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Historic Charlton Park facts for kids

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Main Street2
Main Street at Charlton Park

Historic Charlton Park is a special place in Barry County, Michigan. It's like stepping back in time! This park covers about 310 acres (1.25 square kilometers) right along the Thornapple River. It's a museum and a fun place to visit, showing what life was like long ago.

Discover Historic Charlton Park

Explore a Village from the Past

Imagine a whole village from the early 1900s, brought together in one spot! Historic Charlton Park has many old buildings moved from different parts of Michigan. These buildings show how people lived and worked over a hundred years ago.

You can see a lawyer's home, a blacksmith shop where metal was shaped, and a bank and insurance office. There's also a barber shop for haircuts, an inn where travelers rested, and a stagecoach stop. You can visit a church, a carpenter shop, and a carriage house where horse-drawn vehicles were kept.

The village also features a general store for everyday needs, a hardware store, and a school where children learned. You can even see a printshop, a cozy cabin, a sawmill for cutting wood, and the old Hastings Township Hall. Each building tells a story about life long ago.

Fun by the River

Besides the amazing historic village and museum, Historic Charlton Park offers outdoor fun too! There's a swimming beach right on the Thornapple River. It's a great spot to cool off and enjoy nature after exploring the old buildings.

Images for kids

  • Bristol Inn

    Built in 1848 was used as a stagecoach stop.

  • Lee District No. 7 School

    Built in 1869. Children attended the Lee School until 1923.

  • Barber Shop-Charlton Park

    Barber Shop - built between 1889-1907.

  • Upjohn House

    Constructed in 1852. William E. Upjohn started the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Co.

  • Charlton Center Church

    Carlton Center Church built in 1885.

  • Seamstress

    Built in the late 1880s, this house is the home of the village seamstress.

  • Hastings Township Hall

    Hastings Township Hall in use until 1988.

  • Blacksmith Shop-Charlton Park

    Blacksmith Shop - donated in 1968.

  • Carpenter Shop

    Carpenter Shop

  • Gerald Sixberry House

    Built by John and Rachel Dillon in Maple Grove in 1858.

  • Irving Charlton Museum

    Built by Irving Charlton. Completed in 1950.

  • Hastings State Bank

    Hastings Mutual Insurance Co. operated in this building from 1908-1924.

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