Pinckney is a village located in Livingston County and Putnam Township. The area is rich in natural resources such as the Pinckney Recreation Area and the “Chain of Lakes” (consisting of Big Portage, Little Portage, Baseline, Zukey, Strawberry, Whitewood, Gallagher, Ore, and Tamarack Lake), where residents and visitors enjoy many outdoor activities. Though the Pinckney area has grown in recent decades, it still retains its small town charm and friendly atmosphere.
The first officially recognized residents of the Pinckney area were Native Americans mainly from the Potawatomi and Chippewa tribes. The area was used as their summer hunting grounds, where they lived in log huts and wigwams, raising corn, maize, beans, and pumpkins. Their tribes were scattered due to an alliance with the British in the war of 1812, but after that, small bands still returned to the area in the summers.
In the Treaty of Saginaw in 1819, the United States government negotiated with prominent Native American chiefs, resulting in the U.S. government taking possession of most of the land in lower Michigan. In the 1820s and 1830s, early pioneers began to purchase the land that would eventually become Pinckney and the surrounding areas.
An early timeline, up to the 2020s, traces some of the major developments of Pinckney that forged the thriving village it has become today
1820s
In 1828, Colonel Solomon Peterson was the first settler in Livingston County. He purchased 160 acres from the government, located in what would become Putnam Township.
1830s
In 1836, Putnam Township had 367 inhabitants. About this time, William Kirkland, principal of a girls’ school in Detroit, dreamed of starting a new village in the wilderness to support the growing population in the Putnam Township area. He purchased land from Colonel Peterson and others for the new village. He decided to name the new village Pinckney, after his brother Charles Pinckney Kirkland, an attorney in New York.
In 1837, the village of Pinckney was platted.
In 1837, a grist mill was built by William Kirkland, with lumber from Furman G. Rose and his brother-in-law, Joseph Abel. A dam was built at the east end of the nearby pond to power the mill.
In 1837, Furman G. Rose moved from a farm east of Pinckney to the village, where he went into the mercantile business.
In 1837, the post office opened and the postmaster was William Kirkland’s brother-in-law, James Stansbury.
1840s
In 1841, George Reeves purchased a sawmill on what is now known as Hell Creek. The town of Hell grew up around a sawmill, gristmill, distillery and tavern. This small village, in close proximity to Pinckney, is a tourist destination due to its interesting and distinctive name.
In 1848, F.G. Rose built the Hotel Tuomey, located on the corner of Main and Mill Streets.
In 1848, the Congregational Church was organized.
In 1848, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized as well
1850s
In 1853 James M. Stansbury sold an acre of land to the Pinckney Bury Ground Association for $50. This was the beginning of the Pinckney Historical Cemetery.
In 1855, the Congregational Church building was dedicated.
In 1856, James Stansbury sold his parcel of cemetery land to James Eamn.
In 1858, the Hotel Tuomey building was sold to J.W. Hinchey, a former showman and ventriloquist.
By 1859, most of Pinckney’s businesses were located along either side of Main and Howell Streets.
1860s
In the 1860s, Pinckney was a thriving agricultural community.
In 1864, Charles Haze acquired the Pinckney cemetery land. He added enough land to the cemetery to enlarge it to about 5 acres. This part is called the Haze Addition.
In 1867, St. Mary’s Catholic Church was built on North Pearl Street.
1870s
In 1875, E.A. Allen, also known as “Buffalo Tiger,” bought the Tuomey Hotel. He ran it for 14 years.
1880s
In 1883, Pinckney was officially incorporated into a village.
In 1883, after much work to secure a railroad, the Grand Trunk railroad began to come through Pinckney. This resulted in a minor business boom for the town, including the building of a grain elevator and lumber yard near the railroad.
Though the railroad helped the village grow, the old wooden buildings in town experienced repeated fires. The new ones which, replaced them, were built of brick.
In 1883, the Pinckney Dispatch weekly newspaper was founded by Jerome Winchell.
In 1888, Pinckney High School was located in the village. It served as the high school until 1968.
1890s
In 1891, the first 12th grade class graduated from Pinckney High School.
Between 1890 and 1910, the village of Pinckney experienced prosperity, economic growth, and development.
In 1895, the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Rectory was built.
1900s
In 1902, the Portage Lake Land Company was started by a group of Ypsilanti businessmen who formed a subdivision on former farmland on the lake’s eastern shore.
In 1903, Clarence Baugh, a Pinckney resident, created Baugh’s Bluff on the western shore of Portage Lake.
In 1906 Oracy Haze, wife of Charles Haze, sold the Pinckney Cemetery land to Dr. Hollis L. Sigler, some 16 acres for $400.
1910s
In 1918, the grist mill ceased operation.
In 1919, the Methodist Episcopal Church merged with the Congregational Church.
1920s
In 1920, Henry Ford purchased the mill and its waterway, as part of his Village Industries program. This program aimed to create small manufacturing plants in rural areas of southeast Michigan. However, for reasons not clearly known, he ended up razing the mill in 1920 instead of restoring it as he did other properties in
southeast Michigan.
In 1920, after changing hands several more times, the building that was the Tuomey Hotel caught fire. The fire spread and caused damage to other buildings and stores in the area.
In 1920, the Village of Pinckney voted to provide a fire department for the village. The council purchased a fully equipped fire apparatus and appointed W. H. Meyer as Fire Chief.
1930s
During the 1930s and into the 1940s, agriculture began to decline as land was sold to be used for summer homes and cottages.
In 1931, Newkirk Birkett brought in 1,500 tons of sand to develop the Newport Beach Club on Portage Lake, making it a popular public bathing beach.
In 1934, after prohibition ended, Zukey Lake Tavern was built by the Girard brothers
1940s
During the 1940s and into the 1950s, the Michigan Legislature appropriated money toward purchasing land in southeastern Michigan for state parks. Throughout these years, the Pinckney Recreation Area grew. The park is now 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) and sits at an elevation of 922 feet (281 m). It is connected to the nearby Waterloo State Recreation Area by the 35-mile (56 km) Waterloo–Pinckney Trail.
After World War II, the construction of I-94 and US-23 made it easier for people to live on the lakes in the Pinckney area, while commuting to their jobs in Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Detroit. Many owners winterized their summer cottages or replaced them with year-round homes.
1950s
In 1952, Camp Brighton opened in Hamburg Township, housing primarily youthful male offenders.
In 1953, the Pinckney Library was established on S. Howell Road.
In 1955, the Pinckney Cemetery Association stated that land was bought and added to the cemetery for $500. This was divided into 500 lots. This group was headed by Don Swarthout, the mortician.
In 1955, St. Mary Cathoic School was established. The school is affiliated with the Diocese of Lansing and is accredited by Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools (MANS)
1960s
In 1962, the St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Rectory were badly damaged by a tornado.
In 1965, the Pinckney Dispatch merged with the Brighton Argus to form the Livingston County Argus-Dispatch.
In 1965, the St. Mary’s Catholic Church was leveled.
In 1966, Tom Ehman bought the Newport Bathing Beach, creating the Portage Yacht Club.
In 1968, a new school was built on M-36, currently the Pathfinder Middle School.
In 1969, James Lamb, the mortician became President of the Pinckney Cemetery Association. More land was added to the cemetery at this time.
1970s
In the 1970s, the railroad tracks were removed.
In 1975, the cemetery association turned over the cemetery monies and its operation to the Village of Pinckney.
In 1977, the village of Pinckney and Putnam Township decided to jointly provide library services to their residents. This is known as the Pinckney Community Public Library.
1980s
During the mid-1980s, Livingston County became one of the fastest-growing parts of the state as many people looked for a more rural place to raise their families.
In the 1980s, sewage systems began to be installed in lakeside areas, allowing for more and more people to make their cottages their year-round homes.
1990s
In the 1990s, the development of the Lakeland Trail State Park began. This trail follows the former railroad tracks and stretches from Hamburg to Munith, passing through Pinckney near the old train depot.
In 1994, Portage Yacht Club added a 12,600 square foot building with banquet facilities.
In 1999, a new high school was built on Dexter-Pinckney Road.
2000s
In 2001, Camp Brighton became a minimum security facility for women prisoners.
In 2005, Zukey Lake Tavern, the only full service restaurant on the Huron River “Chain of Lakes”, completed an addition making it able to accommodate 400 patrons.
In 2007, Camp Brighton correctional facility closed.
2010s
In 2010, Pinckney celebrated its 175th anniversary with a festival.
In 2010, a bond was passed to improve school facilities, technology, a new performing arts center, and football stadium.
In 2011, after passing a building millage, the Pinckney Community Public Library renovated and moved to the Pinckney Community Education Center building on Putnam Street, the site of the original Pinckney High School. The new facility opened in late 2012.
In 2013, Camp Brighton correctional facility was demolished.
In 2016 Judi DeKroub opened The Hell Saloon to continue offering amazing food and evening entertainment. Her first restaurant, La Vita Bistro, was in Pinckney and closed in 2019.
In 2018, Lakelands Trail State Park was renamed the Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park for a Michigan trail champion and donor.
2020s
In 2022, Pinckney native Jake Vedder competed in the Winter Olympics in Beijing as a member of the U.S. Snowboard Team. including a parade, cake contest, and many other fun events.
Pinckney Today
Residents in the Pinckney area enjoy a high quality of life, with countless outdoor activities at their doorstep. The Pinckney Recreation Area, many nearby lakes, and small town atmosphere contribute to a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the close proximity to larger cities such as Brighton and Ann Arbor make it convenient for commuters. With these advantages, it is easy to see why this area has been one of the fastest growing parts of Michigan in recent decades.
Sources:
https://villageofpinckney.org/village-history/
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History-of-Pinckney.pdf
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