Lansing-Howell Plank Road No. II Toll Gate - Okemos, MI
N 42° 43.757 W 084° 24.886
16T E 711646 N 4733993
Although at one time there were many gates and houses, this modest building is the only tollgate house that remains in Michigan today. It has been relocated to the Meridian Historical Village in Okemos, MI.
Waymark Code: WM15HQ2
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2022
Views: 1
From the historic marker next to the toll house:
Travel in the early 1800s was by water or land trails developed by native peoples. Many of these trails were portage routes from one river to another and often included swampy sections.
The pioneers who settled in this area found these trails difficult to navigate with wagons and sought to widen and improve the trails. Simple log roads were built over the swampy areas and were called “corduroy roads”. Corduroy roads were rough, unstable and dangerous.
The wood used for roads was not kiln-dried so the boards would warp over time and the ends would curl upward. These “road snakes” could prove deadly if a coach driver didn’t see them in time. The boards could go up through the floor, flip the coach and injure or kill passengers and horses.
The Lansing-Howell Plank Road included seven gates where tolls were paid to use the improved road. Stop #2 was operated by the Proctor family and was located on the south side of Grand River at Park Lake, across from the Proctor farm.
The building was moved to N. Hagadorn Rd. in the 1920s when the Highway Department widened Grand River Ave. The building was rescued by the Friends of Historic moved to its current home in the Meridian Historical Village.
A bill was introduced in 1848 by the Michigan Legislature to permit the construction of wooden plank roads. The Lansing-Howell Plank Road was chartered in 1850. One road from Lansing to Okemos was completed in June 1851 and extended to Howell by 1853. This road is now known as Grand River Avenue.
Plank roads were used until gravel became popular in the late 1800s.
This Toll Gate is currently used as part of the Meridian Historical Village where it educates people about life in the 1800's alongside several other structures. School tours, private tours, and weddings are available.
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