It has been encouraging lately to see the number of people engaging on the Lenawee County history page I created four years ago.
Neighbors reconnecting with neighbors and childhood friends rediscovering each other makes the work to make it a quality repository all worth it.
The Facebook page, Lenawee County History and Genealogy, has modestly grown over the past four years, for which I have been grateful. I prefer a quality product over numbers any day, but the level of exponential engagement has brought people together in a way I could have only imagined back in April 2020.
The group started out as a way for people to connect not only with local history, but to provide a connection during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From April 22, 2020, to Dec. 17, 2023, the site grew to a respectable 3,550 members. For reasons still unknown to me, Dec. 17 was a turning point for interest. I awoke to dozens of page-joining requests, history inquiries and more. The momentum has continued, and as of Feb. 12, more than 8,600 people have joined in. While I have done my best to answer genealogy and Lenawee County history questions, it is a relief to see the membership stepping in to respond to those inquiries with memories, stories or photographs of their own. It is heartwarming to see people rekindle friendships and share memories of summer adventures, going to the mall, visiting a favorite restaurant or just memories of growing up in Lenawee County 30, 50 or 70 years ago.
They remember what they called the “good old days,” when life seemed simpler and more fulfilling. Each generation has its takeaway of what qualified as treasured memories. Popular posts this past week include the former Rock Inn along U.S. 223, just east of M-52. From the 1950s through the 1970s, it was a popular upscale/family restaurant, the site of after-church meals, anniversary or pre-ceremony dinners. Others are reflective on the Adrian Mall photos from its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, the Jungle Rapids water slide at Prehistoric Forest in the Irish Hills, the downtown shops in 1950s Tecumseh, or cruising cars to Bummie’s or Big Boy.
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It also wouldn’t be a community page without the occasional “troll,” someone who likes to cause discord by saying something accusatory or confrontational, just for the sake of doing so. Constructive input and spirited debate with purpose is something I don’t mind but turning a 1910 picture of a Sand Creek store into a springboard for failed, current political policies isn’t what the page is about. The overseas scammers have also tried to get their feet in the door as well, but those accounts are also given a quiet heave-ho.
It takes all kinds to make the world go around, and I am grateful to everyone for the support and help in sharing the rich history of Lenawee County from across the generations. It is my hope that every question finds its answer and friends near and far can use the page to reflect on the memories that have made life here a positive experience.
— Dan Cherry is a Lenawee County historian.
