Boyne City’s Historial Past

Categories: Historical

By Boyne City Main Street on November 6, 2024

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George F. Beardsley “The Father of the Village”

Would you like to learn more about the history of Boyne City? Check back periodically as we will start a series on our historical markers that are located around the downtown area. This week we are in Old City Park and the plaque is a tribute to George F. Beardsley. It reads as follows:

Known as “The Father of the Village”, he was born in Maine in 1842 and moved with his parents to St. Clair County, Michigan in 1854. In 1873 he purchased some 4,000 acres of land in Boyne City and Boyne Falls and along the Boyne River. In 1876 he purchased an additional 97 acres near the mouth of the river. In his original plat to the Village of Boyne in 1877, he set aside one and a half beautiful acres with a magnificent grove of 34 different trees as a gift to the village for a city park. He also gave lots for the First Presbyterian and the Methodist Churches.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the Boyne River has been moved over time?