HISTORY OF HELL
This article appeared in the Pinckney Dispatch in 1936
from Pinckney Pathways Vol. I page 67-68
George Reeves came here during the tide of western immigration from New York state in 1837. Prof. William Kirkland of Utica, New York had just platted the village of Pinckney and Mr. Reeves, in company with a man named Minot, opened the first store here, in a building owned by Kirkland. At that time Solomon & Bignall ware operating a saw mill, on what is known as Portage creek.
In 1841 George Reeves took over their interest and acquired about a thousand acres of land, on and near Portage creek. He operated the saw mill and later built a flour mill and distillery. The power he obtained by darning up Portage creek. All did a flourishing business for years.
Mr. Reeves only surviving daughter, Mrs. Theresa Mann is spending the summer in Pinckney with old friends. According to her, this is the way the place was named. Soon after erecting the mill, Mr. Reeves built a general store. At that time he had seven houses on his farm, occupied by peole who worked for him. He built a district school on his farm, which is still in use and at that time, it had 70 scholars. About this time, he was setting in his store, surrounded by a number of friends, and one of them asked him what he was going to call his village. He replied, "I dont care, call it Hell, if you want." The name stuck. All efforts to get it called "Reevesville" failed and "Hell" it remains to this day.
Mr. Reeves is said to have regretted his levity, to his dying day to have done all in his power to erase the name, but it sticks.
The flour mill did a thriving business, getting out about 100 barrels of flour a day. In those days, great quantities of wheat were raised here. Mr. Reeves used to distill surplus wheat into whiskey. This whiskey was used by farmers at harvest time, at barn raisings and other gatherings as it was much cheaper than cider.
In the Sixties, Lute Rose, who had married Kitsie Reeves, daughter of George Reeves. He became a partner in the distillery with Mr. Reeves. He was the business manager and salesman, and would sell nothing less than barrel lots. He kept two teams busy on the road, delivering whiskey. After the Civil War the government increased the tax on whiskey, to such an extent, it was no longer profitable to distill whiskey.
The flour mill was operated until 1879, when it caught fire and burned down. It was never rebuilt. The saw mill ceased operations after the bulk of the timber was cut off. Mr. Reeves died in 1877.
His brother Ira (actually his son) ran the farm, until his death in 1899. Mr. Reeves daughter Georgia who married Carey V. Van Winkle, then acquired the farm.
Mr. Van Winkle was a farmer, and went in for Hereford cattle. He had as many as 100 grazing on his farm, at a time. The Van Winkles sold the farm in 1924 to a stock company, composed mostly of Redford and Detroit people, who incorporated under the name of the Putnam Land Company.
Forty cottages were built there, the first year. The dam having been raised, and a lake forced of the Reeves Mill Pond. This company then christened their summer resort, "Hi-land Lake" and objected strongly to the name of "Hell" being attached to it.
Mrs. Mann of Pinckney is the only surviving daughter of George Reeves her six sisters having passed away. The old Reeves hone was torn down a few years ago. It contained a ballroom, and Mrs. Reeves and her seven daughters were society leaders of this section.
This article appeared in the Pinckney Dispatch in 1936
from Pinckney Pathways Vol. I page 67-68
George Reeves came here during the tide of western immigration from New York state in 1837. Prof. William Kirkland of Utica, New York had just platted the village of Pinckney and Mr. Reeves, in company with a man named Minot, opened the first store here, in a building owned by Kirkland. At that time Solomon & Bignall ware operating a saw mill, on what is known as Portage creek.
In 1841 George Reeves took over their interest and acquired about a thousand acres of land, on and near Portage creek. He operated the saw mill and later built a flour mill and distillery. The power he obtained by darning up Portage creek. All did a flourishing business for years.
Mr. Reeves only surviving daughter, Mrs. Theresa Mann is spending the summer in Pinckney with old friends. According to her, this is the way the place was named. Soon after erecting the mill, Mr. Reeves built a general store. At that time he had seven houses on his farm, occupied by peole who worked for him. He built a district school on his farm, which is still in use and at that time, it had 70 scholars. About this time, he was setting in his store, surrounded by a number of friends, and one of them asked him what he was going to call his village. He replied, "I dont care, call it Hell, if you want." The name stuck. All efforts to get it called "Reevesville" failed and "Hell" it remains to this day.
Mr. Reeves is said to have regretted his levity, to his dying day to have done all in his power to erase the name, but it sticks.
The flour mill did a thriving business, getting out about 100 barrels of flour a day. In those days, great quantities of wheat were raised here. Mr. Reeves used to distill surplus wheat into whiskey. This whiskey was used by farmers at harvest time, at barn raisings and other gatherings as it was much cheaper than cider.
In the Sixties, Lute Rose, who had married Kitsie Reeves, daughter of George Reeves. He became a partner in the distillery with Mr. Reeves. He was the business manager and salesman, and would sell nothing less than barrel lots. He kept two teams busy on the road, delivering whiskey. After the Civil War the government increased the tax on whiskey, to such an extent, it was no longer profitable to distill whiskey.
The flour mill was operated until 1879, when it caught fire and burned down. It was never rebuilt. The saw mill ceased operations after the bulk of the timber was cut off. Mr. Reeves died in 1877.
His brother Ira (actually his son) ran the farm, until his death in 1899. Mr. Reeves daughter Georgia who married Carey V. Van Winkle, then acquired the farm.
Mr. Van Winkle was a farmer, and went in for Hereford cattle. He had as many as 100 grazing on his farm, at a time. The Van Winkles sold the farm in 1924 to a stock company, composed mostly of Redford and Detroit people, who incorporated under the name of the Putnam Land Company.
Forty cottages were built there, the first year. The dam having been raised, and a lake forced of the Reeves Mill Pond. This company then christened their summer resort, "Hi-land Lake" and objected strongly to the name of "Hell" being attached to it.
Mrs. Mann of Pinckney is the only surviving daughter of George Reeves her six sisters having passed away. The old Reeves hone was torn down a few years ago. It contained a ballroom, and Mrs. Reeves and her seven daughters were society leaders of this section.
HISTORY OF HELL
This article appeared in the Pinckney Dispatch in 1936
from Pinckney Pathways Vol. I page 67-68
George Reeves came here during the tide of western immigration from New York state in 1837. Prof. William Kirkland of Utica, New York had just platted the village of Pinckney and Mr. Reeves, in company with a man named Minot, opened the first store here, in a building owned by Kirkland. At that time Solomon & Bignall ware operating a saw mill, on what is known as Portage creek.
In 1841 George Reeves took over their interest and acquired about a thousand acres of land, on and near Portage creek. He operated the saw mill and later built a flour mill and distillery. The power he obtained by darning up Portage creek. All did a flourishing business for years.
Mr. Reeves only surviving daughter, Mrs. Theresa Mann is spending the summer in Pinckney with old friends. According to her, this is the way the place was named. Soon after erecting the mill, Mr. Reeves built a general store. At that time he had seven houses on his farm, occupied by peole who worked for him. He built a district school on his farm, which is still in use and at that time, it had 70 scholars. About this time, he was setting in his store, surrounded by a number of friends, and one of them asked him what he was going to call his village. He replied, "I dont care, call it Hell, if you want." The name stuck. All efforts to get it called "Reevesville" failed and "Hell" it remains to this day.
Mr. Reeves is said to have regretted his levity, to his dying day to have done all in his power to erase the name, but it sticks.
The flour mill did a thriving business, getting out about 100 barrels of flour a day. In those days, great quantities of wheat were raised here. Mr. Reeves used to distill surplus wheat into whiskey. This whiskey was used by farmers at harvest time, at barn raisings and other gatherings as it was much cheaper than cider.
In the Sixties, Lute Rose, who had married Kitsie Reeves, daughter of George Reeves. He became a partner in the distillery with Mr. Reeves. He was the business manager and salesman, and would sell nothing less than barrel lots. He kept two teams busy on the road, delivering whiskey. After the Civil War the government increased the tax on whiskey, to such an extent, it was no longer profitable to distill whiskey.
The flour mill was operated until 1879, when it caught fire and burned down. It was never rebuilt. The saw mill ceased operations after the bulk of the timber was cut off. Mr. Reeves died in 1877.
His brother Ira (actually his son) ran the farm, until his death in 1899. Mr. Reeves daughter Georgia who married Carey V. Van Winkle, then acquired the farm.
Mr. Van Winkle was a farmer, and went in for Hereford cattle. He had as many as 100 grazing on his farm, at a time. The Van Winkles sold the farm in 1924 to a stock company, composed mostly of Redford and Detroit people, who incorporated under the name of the Putnam Land Company.
Forty cottages were built there, the first year. The dam having been raised, and a lake forced of the Reeves Mill Pond. This company then christened their summer resort, "Hi-land Lake" and objected strongly to the name of "Hell" being attached to it.
Mrs. Mann of Pinckney is the only surviving daughter of George Reeves her six sisters having passed away. The old Reeves hone was torn down a few years ago. It contained a ballroom, and Mrs. Reeves and her seven daughters were society leaders of this section.
This article appeared in the Pinckney Dispatch in 1936
from Pinckney Pathways Vol. I page 67-68
George Reeves came here during the tide of western immigration from New York state in 1837. Prof. William Kirkland of Utica, New York had just platted the village of Pinckney and Mr. Reeves, in company with a man named Minot, opened the first store here, in a building owned by Kirkland. At that time Solomon & Bignall ware operating a saw mill, on what is known as Portage creek.
In 1841 George Reeves took over their interest and acquired about a thousand acres of land, on and near Portage creek. He operated the saw mill and later built a flour mill and distillery. The power he obtained by darning up Portage creek. All did a flourishing business for years.
Mr. Reeves only surviving daughter, Mrs. Theresa Mann is spending the summer in Pinckney with old friends. According to her, this is the way the place was named. Soon after erecting the mill, Mr. Reeves built a general store. At that time he had seven houses on his farm, occupied by peole who worked for him. He built a district school on his farm, which is still in use and at that time, it had 70 scholars. About this time, he was setting in his store, surrounded by a number of friends, and one of them asked him what he was going to call his village. He replied, "I dont care, call it Hell, if you want." The name stuck. All efforts to get it called "Reevesville" failed and "Hell" it remains to this day.
Mr. Reeves is said to have regretted his levity, to his dying day to have done all in his power to erase the name, but it sticks.
The flour mill did a thriving business, getting out about 100 barrels of flour a day. In those days, great quantities of wheat were raised here. Mr. Reeves used to distill surplus wheat into whiskey. This whiskey was used by farmers at harvest time, at barn raisings and other gatherings as it was much cheaper than cider.
In the Sixties, Lute Rose, who had married Kitsie Reeves, daughter of George Reeves. He became a partner in the distillery with Mr. Reeves. He was the business manager and salesman, and would sell nothing less than barrel lots. He kept two teams busy on the road, delivering whiskey. After the Civil War the government increased the tax on whiskey, to such an extent, it was no longer profitable to distill whiskey.
The flour mill was operated until 1879, when it caught fire and burned down. It was never rebuilt. The saw mill ceased operations after the bulk of the timber was cut off. Mr. Reeves died in 1877.
His brother Ira (actually his son) ran the farm, until his death in 1899. Mr. Reeves daughter Georgia who married Carey V. Van Winkle, then acquired the farm.
Mr. Van Winkle was a farmer, and went in for Hereford cattle. He had as many as 100 grazing on his farm, at a time. The Van Winkles sold the farm in 1924 to a stock company, composed mostly of Redford and Detroit people, who incorporated under the name of the Putnam Land Company.
Forty cottages were built there, the first year. The dam having been raised, and a lake forced of the Reeves Mill Pond. This company then christened their summer resort, "Hi-land Lake" and objected strongly to the name of "Hell" being attached to it.
Mrs. Mann of Pinckney is the only surviving daughter of George Reeves her six sisters having passed away. The old Reeves hone was torn down a few years ago. It contained a ballroom, and Mrs. Reeves and her seven daughters were society leaders of this section.
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