An underwater ghost town? Check out this incredible story about a Civil War-era village that went underwater in the 1920s.
It may not be as well known and romanticized as Atlantis, but did you know that Michigan has an underwater town? Situated near Ypsilanti and Belleville in the depths of Belleville Lake is Rawsonville Michigan — a town with an interesting past.
There’s little more than a marker in front of a McDonald’s to signify this historic Civil War-era village, but Rawsonville was once a thriving spot in Southeast Michigan and deserves its place among Michigan’s many fascinating ghost towns.
Getting to Know the Ghost Town of Rawsonville
What Makes a Ghost Town a Ghost Town?
The name may sound spooky, but a ghost town is called a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has ended for some reason. In Michigan, ghost towns are often at the sites of former mines, former mills, and natural disasters such as floods.
From Snow’s Landing to Rawsonville
Rawsonville Michigan was first settled by Henry Snow in 1800 and was originally called Snow’s Landing on the boundary of Wayne and Washtenaw counties, about a half hour east of Ann Arbor.