’s Tavern, Harris Electric, J. B. Home Radio & TV Service, Dr. Robert Jewell O. D. – optometrist, Keegstra’s IGA Market, Lakeland Theatre, Dr. Harold L. Lasswell D.O. – physician, Leckrone Heating Co., Lee M. Johnson & Son Grocery, Jack Lewis Trucking, Lodholtz Variety Store, Lutz Plumbing Shop, Lynd’s Barber Shop, Marvels Beauty Shop, Middleville Building & Supply Co., Middleville Cleaners, Middleville Farmers Co-op Elevator, Middleville Hotel, Middleville Sun & News, Middleville Texaco Service (George Miller), Middleville Flower Shop, Dr. James Millard M.D. – physician, Miller Real Estate, Miller’s Standard Service, Dr. John Mulligan DDS – dentist, Neeson’s Beauty Shoppe, Norman’s Hardware, Peterson’s Dari-Dip, Regan’s Bakery, Sandefur Barber Shop, Skogmos Clothing & Dry Goods Store (Alice Steiner), Standard Oil Fuel Delivery (Charles O. Williams), Smith Drug Store, Sullivan Insurance Agency, Tolan’s Clothing Store, Van’s Hardware, Verlinde Chevrolet Co., Village Grocery, West Side Garage (Ken Cline), and Woody’s K. B. Supply Appliances. Middleville organizations in 1958 included four churches – First Baptist 13 Church, First Methodist Church, Middleville Chapel of Christian Reformed, and St. Augustine Catholic Church; two service clubs – Rotary Club and Lions Club; four fraternal orders – Masonic Lodge, Order of the Eastern Star, Rainbow Girls, and Pythian Sisters; six social clubs – Prairie Garden Club, Floral Garden Club, Thornapple Sashayers, Parmelee Friendship Circle, Thornapple Investment Association, and Women’s Reading Club; and other community organizations – Middleville-Thornapple Township Volunteer Firemen, Chamber of Commerce, VFW Post 7548 and Auxiliary, and the Farm Bureau. A new larger gymnasium and a music room were added to the back of the high school in 1957.

The 1960 U.S. Census figures shown Thornapple Township with a population of 2, 288, including 1,196 in the Village of Middleville. During the early 1960s, two new subdivisions, the Middleville Downs and Charleston Estates, were built on the western edge of the Village and annexed. The West (now Lee) Elementary School was also built during this time on W. Main Street. Middleville was marked by two tragic events during the 1960s. The first was the murder of gasoline station attendant William F. Hummell, Jr., age 19, on the morning of June 23, 1960 by Clifford Earl Porter, age 21, of R1 Alto during an armed robbery committed by the latter at the Major Oil Station (later Crystal Flash) located on M-37 at the south end of Middleville. Young Bill, the son of William “Trapper Bill” F. Hummell, Sr. of Yankee Springs, had recently graduated from the Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg High School on June 8, 1960. It was the first murder in Middleville since the fatal stabbing of Sheriff James Gibbs in 1879. The other tragic event was the drowning on the afternoon of May 5, 1966 of little Suzanne Louise Assfy, age 4-1/2 years, in the Thornapple River near the downtown bridge and dam. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Zaid Assfy, owners and operators of the Middleville Bakery.

According to the 1970 U.S. Census, Thornapple Township had a population of 3,363 with 1,865 of those inhabitants living in the Village of Middleville. The early 1970s saw many changes in Middleville with the relocation of the Post Office, the bank, the laundromat, Verlinde Chevrolet & Buick, and the Foodland Supermarket, and the establishment of the Middle Villa Inn & Bowling Center and other restaurants on M-37. Many of the farm-related businesses in the downtown section closed down at this time. A new larger and more modern high school was built in the spring of 1971 at the corner of Green Lake and Bender Roads. The first Middleville Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration, sponsored by the local Chamber of Commercial, was held in 1974 marked by the presence of the horse-drawn Middleville Trolley built by Rollie Cox and Bill Kenyon. Donovan Dean and others interested in the local history formed in 1974 the Thornapple Heritage Association. On March 27, 1975, the old two-story brick Arcade Movie Theatre, located between the old Keeler Block (old Post Office, a.k.a. the Masonic Building) and Smith Drug Store on E. Main Street, was reduced to rubble by fire (site now a parking lot).

The 1980 U.S. Census had Thornapple Township with a population of 4,298 inhabitants with 1,797 of those residing in the Village of Middleville. The old French’s Flouring Mill, an historic landmark in downtown Middleville, being the largest old gristmill in Barry County, but then dilapidated and rat-infested, was torn down in April of 1980. Another landmark in downtown Middleville, the Middleville Hotel, was destroyed by fire on a very cold (record 20 degrees below zero) Sunday morning, January 4, 1981. Fire departments from Middleville-Thornapple Township, Hastings, Caledonia, Wayland, Hickory Corners, Nashville, Delton, Freeport, and Woodland fought the fire until 11 p.m. that night. Although no one was injured by smoke or flames, one firefighter from Caledonia was hurt when he slipped on ice. Because of the severe cold weather, the gutted brick structure resembled a smoldering ice castle. The NYC railroad was abandoned during the early 1980s and the tracks removed in 1983. Ernie Ball, the long-time Village Manager and Fire Chief in Middleville, retired in March of 1984.

The Middleville Sesquicentennial Celebration, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the settlement of Calvin G. Hill in Thornapple Township, was held throughout the community from Monday, September 24 to Sunday, September 30, 1984. Co-Chairmen for the celebration, the largest and grandest in Middleville history, were Rod Finkbeiner and Leo Verlinde, with Don Boysen and Gordon Bennett serving as publicity co-chairmen and Ken Bray fulfilling the position of funding chairman. Each day of the celebration was built around a 14 special theme: Dedication Monday – Steve Wiersum, chairman; Agricultural Tuesday – Bob Wenger, chairman; Industrial Wednesday – Dick Milock, chairman; Heritage Thursday – Carolyn Steensma, chairwoman; Education Friday – Gerry Page, chairman; Ceremony and Parade Saturday – Rod Kenyon, parade chairman, with Bill Kenyon, Rusty Kermeen, and Kit Roon serving on the ceremony activity committee; and Ecumenical (Religious) Sunday – Marion Cook and Francy Tobin, co-chairwomen. The celebration began on Monday with the “World’s Shortest Bridge Walk” across the downtown bridge (participants who completed the walk were issued a special commemorative wooden nickel) followed by political and dedication speeches, including dedication of the Lions Club’s Sesquicentennial Park at the site of the old French’s Mill along the east side of the Thornapple River. The Thornapple Heritage Association maintained an attractive temporary museum during the weeklong celebration that was housed in the old Baptist Church building on Main Street. On Thursday evening, Amos and Lib Palmer were crowned the Sesquicentennial King and Queen by the 1934 Centennial Queen, Mrs. Orpha (Headley) Dundas. The highlight of the celebration was the biggest and longest parade ever held in Middleville, running one and one-half mile, starting from the intersection of Grand Rapids and Fremont Streets, onto Main Street, through downtown, across M-37, and ending at the High School on Bender Road. The Saturday parade, consisting of 115 units, took nearly two hours to complete. The Grand Marshall for the parade was Art Kenyon, who drove his newly restored 1926 Pontiac car in the parade. Following the parade, a large midway, along with numerous refreshment stands and entertainment booths, was held on the high school grounds. The Middleville “Keystone Cops” (played by Walt Eavey, Norm Jahnke, Ray Page, Joe Sanford, and others) were out enforce during the celebration, arresting people on such nebulous charges as “being clean shaven” (Rep. Bob Bender) or “fattening up the town’s people” (Ross Sclafani of Phil’s Pizzeria); fines had to be paid before the “arrested” could be released from jail!

Downtown businesses in Middleville at the time of the 1984 Sesquicentennial Celebration included Bender’s Auto Body, Mulford’s Village Grocery (next to the bridge on the west side of the river), Mason’s Hardware, the Middleville Variety Store (located in the old Keeler Block – “The Corner Store” building), Thornapple Floral and Gift (Anona Steeby, sold Oct. 1, 1984 to Kim and Chris Selleck), Flying Colors Imprints (Gordon Bennett), Mutt and Jeff’s Ceramics & Gifts, Wm. R. Getty Realty, Smith Pharmacy (Dick Smith, registered pharmacist), Dr. Eldon Newmyer, D.C. (chiropractor), Ted’s Auto Service, Schondelmayer’s Barber Shop, Family Care Dentistry (F. James Budde, DDS and James E. Reagan, DDS), Central Garage Inc. (Pontiac – GMC dealership owned and operated by Art Kenyon and his sons Bob and Bill), Central Auto Parts Inc. (owned and operated by Rod Kenyon and his sons Craig and Tom), The Sun and News Newspaper (Donald E. Boysen, publisher and editor), Phil’s Pizzeria, and Gene & Joe’s Tavern. Geukes Custom Meat Processing was located at the end of High Street, while Dean’s Gas Station & Minimart and Robertson Plumbing & Heating were located on Grand Rapids Street. Businesses found along the M-37 corridor included the Middle Villa Inn & Bowling Lanes, Fates’ Sav Mor Supermarket, Pharmacy Care, Gavin Chevrolet – Buick, Inc. (formerly owned first by Bennett Motor Sales, followed by Beebe, and next Verlinde before Gavin), Gene Poll Realty, Booth Insurance Agency, Thornapple Kitchen Restaurant, Hastings City Bank – Middleville branch, Miller Real Estate, Dr. Douglas K. Shumway, D.O. (physician), Bender’s Union 76 Service Station, Norm’s Landscape & Snow Plowing Services (Norm Jahnke), Mutual Home Federal Savings & Loan Association (later PrimeBank and Caledonia State Bank – Middleville branch), Cappon’s Shell Gas Station & Convenience Store, Lon Lefanty State Farm Insurance Agency, Middleville Dari-Dip, U. S. Post Office, A & V Upholstery, Dee’s Standard Oil Service Station, Washland Coin Laundry, Newman’s Drive-In, Crystal Flash Gas Station, Michael’s Spirits & Food (later known as the Swamp Fox Restaurant & Lounge), The Bushwacker Nursery & Landscaping, and Stone’s LP – Bottle Gas. Beeler Funeral Home was (and still is) located at 914 W. Main Street, four blocks west of the M-37 traffic light.

Industries present in Middleville at the time of the 1984 Sesquicentennial were Baby Bliss, Inc. (manufacturers of baby clothing with plants located on Spring and W. Main Streets), Bradford-White Corp. (manufacturers of hot water heaters located on Lafayette Street), Lescoa, Inc. (metal stamping plant located at 900 E. Main Street), and Middleville Mfg. Div., Simpson Industries (automotive parts manufacturer located on State Street.). Middleville and Thornapple Township were the home in 1984 of nine area churches: First 15 Baptist Church of Middleville (founded 1853), Middleville Christian Reformed Church (founded 1953), Middleville United Methodist Church (founded 1855), Middleville Wesleyan Church (founded 1981), New Life Christian Fellowship (founded 1974), Parmelee United Methodist Church (founded 1884), Peace Reformed Church (founded 1965), Shepherd in the Pines Evangelical Lutheran Church (founded 1983), and St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church (founded 1950). A little less than two months after the Middleville Sesquicentennial Celebration, the community was saddened by the sudden death of the Village President, Robert W. Sullivan, age 62, an apparent heart attack victim.

One of the most interesting, noted, and long-time businesses on Main Street in downtown Middleville was the old meat market. The meat market began operations in 1874 under the auspices of McKevitt & Severence. In 1884, Conrad Clever purchased the market, and his son Lloyd Clever sold it around 1913 to Merritt E. Thompson, who in turn sold it to Arthur Geukes, formerly of Byron Center, in August of 1929. Arthur, his wife Florence, and family friend Gurney Keiser, all of Middleville, were killed on November 3, 1945 in an automobile-train wreck at Belmont Station, northwest of Grand Rapids. Their son, Chester “Chet” Geukes, took over Geukes Meat Market and ran it until 1978 when he retired and passed the reigns onto his son Donald Geukes. The downtown meat market on Main Street was closed in May of 1984; the business was moved at that time to a new facility built adjacent to Don Geukes’ slaughterhouse at 500 N. High Street (between the Bradford-White Corp. facilities and the Thornapple River). Retail sales were discontinued but custom meat processing, serving local grocery stores, restaurants and large order customers with high quality meats, continues to this day (2005).

View of Downtown Middleville – East Main Street in 1914.