On Saturday, July 29th, the citizens of Lowell turned out for the Fallasburg Village Celebration. Artisans, historians, musicians, and car fans gathered in the historic Fallasburg Village to celebrate the rich history of Lowell. Put on by the Fallasburg Historical Society, this event allowed so many people to share their love of crafts, cars, and history.
“The Fallasburg Village was declared a historic site and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 31, 1999,” according to a press release about the event. “The village is approximately 20 acres in size and contains several homes that date back to the settling of Fallasburg. The Fallasburg Historical Society owns the 20 acres and many of those buildings include: the Fallas House, the Misner House, the Tower House and Barn, the Fallas Schoolhouse and the Fallas Barn.”
When asked about the purpose of the celebration, Bruce Doll, vice president of the Fallasburg Historical Society, tells Lowell’s First Look: “Our mission statement says it all — Preserve and promote the unique history of Fallasburg Village by bringing its past to life for present and future generations.” He also explains, “We need to get the word out that the village is a great resource for both history and bringing the history to the future.”
The Fallasburg Village Celebration was spread out across the village, and visitors could stop by the Misner House, the Tower Farm, the Schoolhouse, and the Fallas House. Each museum housed multiple attractions including musicians and artisans demonstrating crafts such as glass blowing, woodworking, weaving, and knitting. Many were local while others were from outside of Lowell.
“All of the buildings (museums) are featured in our celebration,” Doll says. “Each of the buildings have their own personalities. Each of them need to be explored to get the complete history of Fallsburg.”
In the Misner House, there were vintage appliances from the 1800s and 1900s and beautifully made, colorful quilts. Right in the yard was the amazing car show where vehicles from multiple decades ago were displayed in restored mint condition.
The beautifully preserved Fallas Schoolhouse takes the explorer back in time to 1867, when the building was constructed. This schoolhouse was a functioning school until 1961. Currently, it serves as a venue for for a variety of events throughout the year. On Saturday, the schoolhouse was the site of an antique typewriter display, and visitors could also take a tour of the schoolhouse, enjoy story time, and or talk to Civil War reenactors dressed in attire from the time.
The Tower Barn featured a tour of the barn, which was awarded Barn of the Year in 2014 by The Michigan Barn Preservation Network. Featured there were demonstrations of glass blowing, making barn beams and making ice cream. Various farm equipment was also on display, and four bands played there throughout the day.
Now in its second year, the 2023 Fallasburg Village Celebration featured additional fiber artists. In total, 27 different artisans from Lowell and beyond participated. Many of them demonstrated their craft onsite.
“We joined forces with Ability Weavers in Lowell this year,” Doll mentions. “They handled the Artisan Marketplace. We had everything from weaving, knitting, woodworking, metal work and more represented in the marketplace. We are so thankful that Ability Weavers joined us this year, and we can’t wait to expand the marketplace next year.”
For more information about the Fallasburg Village and upcoming events, visit the Fallasburg Historical Society website.
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