St. Joseph, MI (History)

Lighthouse

St Joseph, MI North Pier Lighthouse

Back in June, I made a business trip to St. Joseph, MI. Since I had never been to St. Joseph, I checked it out before I left. What a great little town! There are many things to do, both in St. Joseph, and in the immediate area. The town boasts an Art Museum, a Children’s Museum, a lakefront beach, a beach park, and a vibrant food and drink culture. St. Joseph’s beachfront, restaurant, and shopping area is concentrated in a small area. Everything is easily within walking distance.

After I shared what I had learned, Mrs. Present decided to accompany me. We left a few days early so we could experience the town together. Once I began my work schedule, Mrs. Present was forced to sit on the beach, eat real ice cream, and read books. Poor her! St. Joseph is a town that firmly embraces its history. Placed smartly long the narrow park that rests between Lake Boulevard and the bluff that hangs above Lake Michigan’s shore, are Memorials to area citizens that gave their lives in service.

IMG_0681

Law Enforcement Memorial

IMG_0727

World War I Memorial

IMG_0675

World War II Memorial

IMG_0674

Korean War Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Firemen Memorial

Fireman’s Memorial

St. Joseph also remembers its older history. Historic markers and plaques giving audio links dot the town, each telling a story.

Audio links

Audio Link for Fireman’s Memorial

IMG_0684

La Salle Marker

IMG_0728

Civil War Memorial

St. Joseph also remembers its more pleasant past. Silver Beach once boasted an amusement park.

IMG_0618 (2)

While the amusement park is no longer, portions of the park were preserved.

IMG_0626_LI (2)

Silver Beach Amusement Park Carousel

IMG_0635

Carousel Organ

IMG_0711

First Flight Over Lake Michigan

This post is not the history of St. Joseph. It is about St. Joseph’s sense of history. As I post about our stay, you will gain a greater sense of how the town has preserved their past.

  14 comments for “St. Joseph, MI (History)

  1. July 9, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    As a lifelong Michigander I’m delighted with this post! St. Joseph is a lovely place. I hope you get to visit some of our other remarkable towns. And thank you for the fantastic pictures.

    Liked by 2 people

    • July 9, 2017 at 1:50 pm

      Elizabeth, thank you for commenting. I have relatives in the Down-River Detroit area. Growing up I spent some time in Southgate and Wyandotte. We visited many things in SE Michigan. We once spent a week up in Grayling. Very pretty country. I have to say that the west coast of Michigan may now be my favorite. The people in St Jo were great. I will post about the food/ fun soon. Thanks again!

      Liked by 1 person

      • July 9, 2017 at 7:01 pm

        I grew up Downriver. I went to high school in Southgate…a private school. It’s great your have family there!

        Liked by 1 person

      • July 9, 2017 at 7:07 pm

        That is cool! Two of my first cousins and their families still live there. Small world. I believe my oldest cousin attended a Catholic School for a time. I will ask.

        Liked by 1 person

      • July 10, 2017 at 10:48 am

        I went to Aquinas in Southgate. It would be amazing if your cousin and I were in school together!

        Like

  2. July 10, 2017 at 12:21 am

    Thanks for sharing! I love seeing someone tell the stories of the past!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. July 10, 2017 at 1:05 am

    Reblogged this on PenneyVanderbilt and commented:
    great story!

    Liked by 2 people

  4. MicheleMariePoetry
    July 11, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    My next vacation, I’m planning on spending time on Lake Michigan-Thanks for the tip on St. J. Mich. _I’ll check it out…as possible…

    Liked by 2 people

  5. July 22, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    This is a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing facts and photos about St. Joseph. Thank you for following ThusNSuch.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. September 12, 2017 at 7:31 am

    It would be awe-inspiring if your cousin and I were in shoal together! give thanks you for sharing facts and photos about St. Joseph.

    Like

  7. October 2, 2017 at 10:47 am

    The people in St Jo were with child(p). thank you for appreciating the narration

    Like

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: