Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Tyrone Township Historical Society has finished authoring a new history book that will be published this spring.

“A Backward Glance: A Journey Through Tyrone Township, Livingston County, Michigan” has been a labor of love for the non-profit and a project spanning nearly two years.

Book Committee Chair Joan Runyan told WHMI the book will be published next spring and is dedicated to the residents of Tyrone Township, past and present. It features a horse and buggy on the front cover and will be available at local bookstores and retail outlets, as well as historical society events.

The book’s retail price will be $35. It totals 348 pages and is accompanied by lots of photos. Runyan said they hope to have the book published around early to mid-February, and then have it available at the Fenton Expo on March 1st and 2nd.

Runyan said the project started in early 2023 with interviews so it’s been almost a two-year journey with a lot of work invested by their Committee of seven members.

Runyan said people will read about stories pertaining to one room schools, the development of Lake Shannon, some orchards, a ski club, and several biographies of early families written mostly by their descendants. She noted the book encompasses a lot of history and covers the depression era, stock market crash, and WWII. Some diaries were written around 1900, including the assignation of President William McKinley and another from a farmer who lived around the Ore Creek area.

Runyan said there are many interesting stories in the book, including one centered on “The Bluebird Man” who was a constable and worked to increase the bluebird population. She said there are “a lot of hidden gems” that people probably weren’t aware of back in the early days related to roads, schools, and lakes.

The book also features adjacent communities like Rose Township that had an Indian campground around Tipsico Lake, and churches in Fenton and Deerfield Township. It also encompasses Parshallville and Hartland Township.

The Committee is now issuing an invitation to the community to help defray the costs of the first printing of the book. Runyan said they hope to initially print 300 to 500 copies and are seeking donations to help make it happen.

Donors whose contributions are received by December 31st will be acknowledged on the donor page of the new book.
Runyan said there are different categories for sponsors and donors that include the following:

Gold – Donations of over $1,000
Silver – Donations between $250 and $1,000
Bronze - Donations under $250

Being a non-profit, contributions are tax-deductible and Runyan stressed all donations are welcome - no matter how big or small - and receipts will be issued.

Checks should be payable to the “Tyrone Township Historical Society” and mailed to 8420 Runyan Lake Road, Fenton MI 48430.

Runyan said they would love to hear from anyone with questions or comments, which can be emailed to: tyronehistory@gmail.com.

Links to the Historical Society website and Facebook page are provided.