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Plainfield, Tawas and ‘The acreage’

Compiled by Mark Constance

IOSCO COUNTY – Our family has a long history in Iosco County that started when the Holland family immigrated from Ireland to Tawas, where our Great-grandfather, Thomas, was born. They later moved to Canada after the timber ran out and the ensuing fires destroyed much of Tawas area.

The Milnes (Mary Holland’s parents) purchased two lots on Alley Street (now Allen) in Baldwin Township in 1930 from Mr. Crocker, who owned that subdivision, along with several miles of Lake Huron shoreline.

The cottage

My grandfather, Bud, came home from the service in 1945. He served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII.

Sometime in the late 1940s Fred and Sarah sold their two lots to my dad and Uncle Tommy McAvoy. That cottage on the property was finished in 1954. Bud and Uncle Tommy took two years to build it.

Bud and Tommy were both pilots. They had a Cessna plane they kept at City Airport in Detroit. They would get off work on Friday and fly up to work on the cottage. There was a lumberyard in Tawas called Schaaf’s, and they got some of their supplies there.

The cottage was a 1,000 square foot Sears kit house with two bedrooms, one bathroom and an enclosed porch the full width of the house. It was later expanded by my uncle, Mike Holland, to three bedrooms and three baths, with a second-floor office that my Aunt Anita calls “The tree house.”

The inside tongue and groove pine boards in the cottage were brought up by truck from Detroit. They lost part of the load in Bay City and scuffed up a few, as my grandfather told the story. No one else noticed the small flaws in a couple of the 12-inch planks unless he pointed them out.

An additional lot south of the cottage was purchased from Wynn Newell in the late 60s for $1,500. Although Mr. Newell passed many years ago, several pieces of hand-made furniture are still in use by our family.

The acreage

“The acreage,” which is located at the east end of Plainfield Township, was purchased from Wynn Newel in the late 50s for $3,500 on a 10-year land contract.

It was originally 40 acres and later reduced to about 36 when Bud donated enough land to the Department of Agriculture to create the entrance to the campground and boat launch currently located on Round Lake.

My Uncle Mike told me that when he asked his dad why he gave the land away he said, “Because I could.” When Mike asked him why he didn’t sell it, he said, “Michael, there are some things you need to do in your life that don’t involve money.”

After Bud bought the acreage, he wanted to take a ride around and show everyone what it looked like. Mike said they took his mom, grandma and sister, (Patricia Constance) for a ride.

Mike said, “My dad was insistent on driving around the edge of the swamp and we ended up getting stuck in a big, old 1948 Buick.”

Getting stuck back then wasn’t the same as it is now. You couldn’t just use your cell and call up AAA for a tow.

“My dad and I had to walk up to a place past the general store,” (now the Indian Lake Trading post), Mike said. “There was a commercial building across the street with a wrecker parked in front, and a living space in the back.

“He knocked on the door till a guy came out. My dad explained what happened and the guy said he would help us.

“It was hard for him to get the wrecker in there and it took hours for us to be pulled out. I’m not sure what time it happened, but it was late when we got stuck and dark when we got out.”

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I purchased the acreage from my mom and uncle. Years later got stuck on the other side of the acreage when my brother, Terry, and I were out prepping for deer season with our wives, Tracy and Christine.

I was making a turn and the front tire and “BANG,” drove into an old stump hole. Cost my wife $150 to get towed out. And I used my cell phone to call the wrecker.

NOTE: Pictured standing in front of Lumberman’s Monument is Eva Constance (my grandaughter.

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