Crystal Township Historical Society

04/08/2026

The next CTHS Quarterly Membership Meeting will be held this Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 10:30am at the Crystal Community Library. Below is the draft agenda.

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN USUAL START TIME: 10:30am

03/26/2026

Viva (Jones) Bloss and her niece Dorothy (Jones) Eggleston at Heritage Village in 1987, the year it opened. I believe they were doing a quilting demonstration as part of the West End Ladies Aid group.

03/25/2026

Thanks to a generous grant from the Montcalm County Board of Commissioners, in conjunction with the Montcalm County Community Advancement Committee, the CTHS has a new walk-up sign at the museum! Thank you!

Thanks to CTHS President David Wight and his son-in-law Stephen O'Rourke for getting it installed. Check it out next time you are in town!

01/05/2026

The next CTHS Quarterly Membership Meeting will be held this Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 10:30am at the Crystal Community Library. Below is the draft agenda.

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN USUAL START TIME: 10:30am

12/28/2025

Crystal native Kenneth Werner and his wife Lois moved to Guatemala and created a charity in 2008 to help the impoverished people of that country. Ken is a 1960 graduate of Crystal High School. He and Lois are members of the CTHS, and we appreciate their generous support!

Check out the great work they are doing for the people of Guatemala!

www.peopleforguatemala.org

11/12/2025

"A St. Johns Colony"

Recently, Alice Murphy from the Clinton County Historical Society got a hold of us - they were going through their newspaper article archives and offered to send anything related to Crystal to us.

It turns out that after the Crystal Heights neighborhood (aka The Grove) was platted in the late 1890's, there were a large number of folks from St. Johns that bought up lots and build cottages there...and these weren't just ordinary folks; they were some of the biggest and wealthiest movers-and-shakers from St. Johns.

Perhaps the most recognizable place in the Crystal Heights neighbor from the St Johns folks is the log cabin at 148 Sunset Blvd (between Clinton & St Johns Aves). That place was originally build for D. S. French in the late 1890's, but then he bought the Big Island and decided to build a new log cabin out there, and he sold the place to the Steel family.

Greg Snyder and Alice Murphy are collaborating on a project to identify and research who these folks were (there are dozens of them), where their cottages were located, and write articles for their historical societies.

Stay tuned!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween!

If you've driven by the museum lately, you may have seen our skeleton bride hanging in the window.

We named her "Chrystal Loch" and gave her a back story....

The Ghost Bride of Crystal
A Halloween Tale

For generations, old timers around here have been frightening their grandchildren with the tragic tale of "The Ghost Bride of Crystal"…

In the fall of 1877, Miss Chrystal Loch was the beloved village schoolteacher. She was young, beautiful, and betrothed to Mr. Sidney Rhoades, the handsome but rakish town banker. They planned a sunset wedding on All-Hallow’s Eve.

It was a warm and pleasant fall day as the townsfolk gathered in Case’s Grove overlooking the lake for the evening wedding. As the church bells rang at 6 o’clock, Sidney was nowhere to be found. The guests grew restless with each passing minute, but Chrystal insisted that he would be there soon - that he must just be finishing up some business at the bank. As the sun set, Sidney’s brother ran to the bank to see what was causing the delay and soon returned with heartbreaking news. Sidney had abandoned poor Chrystal and had run off with Miss Vesta Burg, and they were on their way out west to start their life together!

Just then, a strong wind picked up from across the lake and storm clouds moved in. Driving rain and violent thunder and lightning sent the guests running to their buggies to get home. Chrystal’s parents begged her to leave, but she would not budge – she was sure there was some mistake, and her beloved Sidney would arrive for her at any moment.

As darkness fell, the thunder grew louder and louder, and when lightning flashed, nearby villagers could see poor Chrystal, who would not abandon her wedding post, standing alone at the top of the hill in the grove looking out over the lake.

Early the next morning, her lifeless body was found where she stood vigil during the night. Doc Sweet said she caught her death of cold, but the townsfolk knew she really died of a broken heart.

Since that sad day, every Halloween people see and hear strange things around the village of Crystal. Some swear they have seen the ghostly visage of The Ghost Bride wandering around town, sobbing softly, and gazing into the windows of people’s homes searching for her lost love…

(images created with AI apps ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot)

10/28/2025

The CTHS Membership meeting and board elections will be held this Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 10am at the Crystal Community Library. Below is a draft agenda. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!

09/20/2025

Some late summer flowers at the museum.

09/09/2025

If there is anyone who has an online subscription to the Gratiot County Herald, could you look up the obituary for John Kennett, who died January 4, 2025, and send me a copy?

Any format is OK - copy and paste, download, print screen, etc. I just need the text; I already have a copy of the photo.

Please post here or send to Greg at [email protected]

Thank you!

Send a message to learn more

08/26/2025

The 42nd annual Crysal All-School Reunion is scheduled for Sunday, September 14, 2025, at noon, in the Crystal Community Center gymnasium.

This reunion was originally created for the alumni of Crystal High School but was expanded several years ago to welcome all who attended school in Crystal. Bring your spouse, a child/grandchild, or a friend…and enjoy a delicious pot-luck meal and spend time reminiscing and catching up with your old schoolmates!

Bring a dish to pass if you are able, refreshments and table service are provided. The reunion is sponsored by the Crystal Township Historical Society, and there is no charge, but optional donations are welcome to help defray costs.

Hope to see you there!