CASS CITY MUNICIPAL PARK
6737 Church St.
Cass City, MI 48726
Block: Up, Up, and Away
Size: 8'x8'
The Trail's 100th block!
Cass City, the “heart” of Michigan’s Thumb, has chosen to feature the “Up, Up and Away” quilt block to honor a Cass City graduate and NASA Astronaut - Brewster H. Shaw.
Prehistoric Native American Indian tribes inhabited the land along the historic Cass River and we are honored to have the Michigan Petroglyphs State Park, featuring historic Native Indian rock carvings, just a few miles to the East in neighboring Sanilac County. Geologists estimate the rock carvings were made between 300-1,000 years ago during the late Woodland Period. You will also find an historic American Indian tool carving site, built on a bed of sandstone nestled along the banks of the Cass River just west of the Village of Cass City - for those interested in a bit of history as you canoe or kayak the historic Cass River.
Our community started from a strategically known site known as the “Fork” in the River, where the River branches north into Huron County, and south into Sanilac County. Pioneer hunters from downstream near Saginaw often traveled up the River to the area known as the “Fork in the River” to hunt elk herds, which is how Elkland Township got its name.
A secluded, heavily forested area, Cass City initially served as a lumbering community. The first lumber mill was established here in 1851, years before the Village was incorporated. Large white pines were harvested and floated down the Cass River to milling locations downstream. The Great Fire of 1881 destroyed our forests and ended the lumber era, ushering in agriculture and farming, which remains a prevalent way of life in this area to this day.
Established in 1883, the Village of Cass City and Cass River were proudly named after Michigan’s great statesman and citizen, Lewis Cass. Cass served our country for over 30 years as a U. S. Senator, Minister to France, Secretary of War and Secretary of State. He was a General in the military and served as Governor of the Michigan Territory for 18 years.
Two especially notable Cass City residents are Brewster H. Shaw and Leland Stanford “Larry” MacPhail. Leland MacPhail, or Larry as he was commonly called, was born February 3, 1890 on the second floor of the former Cass City State Bank Building (currently Osentoski Realty). Larry graduated from the University of Michigan and George Washington University School of Law, in Washington, D.C. After a brief legal career, Larry got involved in major league baseball, where he is credited with initiating baseball under the lights, regularly scheduled competition games which were broadcast, for flying his team between the cities they were scheduled to compete against, and most importantly, he was responsible for establishing unprecedented benefits for baseball players – including pensions. Leland “Larry” MacPhail was President of the Brooklyn Dodger’s, General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds and President, Co-owner and General Manager of the New York Yankees. Leland “Larry” MacPhail was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978. (https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/macphail-larry).
Brewster Shaw, representing our “Up, Up and Away” quilt block choice, was born on May 16, 1945 in Cass City and graduated from Cass City High School in 1963. He received a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He joined the United States Air Force in 1969, attended Officer Training School and got his wings in 1970. He retired with the rank of Colonel. Brewster Shaw piloted the STS-9 Skylab, Orbiter Shuttle Atlantis in 1985 and the Columbia Space Shuttle in 1989. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 6, 2006. Brewster H. Shaw currently serves as VP and General Manager for Space Exploration for Boeing Defense, Space and Security at the Boeing Corporation. (www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/shaw-bh.html).
Cass City is a pleasant community, with wide accommodating streets, and an 80 acre municipal park which features an outdoor swimming pool, named in honor of Helen Stevens, whose family made a sizeable donation to make a swimming pool a reality for children in Cass City. Our Municipal Park is home to our featured “Up, Up and Away” Quilt Block.
Safety and Respecting Private Property~
All sites are on private property and should be viewed from the public road unless otherwise indicated at the
site that it is a business open to the public. We are indebted to our barn hosts for their generosity.
When viewing and enjoying the barns and blocks use caution when slowing or stopping near a site.