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Glen Haven History
D. H. Day General Store
Let’s take a
closer look at the General Store. This was one of the first buildings to be
built here in Glen Haven. The lumberjacks and the men who worked the dock
were paid with “scrip.” It was like money, but you could only use it here at
the General Store. The store carried just about everything a fellow might
need: food, clothes, and hardware. It worked out all right for most of us,
but if you needed money, you could trade in some of your scrip at the store
for cash. In the 1920s, when cars started running the roads instead of
horses, you could get gasoline at the store, too.
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D. H. Day General Store circa late 1800s
Photo from Glen Arbor History Group |
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D. H. Day General Store circa 1920 |
The store was
also the Post Office and Ticket & Freight Office for the steamers and
eventually became the Telegraph Office when D. H. Day built the telegraph
line down from Leland. The store was the hub of the community. |
| Later on, from
1935 to 1978, it was also the place to sign up for dune rides on the
Dunesmobiles. These rides were operated by the Warnes family. Marion Warnes
was the youngest daughter of D. H. Day. Today the store has been restored to
pretty much what it was like in the 1920s. Take a few minutes to browse
through the store and see some of the merchandise that used to be sold here.
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D. H. Day General Store 2006 |
| Look across the
street, to where the restrooms are today. This area and the field behind it
were the site of the old Ice House. That’s where we stored blocks of ice
that we cut out of Glen Lake in the winter for use during the rest of the
year. These blocks were big — as much as 150 pounds! The blocks were stacked
in the Ice House and insulated with sawdust to keep them from melting. We
spent a good deal of time every winter cutting ice and hauling it on
horse-drawn sleighs. That was one of the coldest jobs I can remember! But it
was worth it. If you needed to keep something cool in the summer, you’d get
a block of ice and put it in the ice box. A block would last you quite a few
days before it melted. Of course you don’t need that anymore — just plug in
your refrigerator! Take
a deep breath of that fresh, clean air blowing off Lake Michigan! Things
were a little different up to the 1920s! Across the street next to the Inn,
there used to be a big barn, and the fields behind it were where the horses
and other livestock were kept. It made the whole town smell like a horse
barn. We were always hoping for a brisk north wind! Let’s keep on walking.
Continue your tour of Glen Haven on the
following pages
Glen Haven History
Intro Page
Glen Haven Dock
Sleeping Bear Inn
Wooding & Lumber Operations
General Store
Blacksmith Shop
Schoolhouse
Glen Haven Shipping
Canning Company
Other Topics
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