Don’t Label This a ‘Ghost Town’ Just Yet: Pompeii, Michigan
One Michigan town that gets the misnamed title of “ghost town” is Pompeii in Gratiot County.
Sure, it may not be the sizable village it once was, but it is hanging in there and thankfully has kept a few of its original, old, historic structures.
Pompeii was settled in 1854 as “Joe B's” - a weird name for a village, but the first settler was Joseph B. Smith, who named it after himself. When a post office was implemented in 1856, it was called “Pompei” with one “i”.
In 1886 the whole village was torn down and re-built a mile and a half south so it could take advantage of the railroad and the travelers it brought in. It took another number of years until someone realized that the original Pompeii in Italy was spelled with TWO “I’s”. So on October 20, 1897, it received its second “I”.
As the town's prosperity grew, it had a bank, depot, elevator, hospital, hotel, and schools. The town was also a popular stagecoach stop which brought even more permanent residents, whether that was their original intention or not.
At the turn of the century, Pompeii was receiving up to thirty train stops per day, bringing an incredible number of visitors and a thriving economy. But by the 1920s, the construction of a new state highway meant less trains coming through town. Therefore, without any choice, the depot, most businesses, and schools shut down.
Today Pompeii makes a very interesting drive-thru. It was once a successful Michigan small town...and it still hangs in there.
Pompeii, Michigan