To Hell And Back
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 1:17PM | Becks Davis How many times have you been told to go to hell? I’ve been told this countless times throughout my life. Or maybe your evil nemesis told you he’d see you in hell? Well, maybe if you live in a comic book. And of course, there’s those old phrases, “’when hell freezes over,” and “to hell in a hand basket.” I could go on and on.
So, where did I take my husband last week? To hell, of course. Well, actually I took him to Hell, Michigan. Hell is a tiny little town just outside of Pinckney in southwest Livingston County. They have a general store that doubles as a post office and an ice cream shop, called Screams, that also sells souvenirs.
A sign showing the way to Hell, Michigan.We sent the obligatory post card to my in-laws back in the UK. It boasts the “I’ve been through hell” postmark and as an added touch they burn the edge of the card to give it that realistic hellish look. Oh, and on the front of the postcard, “We’re so broke we vacation in Hell.” To be honest, there weren’t many post cards to choose from.
Apparently, the post office has quite a bit of mail routed through it specifically for the postmark. Sending your taxes and alimony to Hell is popular.
Welcome to Hell, MichiganHow did Hell get its name? The story goes that George Reeves, the first settler in the area, never gave the city a name. When asked what to call the place he said, “You can name it hell for all I care.”
Hell is quite a pretty place and we didn’t encounter any evil or torment while we were visiting. The people didn’t live up to the towns name, they were extremely friendly and jovial. We were taking a walk and a teenage boy actually looked up at us, smiled, and asked us how we were doing. A teenage boy! That’s just not normal, is it?
Does this look like hell? I don't think so.So, why did we go to Hell? Because we could. And now I can honestly say that my husband and I have been through Hell.
On a side note, did you know that there is also a Paradise, Michigan? Paradise is on the the north-eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula, on the shores of Lake Superior.
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Reader Comments (5)
And Paradise is a place that is also worth a visit. A great place to stop for a burger and a beer on the way back from Tahquamenon falls. Also there is a series of mystery novels written by Steve Hamilton that are based in Paradise.
Next stop Colon the magic capital of Michigan
Nice...
Michigan has a lot of crazy names:
Christmas and Gay come to mind. There is a "Gay" bar in Gay, Mi. way way way way up north.
I've been to Hell, Paradise and Gay (I've got a photo of the Gay Bar somewhere around here).
I remember going to Hell as a kid with my parents...and there was some sort of doll museum there at the time. It's been eons...sounds like another road trip possibility for us!
Thanks Tim, Jamie, Erick, and Dom for the comments. I obviously have lots of places to check out! I really hope we can get to the U.P. soon.