Allegan

Allegan is a city in West Michigan.

Understand

History

The men after whom Allegan's downtown streets were named – Elisha Ely, Samuel Hubbard, Charles Christopher Trowbridge, Pliny Cutler, and Edmund Monroe – patented land in the area in 1833. They considered the site a prime location for industry, due to its potential for water power (since it straddled the Kalamazoo River) and water bound transportation. By 1835, a dam and sawmill had been established.

In 1886, a one-lane bridge was built over the Kalamazoo River to connect limited highway M-89 to the downtown area. The bridge fell into disrepair and was going to be removed until a group of activists raised the money to restore the bridge in 1983. Now a highlight of Allegan, the one-lane bridge is used in the city logo and is considered an important part of the city.

In 1914, Allegan entered the automobile (race car) industry as the manufacturing site of Howard E. Blood and Louis Chevrolet's unique chain-drive Cornelian automobile. The venture was short-lived, however, with fewer than 100 Cornelians actually produced.

Easter/Passover Weekend 1967, some scenes from the movie Ciao! Manhattan were filmed at the old Allegan County Jail, now the Allegan County Jail Museum.

Get in

By car

From the larger town of Holland, drive southeast on State Route 40 and you will eventually reach a highway junction, which is in Allegan. Another option is to drive south from Grand Rapids on U.S. Route 131 until you reach State Route 222 (116th Avenue), and take the westbound exit. Drive a few miles west on Route 222 and you should cross a river and you should be in Allegan.

See

• 1 County statue, Chestnut Street (Intersection of Chestnut and Hubbard Streets). (updated Jun 2018)
• 2 Kalamazoo River. This river manages to weave its way a lot of the town; a short distance northwest of Allegan, there is a reservoir on the river, Lake Allegan. (updated Jun 2018)
• Allegan Old Jail Museum, 113 Walnut St, ☏ +1 269 673-8292. (updated Jan 2020)
• The Regent Theatre, 211 Trowbridge St, ☏ +1 269 673-2737. (updated Jan 2020)
• The Griswold Auditorium, 401 Hubbard St, ☏ +1 269 673-3456. (updated Jan 2020)
• Michigan Fiber Festival. (updated Jan 2020)

Buy

• The Grocery Outlet, 400 Water St. (updated Jan 2020)
• Allegan Antiques Market, 150 Allegan Co Fair Dr. Occurs on the last Sunday in April through September. (updated Jan 2020)

Eat

• The Grill House, 1071 Highway M-40, ☏ +1 269 686-9192. (updated Jan 2020)

Drink

• Tantrick Brewing Co., 633 Hooker Rd. (updated Jan 2020)
• Schaendorf Brewing Company, 420 Water St, ☏ +1 269 286-1059, schaendorfbrewing@gmail.com. (updated Jan 2020)

Sleep

• Castle in the Country, 340 M-40 South, ☏ +1 269-673-8054. Check-in: 4 PM, check-out: 11 AM. Historic B&B in two buildings on 65 acres. Rooms and suites. $149-$289. (updated Jun 2018)
• Hotel Allegan, 212 32nd St, ☏ +1 269 673-7104. (updated Jan 2020)
• Allegan Country Inn, 1532 34th St, ☏ +1 616 307-5803. (updated Jan 2020)
• Whisper Ridge Bed & Breakfast, 3779 Monroe Road, ☏ +1 269 281-4010. (updated Jan 2020)