Town Name: Briar Hill
Founding: 1897
Beginning of Decline: early 1900s
Reason for town's decline: Better wages in nearby communities enticed residents to move away
Briar Hill, at its peak in the latter part of the 19th century, was located on Briar Hill Road, at the Detroit & Lima Northern Railroad between Flat Rock and Carleton . The hamlet was founded in 1897 by William Walters, who owned and operated fifteen charcoal factories. During it's heyday, the town contained a general store, a sawmill, the charcoal factories and a railroad station. The migration away from Briar Hill, after workers found out they could make more money by going to work in Carleton and Waltz, took about ten years. By the early 1900s, there were only the store and a few scattered homes left.
Nothing remains of the town today. Although Briar Hill had a cemetery located inside the town, those interned there were relocated a mile & half away to Port Creek Cemetery. It is here that you will not only find the cache, but the resting place of town founder William Walters
The cache is a small size lock & lock hidden in Port Creek Cemetery. Please be respectful of individuals in the cemetery that may be paying their respects or mourning their loved ones. Please be respectful of the area and observe Dawn to Dusk hours only. Logs on this cache that indicate night caching will be deleted without notice.
This cache is part of the Michigan's Lost Towns cache series. Visit their website at www.losttownscacheseries.com to see the complete list and to submit your own.
