Hell, Michigan is located 20 miles northwest of Ann Arbor. It shares a postal zip code with the nearby town of Pinckney.
The first landowner, George Reeves, claimed the territory in 1838, and it officially received its name in 1841.
Reeves built a sawmill on a creek. He then built a gristmill to grind the abundant crops of locally grown wheat. In turn, he created a distillery to turn the wheat into whiskey. Finally, he opened a tavern at which the whiskey could be enjoyed.
Legend has it that the tiny town’s name came from how Reeves bartered with nearby farmers. He paid for their grain with whiskey. The wives of drunken farmers said their husbands had “gone to Hell again.”
Another story suggests that Reeves was asked what he called his town, to which he supposedly replied, “You can call it Hell, for all I care.” Regardless, the name stuck.
Today, Hell has a population of roughly 72 residents.
The town, if it can even be designated as that, is very, very small.
It has three business establishments: Hell Hole Bar and Diner; Screams, a souvenir shop and ice cream parlor; and Hell Saloon. They’re on the same road side by side by side.
Newlyweds can get married at the Hell Chapel of Love, which is about the size of a toolshed.
The town also has a Scattering Yard where ashes of the deceased can be tossed for anyone who should go to Hell.
For a fee of $66.66, Damnation University, or Dam U, offers “bachelor’s degrees” in Parking Ticket Unpayment, Culinary Ignorance, Dust Bunny Breeding, and dozens of others.
Hell is an unincorporated community, which means it has no local government. For several years, though, John Colone has acted as the unofficial mayor.
Yet for a small fee, anyone can become the Mayor of Hell for a day.
To learn more, visit the town’s website at www.gotohellmi.com.
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