Station: Blissfield, MI

Blissfield was settled about 1826. It became a village in Lenawee County in 1875. [MPN] The depot here, now used as a museum, reportedly was originally built in Deerfield and moved here.

Blissfield was served by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern "Old Road", which was the former Erie & Kalamazoo. 

The town also had the Toledo & Western railway, originally an electric line which had a station and electrical substation here. It later became the Ohio & Morenci railroad. [SRJ]

Image Info: Top, a 1910 view of the Lake Shore Blissfield depot. Note the train order/block signal lower quadrant signals, showing a stop indication for both directions. 2nd image, an early view of downtown Blissfield with an interurban car in front of their station in a postcard view. 3rd image, an old postcard view of the station agent at Blissfield preparing for the arrival of an Old Road passenger train. [Alan Loftis collection], 4th photo, the Toledo & Western Blissfield Station in the early 1900's. 5th photo, a view of the "triple bridges" at Blissfield. The left bridge is the highway, the center bridge is the interurban line, and the right bridge is the NYC old road bridge. 6th photo, Penn Central switcher 8987 is photographed at Blissfield. This is the Morenci local (Adrian-Grosvenor-Morenci and return) which also switches industries nearby on the Old Road. Taken in the early 1970's. [Doug Leffler], 7th photo, the Adrian and Blissfield depot at Blissfield. This station is used as a museum by the village of Blissfield. The depot was originally built in 1875 by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern at Deerfield (about 10 miles northeast) and moved to this location later. [Charlie Whipp], 8th photo, A&B 1752 is working the elevator just south of the village. This elevator is a major source of traffic for the A&B. [Dale Berry]

Notes

Time Line

1894. April 23. A fire was discovered in a building occupied by the Phillips Hardware Co. on the east side. The Adrian and Toledo (fire departments) were called for assistance. Adrian responded but was delayed for one hour. The local fire engine had given out and the only aid was one stream of water from the railroad company's water supply engine. The fire spread to the adjoining buildings, occupied by a drag store and dry goods store. All other businesses removed their stock. The fire was under control after Adrian arrived and the service from Toledo was cancelled. [DFP-1894-0424]

1915. The LS&MS had a water tower in Blissfield.

1945. November 1. A bus carrying 24 German prisoners of war and a army guard was struck at 4:30 pm by a New York Central passenger train. 17 prisoners died, as did the guard. They were returning from a sugar beet farm near Adrian. The accident occurred ½ mile east of Blissfield on an unobstructed railway crossing. No one on the train was hurt. [PHTH-1945-1101]

Industry

• Blissfield Elevator Co. 1907
• Continental Sugar Co. of Cleveland OH - 1912
• Hans & Quigly Elevator 1907