Picturing Fayette - Paperback

by Donna Winters (Author)

Fayette Historic Townsite in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan offers visitors a step back in time to a nineteenth century company town. Here, nestled beneath a towering limestone bluff on Lake Michigan, the Jackson Iron Company operated two iron smelting furnaces. From December 25, 1867 to December 1, 1890, hot iron poured forth into casting houses, was cooled and separated into "pigs", and shipped to Ohio aboard schooners. Today, several original structures give testimony to Michigan's industrial past-from the laborers' log cabin, to the managers' salt box homes, to the "Big White House" on the bluff that was occupied by the superintendent. In the center of all these stands the working core of the once-thriving village-the furnace stacks, casting houses, company store, warehouse, town hall, company office, machine shop, and hotel. Through the pages of this book, tour this fascinating open air museum that offers million-dollar views of the harbor, bay, and quaint remnants from nearly 150 years ago. Quotes from newspapers of that era serve as captions, bringing the town to life. Fayette Historic Townsite is without a doubt one of the best-preserved company towns in America and a gem of Michigan history that is unlike any other.

Author Biography

Fred and Donna Winters have spent more than twenty years photographing Fayette Historic Townsite, studying its history, writing stories about its nineteenth-century era, and publishing titles for Fayette enthusiasts. Over time, they have accumulated a wealth of knowledge, resources, and first-hand experience with this Upper Peninsula gem. Picturing Fayette is but a small slice of the information and images they have to share. Fred Winters spent over two decades teaching American history and a lifetime studying Michigan's role in our nation's past. His fascination with Fayette Historic Townsite caused him to choose this Upper Peninsula location for retirement living, and in 2003 he and his wife and dogs moved next door to Fayette Historic State Park, the location of the historic townsite. Donna Winters has written sixteen historical novels including three set at Fayette Historic Townsite during its company town era (1867-1891). Her research library includes historic newspapers from the area, archival documents from the State of Michigan about Fayette, and a large number of regional history books that enable her to bring history to life for her readers. From her extensive resources she has culled the most relevant and fascinating tidbits of history to bring Picturing Fayette to life for readers.