Outside the Box: A Visit to Tuscola County

In addition to coastlines, much of the Thumb of Michigan is characterized by picturesque farmland. Tuscola County proves to be no exception. Its name appears to have been created by our friend Henry Schoolcraft, and is believed to be a combination of Native American words dusinagon, meaning “level,” and cola, meaning “lands.” Through most of the 19th century the county’s main industry was lumber. Unfortunately, in the late 1800s, fire destroyed the land and wiped out its profitable timber industry. The area rebounded by taking advantage of the newly-cleared terrain for farming. By the turn of the 20th century, Tuscola’s county seat and largest city of Caro was home to the second largest beet sugar factory in America. How’s that for a comeback? With all that farmland you know what that means, don’t you? Uh huh. There’s a barn or two in the neighborhood, one of which is really outstanding in its field.  (Sorry ... I’m definitely my father’s daughter!)

We were antiquing first thing in the A.M. and struck up conversation with THE nicest people. Tuscola County is also known for its friendliness!

We asked what there was to see in the area and were told a visit to the former Purdy homestead was a must. When I heard the words “octagon barn” I was all over the idea. I had seen it on some website, but dismissed a stop since it was billed as an agricultural museum. Who wants to spend time looking at a bunch of rusty old farm equipment? *ahem* What in the heck do I know? Had the Tuscolans* not pointed us in the direction of the Purdys, we would have missed a true local gem and some major county history. Lesson learned!  *(Disclaimer: I have no idea if this is what they are called; I just followed in ‘ole Henry’s footsteps and made it up!)

At the age of 21, James Purdy joined his father at the Bank of P.C. Purdy and Son in the village of Gagetown and soon became its President. Under his leadership the bank flourished and was one of only two in Michigan to remain solvent during the Great Depression. Post-Depression Americans had become leery of financial institutions, so Purdy met with other bankers in Lansing and formulated a plan to restore faith in the banking system. He felt the federal government should insure the investors’ money, and convinced Senator Arthur Vandenburg (from Grand Rapids!) to introduce a bill into the Senate. It gained the support of President FDR and led to the formation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Score one for Purdy!

Through the years Purdy and his wife Cora purchased 520 acres of property at the intersection of Huron Line and Richie Road; their slice of the county pie was known as Mud Lake Estate.

In 1919 they hired local builders George and John Munro to construct their craftsman style bungalow.

The house featured 15 rooms, including three full bathrooms (which was very uncommon in rural Michigan at the time), 8 bedrooms, a fieldstone fireplace, a built-in kitchen icebox, a covered porch used for entertaining and dancing, and a five-room basement set up as living quarters for the hired help.

Needless to say, it was very elegant for its time, and the Purdys welcomed guests willingly and often. The family moved in on May 19, 1922 and resided there until 1942 before returning to Gagetown.

During a trip to Iowa in 1923, Purdy saw an octagonal barn and decided he needed one of his own.

At the time, state and federal agricultural departments were promoting round and octagonal barns as the buildings of the future; you gain more square footage of space from the same amount of material with this design than by building a typical rectangular box-type barn. Plus it looked way cooler! When he returned to Gagetown, Purdy again hired the Munro Brothers to construct a similar structure. It took about a year to complete.

The three-stage roof with dormers and 32 nine-light windows is unique to the Purdy barn; most octagonal barns have a gambrel roof without windows.

The spacious interior features a sophisticated ventilation system and a circular hay track. Okay, I'll admit it ... this was much more interesting than I thought it was going to be. I’ll even go so far as to say that the farm equipment was fascinating!

We also learned that most of the property Purdy had acquired was swampland. His goal was to build a peat-fired plant to generate power to Gagetown and neighboring Owendale. Unfortunately, he abandoned the idea after discovering he couldn’t get the peat hot enough to produce the amount of steam needed for the engine to drive the generator at a constant RPM. Commercial power was finally brought to the site in 1938, but the restored powerhouse still stands as testimony to Purdy’s ingenuity.

The farm had several owners after the Purdys and parcels of land were eventually sold off. In 1991 the DNR purchased 80 acres which had been deeded to the Pinney State Bank of Cass City (now Chemical Bank); this parcel connected two larger parcels already part of the Gagetown State Game Area. The DNR had no interest in the buildings that came with the property and considered demolishing them. The locals were horrified. Enter Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn.

A group of concerned citizens banded together to save the barn and other structures. Working with the DNR, they obtained the right to use the land and restore the buildings. In exchange for providing liability insurance for the property and presenting a 25-year plan outlining their objectives for the site, they control 8.2 acres and have permission to hold events there. A win-win for all involved!

Once the original buildings at the site were secure from further deterioration, the Friends developed an Agricultural Museum for the Thumb Area. Volunteer caretakers greet visitors and offer a history of the site, as well as attend to the lawn and flowerbeds. Needless to say, ongoing restoration and maintenance cost big bucks. A nominal fee is charged for the 90-mintue tour of the barn and house, though I have no idea of what it is since Mark paid for it (read: he’s a great travel companion!).

If you ever find yourself in the middle of Tuscola County farm country, track down and see the Thumb Octagon Barn and Agricultural Museum. It’s worth the visit!