Fennville was settled in 1860 and was the location of an early sawmill. The village was platted in 1871 by the Emerson & Company which owned much of the land in the area. Later that year, the town burned down and was rebuilt. [MPN] Fennville was a station on the Chicago & West Michigan (later PM/C&O) about 12 miles south of Holland.
Photo Info: Top, the PM depot at Fennville, which was destroyed by fire in 1935. It was replaced with the brick depot below, which was built in 1937. Bottom photo, another view of the first depot with a train stopped in front. [All Alan Loftis collection]
1886. October. The American Express Company's fast fruit train running over the C&WM railroad yesterday was discontinued for the season. The train has proved a successful factor in the company's business and thousands of tons of fruit have been carried by it to Chicago and to Grand Haven for the Milwaukee market. From Fennville alone up to September 1, the express company's special train carried 4,186,826 pounds of fruit and many other towns show large shipment figures. The expressmen one and all, who have handled the million tons of fruit packages, say they are glad the season is over. [GREL-1886-1021]
1949. The C&O passing siding here is removed as a part of their CTC project between Porter, IN and Lamar (Grand Rapids). [RSE-1949-04]
The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:
