About this property
The Watervale Historic District is a resort, originally constructed as a lumber camp, located at 975-1422 Watervale Road on the shore of Lower Herring Lake in Blaine Township, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1991 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Leo F. Hale began a logging and shipping operation in this area in the early 1890s. In 1893, Hale, along with William and Mary Vincent, platted out the village of Watervale on the south shore of Lower Herring Lake. They built about 20 houses, many of which were shacks. There were, however, at least eight painted frame houses. The village also contained a meat market, general store, and post office. As the logging boom waned, Hale went bankrupt, and by 1900 had lost most of Watervale; it was eventually nearly abandoned. In 1917, Dr. Oscar H. Kraft of Chicago purchased the town and adjacent land to use as a resort for his family. He restored several buildings, and opened it that summer as a public resort. Kraft's niece, Vera Noble, and her husband Vernon purchased the resort in 1960; Vera ran Watervale until her death in 2005, when it was passed on to her children. The Watervale Historic District contains 16 buildings constructed between 1892 and 1927 sited along Watervale Road. The buildings include the former general store, a former boarding house now used as an inn, an assortment one- and two-story clapboard-covered houses and several early 20th century cottages.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Watervale Historic District
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Questions about this property
When was Watervale Historic District listed on the National Register?
Watervale Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 9, 2003.
What type of historic resource is Watervale Historic District?
Watervale Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Watervale Historic District?
The period of significance for Watervale Historic District is recorded as the pre_contact era, specifically around 975.
Can I research the history near Watervale Historic District?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Watervale Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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