Michigan's Once-Thriving Farming Village Is Now A Near Ghost Town With Open Skies And Rural Charm

There's just something fascinating about visiting a ghost town. Many now-abandoned ghost towns were once thriving destinations, and besides being atmospheric, they conjure up countless questions. What made the residents abandon this town? Where did they go? Is there anyone left who remembers the town in its heyday? Kilmanagh, Michigan was a once-thriving farming village in Michigan that is now a near ghost town.

Kilmanagh is located in the "thumb" region of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, a short drive from lakeside towns like Sebewaning, an inviting village on the banks of Lake Huron. The region is a decidedly rural area with open skies. According to the Detroit Free Press, Kilmanagh was once a farming community that drew German and Irish immigrants. It was originally called Thompson's Corners after the town's first postmaster, an Irish immigrant named Frank Thompson. Thompson then renamed the village Kilmanagh, after a town in Ireland.

In the 1870s, the town was thriving with a saw mill, flour mill, a hotel, and several shops and restaurants. Local news publication Thumbwind reports that the population began declining in the early 1900s because the town was far from railroads, unlike neighboring communities. The post office closed in 1904 and the town diminished over the following decades. When the general store closed in 1963, the town was all but abandoned, with only a church and a few residential homes remaining.

Thumbwind describes Kilmanagh as "a place stuck in lore and time." Along with St. John's Lutheran Church, visitors will see an old general store [pictured above], a gas station dating back to the 1940s, and a closed liquor store. The general store and gas pump now make for popular photo ops. There has also been a noticeable change in recent years because while the general store was once falling apart, owner and local resident Tim Voss began working on restoring the store in 2017. He has made significant improvements to the store while retaining its retro appearance. "I grew up across the street from it in Kilmanagh," Voss told the local newspaper the Huron Daily Tribune in 2021. "I didn't want to see it fall down."

Today, Kilmanagh's visitors are road trippers looking for a quick and interesting stop on their way to a more populated town, as well as ghost town enthusiasts. Some residents of nearby towns like to watch the restoration of the general store. "It is encouraging to see projects like this in our community," writes one Google reviewer. Intrigued? Check out the five best abandoned ghost towns worth exploring in Michigan.