Birch Run High School - Panther Tales Yearbook (Birch Run, MI)

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THE BOOMING By Jenny Carl Birch Run has gone through a great number of changes since its beginning in 1852. New businesses, schools, and scandal have come to Birch Run. Our town has grown from a few settlements to a booming metropolis. The school system of Birch Run began with Horton School, a little frame school house off Dixie Highway. Horton School dates back to before the Civil War when the district owned a half an acre in 1856. Mary and Elizabeth Shay were two of the first teachers and earned the small amount of 20 dollars a month. In 1980 Taymouth Elementary School became part of the Birch Run area school system. Scandal has rocked Birch Run on two occasions. The first incident occured in 1934 when the House of Chance was started by John Webster. It was often called a gambling den. Farmers and people from other towns came to the House of Chance to gamble. In 1986 Paradise Health Spa was opened by Joem Chul Park. The massage parlor was closed after a state police raid. Roads and highways have been expanded and improved. The Dixie Highway was once a plank road. A stage coach was used for travel between Saginaw and Detroit. Other roads were widened and paved. Manufacturers' Marketplace built in 1986 has contributed revenue for Birch Run. Tour buses come in daily adding money to the mail's sales. The mall now consists of 74 stores. Due to the heavy traffic a new stoplight was added near the expressway. Other businesses in Birch Run have been expanded and re- modeled due to the construc- tion of the mall. A new senior citizen complex will be built next to Don's Food- land. Existing businesses, such as Sunoco and Total, have expanded their convenience stores to accomodate the new tourism. Birch Run, now a booming city, contains over 75 busi- nesses. The school system has grown from one little school- house to five buildings. And for the time being, scandal has left. 7