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History · Grand Beach

Grand Beach’s post office opened in 1912, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1926 on.

1912first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grand Beach’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grand Beach began

When was Grand Beach founded?

1912

The Grand Beach post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 310114 years
Founding year: the first Grand Beach post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Grand Beach’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grand Beach’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grand Beach’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAnders Haugen jump at January 1926 Gran…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Grand Beach came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grand Beach.

Read it all →

Grand Beach was founded by the Grand Beach Company around 1903. It was conceived of partially as a short-stay resort. People would take the Michigan Central Railroad to Grand Beach station, rent small cottages for a day or two, eat in the dining hall (located at the corner of Lakeview and Whitewood), and enjoy bathing and golfing. The town was incorporated in 1934 to allow property owners to retain more control.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Grand Beach, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s2 items
Anders Haugen jump at January 1926 Grand Beach Michigan meet1926Anders Haugen jump at January 1926 Grand Beach Michig…Chicago Tribune Mon Jan 11 1926 page 401926Chicago Tribune Mon Jan 11 1926 page 40
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Anders Haugen jump at January 1926 Grand Beach Michigan meet
Retake this viewAnders Haugen jump at January 1926 Grand Beach Michigan meet, 1926

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Grand Beach’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Grand Beach

Nobody well known was born in Grand Beach itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Anne BaxterAmerican actress · b. 1923
Ashley HinshawAmerican actress · b. 1988
Don LarsenAmerican professional baseball player, pitcher · b. 1929
Scott SkilesAmerican basketball coach and former player · b. 1964
Chuck BaldwinAmerican politician · b. 1952
Charles ArntActor · b. 1906
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

New Buffalo TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Grand Beach’s history

What year was Grand Beach founded?

The Grand Beach post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2) and Wikipedia. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.