The Ghost Town of Bingham
The post office opened Nov. 26, 1878 and then was closed May 31, 1908. Before the formation of the post office, Indians ran regular mail routes from Northport to Traverse City. After the mill was built in 1881, a saloon was constructed across the road. Here the lumberjacks and area farmers could refresh themselves, play cards, and spend their hard earned money on the first slot machine in the entire county. The general store across the street supplied everything the inhabitants needed. The virgin hardwood forests were depleted and in 1909 the sawmill closed. After that, the lumberjacks moved to Greilickville and Traverse City to work in the mills there. With this movement the decline of Bingham began. The saloon closed in 1910, the general store managed to remain operative for several more years before it closed and eventually was torn down. The Bingham Schoolhouse was built in the late 1880s or early 1890s on the southeast corner of what is now Bingham Road and County Road 633/Center Hwy. The schoolhouse doubled as the Sunday school until 1898 when the Evangelical Association Church was constructed on the northeast corner. The school and the church are still standing in their original locations. About 1905 the railroad was introduced to the area, transporting passengers and produce between Traverse City and Northport.
Leelanau County Bingham Township
Bingham Township, Leelanau County, Michigan