Index

A

Agriculture
66,000 Bushels of Peaches
...Charles C. Darling
...William M. Fisher
...Albert H. Meeker
Aleta Vogel Brown
Peach Ridge Fruit Area Has Bumper Crops by H.J. Kurtz
Pioneering Agriculturalists
...Lyman & Lucina Ballard
...The Bloomer Brothers: Reuben & Coles Able Bloomer
...John & Harriet Symes
Prisoners of War Help Area Farmers
...Walter Ebers
...Dr. & Mrs. G.S. Felt
...Otto Klenk
...Mina Waldherr
The Apple Smorgasbord by Cindy Laug
The Cherry by J.A. Symes

B

Bakery & Coffee Shops
Frank Cnossen: There's Friendship in the Cup
Banks
Mary Jean Herwaldt
Bruce Keister
Barbershops
Blacksmiths
Captain Charles E. Belknap: The Blacksmith Congressman

C

Celebrations
A Very Sparta Christmas
Christmases Past
My Christmas Memories by Adele Bradford Jones
Sparta's Easter Bunny Helper by Adele Jones
...Lillian Bradford
Churches
Cigars
Civil War
Civil War Letters
...Amherst B. Cheney
Clergy
Rev. John Maynard
Construction
Paul C. Miller
Dan Schiffer
Sparta Builders by Jim Lyals, Larry Carter, Jane Heath, & Joanne VanderWerff
The Making of a Mural by Larry Carter
...Dixie Olin

D

Dairy
Dairy Through the Years by Joanne VanderWerff
Delton Parks
Dry Goods

E

Entertainment & Sports
Ahmed Fareed
Frank Hall
Pinckney Paints the Town
...Arzie Pinckney
Bob Taylor
Entrepreneurs
Don Armock
Edith May Nieboer
Warren Schut

F

Fundraisers & Events
Friends on the Bench by Larry Carter
Resurrecting Sparta's WWI Monument by Larry Carter
...WWI Memorial Statue Fund to Replicate the Monument
The Sparta That Once Was
Yesterday's Treasures 2024 by Larry Carter

G

Gas Stations & Auto Service
Camp Boys Come to Town
Charlie Badgerow: Two Christmas Gifts
General Stores
Grocery & Meat Markets
Hugh Finch: Where You Always Do a Little Better
...Clare Everett Finch
...Edgar Mead Finch
...Hubert Levern Finch

H

Hardware
Charles Henry Loomis
Harness Shops
Hometown Heroes
Against Impossible Odds: Staff SGT Louis Burnett Jr.
Civil War Veterans: Amherst Cheney, William Vond, & Pvt. Charles Myers
Al Keck
Al, Donald, & Howard Lamoreaux
The Shoemaker's Son: CPL Rudolph Lekstrum
Mad Dogs & Marshal Meeker
Walter A. Reister
James Warren
Hotels

I

Industry
Lou Atkinson Keller
Thurlow E. McFall
Sparta Coach & Body Company
...Daniel Webster Atkinson
Thwaites X-Ray Machine
...Dr. Charles Sherman Miller
...Dr. William Henderson Thwaites
...William Albert 'Bert' Young
Insurance
Donald Bradford
Inventors
George W. Bettes

J

Jewelry Stores
John Paul Badgerow

K

L

Law & Justice
Jim Dougan
Dan Schieber
Livery Stables
Lumber Era
Lumberjack Tavern on the Rogue
...Vernon Hubert Billings
...William Oscar Holmes
...Deputy Sheriff Edwin Pettis
...Charles D. Stebbins
Skeletons of the Sand Plains
...William S. Bass
...Justice Oscar Nathan Beeby
...Captain Charles E. Belknap
...George Wesley Burleson
...George Spaulding
...Charles William Traxler

M

Memoirs
Former Sparta Pioneer Describes Historical Background of Village by Henry Milton Sleeper
Recalls Time When Nothing but Rail Fence Stood West of First Baptist Church by H.M. Sleeper
Millinery Mavens Series
Catherine Roberts & Rose Adelia Gaut: Mother-Daughter Hatters
...Bert Henry Putman
...Elmer & Emma Smith
...Noble Lawrence Gaut
Dora May Clute: Self-Made Woman
...Joseph & Alice Harrison
Museums
Honoring Bub
...Albert Burton 'Bub' & Mary Hale
Myers School Museum
...JoAnne Furhoff
...Shirley Neff
STHC Veterans Museum
Musicians
Dan DeLange

N

Newspapers
All the News That's Fit to Print
...Walter Bloomer
...John W. Hallack
...Frank Holmes
...H.J. Kurtz
...Deforest Gouch Marvin
...Walter Ryness
...John George Van Winkle
H.J. Kurtz
Notables
Leonard V. Andrus
Don Armock
John Paul Badgerow
Dr. Gordon E. Balyeat
O.E. Balyeat
George W. Bettes
Sue Blackall
Donald Bradford
Aleta Vogel Brown
Glenn Burgett
Norma Chapman
Thomas Keith Cheslek
Civil War Veterans: Amherst Cheney, William Vond, & Pvt. Charles Myers
Vernice Allen Courser
Franc Curry
Dan DeLange
Arnie DePagter
Dr. Thiese & Letty DeYoung
Jim Dougan
Dorothy E. Downton
Dr. Ted & Athena Eary
Gay Ebers-Franckowiak
Ahmed Fareed
Chuck Gass
Albert & Mary Hale
Frank Hall
Dr. Paul Heath
Mary Jean Herwaldt
Mary Louise Hoffmeyer
Al Keck
Bruce Keister
Cecile Keister
Lou Atkinson Keller
H.J. Kurtz
Al, Donald, & Howard Lamoreaux
Les Line
Rev. John Maynard
Thurlow E. McFall
Paul C. Miller
Jonathan E. Nash
Edith May Nieboer
Delton Parks
Walter A. Reister
William A. Rogers
Dan Schieber
Dan Schiffer
Warren Schut
Jon Soderstrom
Harriet Symes
Bob Taylor
Frank Thorne
Ellie Trimble
James Warren
Dennis Wolters

O

Organizations & Clubs

P

Patriotism
Memorial Day: An American Holiday
...Dan Salas videos, Positively Michigan
Remembering Our Veterans by Jayne Heath & Joanne VanderWerff
Pharmacies
Milo Bolender's Pharmacy
...Rodney Hastings
Photographers
Physicians, Nurses, & Dentists
Dr. Gordon E. Balyeat
Dr. Thiese DeYoung
Dr. Ted Eary
Dr. Paul Heath
The Incredible Dr. Sexton
...Dr. Isaiah Bliss Sexton
Dr. Benjamin Zudzense & His Monkeys
Pool Halls
Public Service
Norma Chapman
William A. Rogers
Frank Thorne

Q

R

Railroad
Chicago & West Michigan
...James Wheaton Converse
Grand Rapids, Newaygo, & Lake Shore
...Edwin Bradford
John Quincy Adams II & Charles Francis Adams, Jr.
...George Caleb Kimball
...John D. Miles
Little Nickolai Girl Wanders onto Train Tracks
...Jost Nickolai
Pere Marquette
True Confessions
...Recalls Escapade of Boys with R.R. Hand Car by H.M. Sleeper
Sparta's Trolley
...Jacob Lehman Hisey
Restaurants & Confectionery

S

Schools
A Meaningful Education
...Muriel June Burman
...Wealtha Faye Carlsom
...William & Elizabeth LaVine
Building a Bright Future
...George W. Dunn
...John W. Hallack
...Charles F. Johnson
...Hugh Alexander Montgomery
...Frank T. Roberts
...A. Hamlin Smith
...Fred G. Walcott
Demolition of Old Sparta School Building Brings Back Memories of Local School History by Gail Erbes
Myers Schoolhouse
...Sally M. Carlson
...Hiram Myers
...Hiram H. Myers ...Lynn Daniel Myers
...Zaida L. Myers
...Eva Trofast
...Caroline M. Wallace

T

Teachers & Administrators
Getting Baehr Hugs by Anthony Falbe
...Miriam Baehr
O.E. Balyeat
Sue Blackall
Glenn Burgett
Arnie DePagter
Aletta 'Letty' DeYoung
Joann Furhoff & Shirley Neff: Teachers to the Rescue
Mary Louise Hoffmeyer
Harriet Symes
Ellie Trimble

U

Undertakers
Thomas Keith Cheslek
Utilities

V

W

Writers
Les Line

X

Y

Z

Contact

Our History Center is conveniently located at 71 North Union Street in downtown Sparta. Please join us for coffee and lively conversation on Monday mornings. Visits to the History Center can also be scheduled by appointment, for your convenience.

We do not receive mail at the History Center, instead, please use our mailing address, which is:

attn: Sparta Township Historical Commission
Sparta Township
160 E. Division St.
Sparta MI 49345

Our complete archives are now available online for your convenience. Just click STHC PastPerfect Catalog Access and begin your research!

For other inquiries, the Sparta Township Historical Commission can be reached by phone at: (616)606-0765 or via email at the following address: