Long before prohibition Eaton County was wet, then dry, then wet again. Still, the book doesn’t spare what details there are of the locals who dodged the law.Įaton County itself went back and forth on the topic of alcohol production and consumption many times throughout its history. Although chapter five of the book includes a few snippets of stories from the prohibition era, there are no grand stories of rum running, white lightning distilleries, or raids from law enforcement. While the contributors found many fascinating stories and accounts of alcohol production, they were surprised at what they didn’t find. The research for the book was not easy for the Historical Commission, however. In Eaton Rapids, Abie’s is the former home of Eaton County’s first bar. In 1871 Charlotte was home to one of Eaton County’s first breweries. In Woodbury was a train engine turn around station, where men would ride in from outside the county to fill their buckets full of beer. All of the research led the contributing writers through a fascinating history of prohibition, skirting around the law, and the attempts to keep Eaton County dry.ĭuring the mid-1800s, Eaton Rapids was the center of both debauchery and hardline temperance movement. The lengthy research process involved reading through old newspapers, visiting various sites around the county, and viewing sources from outside Eaton County.

The Historical Commission started work on the project in early 2017. The roughly 108-page book is seven chapters of county history, old and new alcohol establishments, and different uses for libations through the generations. The second book, “Sprits of The Past,” offers, “An intoxicating look at the history of Alcohol, Temperance, Prohibition, and Brewing in Eaton County, Michigan.” The commission’s first book was about the one-room schoolhouses of Eaton County. Just before Christmas, the Eaton County Historical Commission released its second book chronicling an interesting facet of county history.

Delta township library printing